Best Lawyers in the Marvel Universe

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It is a well-known fact that the Marvel Universe is a reflection of the world outside our window. Now, that reflection isn’t always a one-to-one comparison. We don’t have to worry about beings like Galactus devouring the planet, or Celestials who want to bring about JUDGMENT DAY. But we do live in a society of laws, theoretically. And the same is true in the world of Marvel. Sometimes, you’re really going to need a lawyer.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of lawyers to call upon whether you’re a Super Hero, a Super Villain, or someone in need of good, plain justice. Although some attorneys are definitely more reputable than others. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the lawyers of the Marvel Universe, but they are the top legal eagles in our book. Let’s hear their defense!

JENNIFER WALTERS, AKA SHE-HULK

Jennifer Walters has a unique perspective on the law. She was a successful attorney before she became She-Hulk, which means that she has experience prosecuting criminals. As a member of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four (as well as during her solo adventures), Jen has put countless criminals behind bars for the law to punish. But as a lawyer-for-hire, Jennifer has also been called upon to defend her clients and litigate uncharted areas of superhuman law. She’s a real pioneer in the field, and she is happy to represent the interest of any super-powered individual whether with a firm or operating under her own PLLC.

MATT MURDOCK, AKA DAREDEVIL

Lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Marvel’s Man Without Fear doesn’t have much time for sleep. But despite his exhaustive schedule, Matt Murdock is renowned as one of the best lawyers in New York City under his partnership with Nelson and Murdock. Matt has even spent some time in the district attorney’s office, but the vast majority of his cases have been in the field of criminal defense. Admittedly, Matt’s enhanced radar senses do give him the edge when it comes to reading a jury and determining an unreliable testimony. But they also allow Matt to pick the clients that are innocent of the crimes for which they are accused.

FRANKLIN “FOGGY” NELSON

Matt Murdock’s longtime friend and law partner, Foggy Nelson, is often overshadowed in the relationship despite being the more reliable half of Nelson and Murdock. But make no mistake, Foggy is a gifted litigator in his own right. He was even elected to lead the district attorney’s office in New York! Yet time and time again, Foggy has chosen to renew his friendship and partnership with Matt. That’s the kind of loyalty that money can’t buy.

ROSALIND SHARPE

Foggy’s mother, Rosalind Sharpe, is very famous within legal circles, especially in her native Boston. Rosalind abandoned Foggy and his father (her husband) when he was young, because she didn’t want them to interfere in her legal career. Regardless, Foggy was inspired to follow in his mother’s footsteps and he became a lawyer himself. At one point, Rosalind successfully recruited Foggy and Matt to work for her law firm. But when Foggy was accused of murder, Rosalind callously cut ties with her son out of fear that his trial would negatively impact her firm. Matt immediately quit the firm to stand by Foggy’s side, and they have both had a contentious relationship with Rosalind ever since.

MALLORY BOOK

Former “Miss. Utah” Mallory Book was the best lawyer at the law offices of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, known as “the Face who’s never lost a case.” At least she was the best before Jennifer Walters joined the firm and upstaged her as She-Hulk. From there, Mallory and Jen might best be described as “frenemies.” Over time, Mallory became so bitter towards Jen that she willingly took part in a conspiracy that was designed to end Jennifer’s legal career and remake the She-Hulk in their image. Upon witnessing Jennifer’s loyalty to her Skrull business partner and friend, Jazinda, Mallory was moved to undo the actions she had taken against She-Hulk.

More recently in SHE-HULK (2022) #1, Mallory and Jennifer fully reconciled as she welcomed Jen into her new law firm.

AUGUSTUS “PUG” PUGLIESE

A self-made attorney and a courtroom colleague of Jennifer Walters and Mallory Book! While working as a bouncer at The Velvet Morgue, one of New York’s most famous nightclubs, Augustus “Pug” Pugliese put himself through college, graduating from the NYU School of Law. He specialized in superhuman law at Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, where he put both sets of skills to use. Pug is a capable lawyer who uses his knowledge to win cases, such as a settlement for Spider-Man against J. Jonah Jameson, fulfilling a debt he felt he owed the wall-crawler. Pug also harbored a longstanding crush on Jennifer, but never quite mustered the courage to ask her out.

JERYN HOGARTH

For many years, Jeryn Hogarth was the in-house lawyer for Rand-Meachum Incorporated, the company owned by Danny Rand, AKA Iron Fist. Jeryn was loyal enough to Danny’s parents that he helped their son reclaim the company after he spent most of his early life in the mystical city of K'un-Lun. When Iron Fist formed a crime fighting partnership with Luke Cage, Jeryn became the first boss of the Heroes for Hire. Despite some ups and downs in their relationship, Jeryn has remained a steadfast ally for Danny Rand and his super-powered friends.

ANNE WEYING

Anne Weying was the wife of Eddie Brock, the man who became Venom. Prior to Eddie’s transformation, Anne established herself as an excellent lawyer in the private sector. But she divorced Eddie when he became fixated on Spider-Man for exposing his false story about the Sin-Eater’s true identity. Years later, Anne was instrumental in getting Venom to abandon his vendetta against Spider-Man. She was even briefly transformed into She-Venom on a few occasions, when Eddie sent the symbiote to protect her. Unfortunately, Anne became deathly afraid that the symbiote was corrupting her, and she took her own life. But a part of Anne lives on through her son, Dylan, the current Venom.

JANICE LINCOLN

If you need a criminal lawyer, then there’s only one call to make: Janice Lincoln. The current Beetle is an attorney, but this daughter of Tombstone has a greater affinity for her father’s life of crime. That’s why Janice has largely turned her back on the legal profession to form The Syndicate, a group of female villains that is dedicated to helping other women pursue their criminal ambitions. Janice is also engaged to one of Peter Parker’s best friends, Randy Robertson. Regardless, no one seriously expects Janice to give up on her life of crime. Not even Randy.

"LEGAL"

Comic book readers are not privy to Legal’s real name, but we’ve seen him in action. In SHE-HULK (2014) #1, Legal was working for Stark Industries in a case opposite Jennifer Walters. One of Legal’s underhanded tactics was to drown Jen with more paperwork than she could easily handle. Rather than take the case to trial, Jen successfully sidestepped Legal and worked out a solution with Tony Stark himself.

Following the dissolution of Stark Industries, Legal revealed that he had no problem working for crime Kingpin Wilson Fisk in DAREDEVIL (2015) #23. Legal’s lack of morals made him a potent adversary for both Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters. 

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