All over the world, lawyers are expressly respected for their immense contribution to the growth and development of our societies, through their monumental range of disciplinary knowledgeability.

This soundly explains why lawyers are called 'learned'. Lawyers have made their marks all through history in society-growing and nation-building activities. In this bid, here is a list of 15 notable and influential lawyers of all time.


1. HUGO GROIUS (10TH APRIL 1582 - 28TH AUGUST 1645)
Hugo Grotius, also known as Hugo de Groot, was a Dutch Jurist. Along with the earlier works of Francisco de Victoria and Alberico Gentili, Grotius laid foundations for international law. His main interest was the philosophy of war, international law, and political philosophy. It is thought that he is the first to formulate the international society doctrine.

2. THURGOOD MARSHALL (JULY 2, 1908 - JANUARY 24, 1993)
He was an American lawyer. He served as associate in justice in the supreme court of the United States of America from October 1967 until October 1991. He established the NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund.


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3. ALAN DERSHOWITZ (BORN ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1938)
Alan is an American lawyer and academic. He is a scholar of United States constitutional law and criminal law. He is also notable for civil liberation. As a professor of law, the criminal appellate lawyer won 13 of 15 murder and attempted murder cases he has handled.

4. CESARE BECCARIA (15TH MARCH 1738 - 28TH NOVEMBER 1994)
Beccaria was and Halian criminologist, jurist, philosopher and politician. He is widely considered as the most talented jurist. He is notable for his treaties on crimes, and punishments (1764). He is also considered as the father of modern criminal law, and the father of criminal justice.

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5. TED WELLS (BORN ON APRIL 28, 1950)
Ted is an American lawyer, who works in the field of criminal law. He has been selected by the National Law Journal as one of America's best White-collar defence attorney on numerous occasions.

6. GANI FAWEHINMI (APRIL 22, 1938 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2009)
Chief Abdul-Ganiyu "Gani" Oyewesola Fawehinmi, GCON, SAN, was a renowned and well respected Nigerian author, publisher, philanthropist, social critic, seasoned human and civil rights lawyer, politician and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Among other several achievements, he was awarded the biennial Bruno Kreisky Prize, on the 11th of June, 1993. He also received the International Bar Association's Bernard Simmons Award', in recognition of his human-rights and pro-democracy work. In September 2001, he got the highest legal title in Nigeria, by becoming a SAN (Senior Advocate of Nigeria).

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7. CLARA SHORTRIDGE (JULY 16, 1849 - SEPTEMBER 2, 1934)
This American lawyer fought to change the law that denied women the right to become lawyers. She was the first women to run for governor.

8. ABRAHAM LINCOLN (FEBRUARY 12, 1809 - APRIL 15, 1865)
He was an American statesman and lawyer. He served as the 16th President of the United States. He led United States through its civil war - its bloodiest war.

9. FATOU BENSOUDA (BORN ON 31ST JANUARY, 1961)
She is a Gambian lawyer and international criminal law prosecutor. She is the current international criminal court (ICC) chief prosecutor.


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10. BARACK OBAMA
Barack Obama's law career was short because he was a shooting star from the beginning. He was never going to push the paper he was going to govern its direction. He later became the 44th U.S. president.

11. CLARENCE DARROW (APRIL 18, 1857 - MARCH 13, 1938)
He is an America lawyer, a leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a prominent advocate for Georgist Economic Reform.

12. GERALD LEONARD "GERRY" SPENCE (BORN ON JANUARY 8, 1929)
He is a semi-retired American trial lawyer. He is a member of American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. He has never lost a criminal case, either as a prosecutor or defence attorney.

13. FEMI FALANA (BORN ON 20TH MAY, 1958)
Femi Falana is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a lawyer by heart, and human rights activist. He contested but lost the governorship election of Ekiti State, Nigeria, in 2007, on the platform of the National Conscience Party. He served as the National chairman of this party in 2011.


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14. HILLARY CLINTON
Hillary Clinton is an American politician who was a lawyer, the 67th secretary of state under President Barack Obama, and a U.S. senator from New York. She was once the first lady of the United States, and the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2016 election.

15. FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
He was a political leader who was a lawyer, and served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933, until his death in 1945.

These are just few of the influential lawyers we have behind and with us. There are many others, whose deeds have helped changed the tone of human existence.


REFERENCES:
WIKIPEDIA
FINDYOURLLM
SANTAROSA-LAWYER
INJURYLAWOREGON