Who are Hollywood's Top Attorneys?

In Hollywood, stars are made in so many ways.

There are the award winners, who are chosen by an academy of their peers. There are the box-office stars, whose status comes from their fans.

Then there are Hollywood's star lawyers. And the winners for 2018 are ...

Hollywood Stars

"Power Lawyers 2018," according to the Hollywood Reporter, have nothing "to feel insecure about" -- as if that ever happens with lawyers. Anyway, their top dogs are:

• Karl Austen of Jackoway Tyerman
• Kevin Bainne, Williams & Connolly
• Jill Basinger, Glaser Weil
• Daniel Black, Greenberg Traurig
• Jake Bloom, Bloom Hergott

The power list is 100 lawyers long, but we're not going there. That would be like cementing names in a sidewalk around a Hollywood block.

How vain would that be? Besides, top law firms already have their names on buildings.

Hollywood Myths

To be sure, the top attorneys in any field deserve some recognition. But there are myths about Hollywood lawyers.

It's really the media's fault because television and movies created them. Are they bold or brash? Smart or smart-aleck?

Sometimes the line between fact and fiction can be quite thin. After all, everyone has seen a real-life lawyer like Vinny Gambini or at least one with a really bad suit.

But as Hollywood lawyers go, Mr. Gambini is a fan favorite. Marisa Tomei, who won an Oscar for "My Cousin Vinny," certainly liked him.

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