William F. Lee
AGE: 50
FIRM: Boston's Hale and Dorr L.L.P.

Became managing partner of Hale and Dorr in February, overseeing 400-attorney firm with four U.S. branches and a role in an independent joint-venture firm, Brobeck Hale and Dorr, in Europe; is leading firm to become nationally and internationally dominant in technology and, locally, in pro bono services; will continue his practice in complex litigation, particularly intellectual property; represents such clients as Atrium Medical Corp., Genetics Institute, Calgene Inc., Biogen, Boston Scientific, General Electric, Reebok and the American Nuclear Insurers; was an associate counsel in the Office of the Independent Counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation; former special assistant to the Massachusetts attorney general investigating racial bias in the state's courts; has won, as defense counsel, some of the biggest jury and bench trial victories in intellectual property in recent years; in 1998, successfully represented PictureTel Inc. in a bet-your-company lawsuit. Hale and Dorr owes its current position as a leading Northeast technology law firm to partner Paul P. Brountas, who has guided many leading computer and software companies on the East Coast from startup through their growth as public companies

William S. Lerach
AGE: 54
FIRM: San Diego office of New York's Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach L.L.P.

A flamboyant litigator who specializes in commercial and securities litigation; leading strategist and a pioneer in shareholder derivative lawsuits; played an integral part in developing use of civil RICO charges to force settlements; firm is involved in about one-fourth of all securities class actions; his practice was a primary spur for the passage of the 1995 federal securities litigation reform bill, aimed at curtailing securities lawsuits; he was then the prime mover behind a 1996 initiative in a failed California attempt to circumvent the federal law; he continues to give corporations nightmares -- in the past three years, he has helped win settlements of $135.5 million from Informix Corp., $55 million from Med Partners, $60 million from National Medical Enterprises Inc. and $29 million from Cirrus Logic Inc.

L. Lawrence Lessig
AGE: 39
FIRM: Stanford University Law School

Renowned constitutional scholar and leading authority on Internet law; will be joining Stanford from Harvard this fall; author of 1999's seminal Code, and Other Laws of Cyberspace, which warns that the Internet is in danger of becoming tightly controlled by software writers, who will be responsible for setting standards of privacy, intellectual property rights and free speech; appointed special master in Microsoft antitrust case by U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, although that appointment was ended after Microsoft complained he was biased; subsequently filed, at the judge's request, an amicus brief considered to provide underpinning of antitrust standards for software and legal strategy; clerked for Judge Richard Posner, of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Martin Lipton
AGE: 68
FIRM: New York's Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Credited with creating the poisoNewlin - Popeoill defense; he was continually called in during the 1980s M&A; frenzy to defend corporations threatened by takeover bids and is even more influential today -- his firm is called in on many major deals and has been involved in the past three years in a slew of big transactions, including SunAmerica/American International Group, AT&T;/MediaOne, Warner-Lambert/American Home Products/Pfizer, First Chicago NBD/Bank One, CSX/Conrail and Monsanto/Pharmacia & Upjohn; special counsel to the New York Stock Exchange Board of Directors Committee on Market Structure, Governance and Ownership; in 1997 and 1998, chaired the special committee that negotiated the merger of the NYU Medical Centers Hospitals with the Mount Sinai Hospital Health System.

John F. Lynch
AGE: 60
FIRM: Los Angeles office of Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White L.L.P.

An intellectual property litigator who has helped define the course of practice in the U.S.; known for his ability to explain arcane scientific evidence; considered a pioneer in litigation over the application of patent law to genetically modified organisms; won a seed case for Monsanto in which the plaintiff was seeking $70 million in damages, making the NLJ's report on the best defense wins of 1998; other clients include Hoechst Celanese Corp., Merck & Co. Inc., Quantum Corp., Medtronic Inc. and Rockwell International Corp.; former managing shareholder at Arnold White & Durkee; a major force in the merger of Arnold White with Washington, D.C.'s Howrey & Simon; head of the IP practice.

Bill McBride
AGE: 55
FIRM: Managing partner of Holland & Knight L.L.P.

Since 1992, has aggressively pushed the firm's expansion, overseeing the opening of branch offices and mergers with firms in other cities; firm is now eighth-largest nationally; has fostered firm's emphasis on civic and charitable activities by its lawyers; the firm and its attorneys are professionwide leaders in pro bono commitment. Stephen F. Hanlon, partner in charge of the firm's community service team, works pro bono full time, overseeing a massive number of cases in public interest law and served as principal attorney with partner Martha W. Barnett, president-elect of the American Bar Association, in the Rosewood Claims litigation, which won compensation for families from Rosewood, Fla., who were driven from their homes by a racist mob in 1923.

Patrick F. McCartan
AGE: 65
FIRM: Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue

Since 1993, has restructured the firm, developing teams to deliver and market legal services to clients in selected industries; has extended the number of firm offices to 22 worldwide; in 1999, the firm's partners voted unanimously to amend the partnership agreement so he could remain managing partner beyond retirement age of 65; stellar reputation as a litigator, has handled major cases for such clients as B.F. Goodrich, Firestone Tire & Rubber, General Motors, Mead Corp., Pfizer and Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp.; concentrates on significant appellate matters, including recent Supreme Court win on antecedent judgment liens; successfully defended the Cleveland Browns football team when the city sued to prevent it from moving to Baltimore but is a key figure in the revival of Cleveland. Partner Robert C. Weber, is chair of the products liability and regulation practice and, as lead counsel for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., won an industry victory in 1999, in the Ironworkers class action.

Anne H. McNamara
AGE: 53
FIRM: General counsel of AMR Corp.

Top legal officer of AMR and its subsidiary American Airlines Inc. since June 1988; became corporate secretary of the airline in 1979; previously in private practice at New York's Shea & Gould; called a major player in developing overall competition policy in the airline industry as well as public policy for the airline; did a stint as vice president, personnel resources from 1987 to 1993; also has been responsible for corporate communications and corporate affairs activities for the airline, the holding company and affiliates.

Alan C. Mendelson
AGE: 52
FIRM: Menlo Park, Calif., office of Latham & Watkins

Corporate and securities specialist for high tech and biotech companies; until May 15, was head of the life sciences and emerging companies practices groups at Cooley Godward L.L.P.; move to Latham's Silicon Valley office was seen as giving that firm a high-tech boost; left Cooley after firm set policy of outplacing certain clients; will continue to represent nearly all current clients; put together IPOs for companies in a variety of industries, including Amgen, PetSmart, CV Therapeutics, Intermune Pharmaceutical, First Consulting Group, Metron Technology N.V., Aviron, USSearch.com, Walker Interactive Systems and TiVo; has a hands-on approach to work for his clients, even serving as acting general counsel at Amgen and Cadence Design Systems during critical periods for those companies, while retaining rest of practice; on the board of directors of Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., USSearch.com Inc., Aviron and Zxys Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Walter L. Metcalfe Jr.
AGE: 61
FIRM: Bryan Cave L.L.P.

For years has had a part in nearly every major community project in St. Louis; represented the city in its acquisition of the Oakland Arena; represented the St. Louis National Football League Group in gaining legislation and financing for construction of 70,000-seat stadium home for the St. Louis Rams; organized the Health and Educational Facilities Authority of the State of Missouri; helped organize Grand Center Inc., the developer of the arts and entertainment district in St. Louis; in representing St. Louis Partnership for Air Service, helped coordinate the effort of community leadership to preserve TWA and its St. Louis hub; has an active corporate practice representing major companies, including Emerson Electric Co., Marriott International Inc., Anheuser-Busch Cos., Bank of America, The Boeing Co., Monsanto and Sigma-Aldrich Corp.; chairman of Bryan Cave since 1994; led the firm's expansion from 390 lawyers to 575 as well as a significant expansion overseas.

Harriet E. Miers
AGE: 54
FIRM: Dallas office of Texas' Locke Liddell & Sapp L.L.P.

Personal attorney to Texas Governor George W. Bush; general counsel for his gubernatorial transition team; handled background research, looking for possible red flags, during early days of 2000 presidential campaign; Texas newspapers have indicated that she might be named attorney general or to another key administration post if Bush is elected; was president of Dallas' Locke Purnell Rain Harrell before its 1999 merger with Liddell, Sapp, Zivley, Hill & LaBoon; co-manages combined 425-lawyer firm with former managing partner of Liddell Sapp; in March, stepped down as chair and commissioner of the Texas Lottery Commission -- credited with rescuing it from previous corruption scandal; a commercial litigator who represents such clients as Microsoft and Disney; has long-time commitment to pro bono practice and is a member of the Texas Legal Services to the Poor Committee.

Harvey Miller
AGE: 67
FIRM: New York's Weil, Gotshal & Manges L.L.P.

Widely considered the world's leading bankruptcy lawyer, he has remained busy despite a thriving economy, as corporations and executives take more risks in the economic boom; has remained on cutting edge; increasingly involved in out-of-court restructuring; recently worked on a major restructuring of Safety Kleen Services Inc., but most clients are not identified, to avoid adverse publicity; in public matters, has handled the bankruptcy and reorganization of several significant companies, including Bruno's Inc., the athletic shoe retailer Just for Feet, the subprime lender United Cos. Financial Corp. and the coal mine operation AEI Resources Inc.

Paul S. Miller
AGE: 61
FIRM: General counsel of Pfizer Inc.

Since becoming chief legal officer of this Fortune 500 pharmaceutical giant in 1986, has increased its legal department from 152 to an estimated 560 people worldwide after the completion of a merger with Warner-Lambert; known for keeping Pfizer's products liability litigation under control; handled legal strategy for the company's recent successful takeover bid for Warner-Lambert; considered a national leader among corporate counsel in tort reform and environmental regulation reform; heavily involved in community activities as vice chair of the Citizen Crime Commission of the City of New York; member of the board of overseers of the Institute for Civil Justice at Rand.

Ira M. Millstein
AGE: 73
FIRM: New York's Weil, Gotshal & Manges L.L.P.

Leader of the firm for more than 25 years; a specialist in antitrust, government regulation and corporate governance; has led creation of host of practices in the firm; has led the push nationally to force boards to demand competent management in public corporations; representing Empire Blue Cross in its operational restructuring after well-publicized scandals, and the Sotheby's board, in response to actions by federal antitrust regulators and related shareholder actions; as co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Audit Committees, has revamped New York Stock Exchange and NASD listing rules regarding audit committees, as well as new SEC disclosure requirements; has pushed corporate governance reform into the international policy arena as chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Business Sector Advisory Group on Corporate Governance.

Robert M. Morgenthau
AGE: 80
FIRM: District attorney, New York County

Manhattan's district attorney since January 1975 and the nation's foremost prosecutor, considered an icon nationwide; his office has long been a training ground for leaders of bench and bar; willing to pursue unpopular or seemingly futile prosecutions -- pushed the Bank of Credit and Commerce International prosecution when the federal government seemed uninterested; pursues long-term prosecutions, such as the six-year investigation into the New York carting industry, which resulted in the convictions of 30 people, 40 companies and four trade waste associations; conducting fruitful investigation into a corrupt municipal union and directing investigations into the securities industry; his creation of a homicide investigation unit and pursuit of high-profile murder and serious felony cases are considered a major factor in the 80 percent drop in Manhattan murders since 1975.

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