Legal Eagles: Three Indian Americans Named in Forbes’ Inaugural List of America’s Top 200 Lawyers

Former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, and attorneys Ambika Kumar and Monica Arora are named in Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Top 200 Lawyers, “whose expertise, passion and purpose set them apart.” Those included in the list are “not just the finest in the field,” the magazine notes, “they are, in many cases, change agents in every corner of the profession. Included from “a variety of backgrounds, specializations, and jurisdictions,” some on the list “have been part of the most consequential and seminal cases or legal trends in recent years,” while “others are making their mark less publicly,” the magazine adds. “But they all share reputations for integrity and records of excellence. And the impact of their work is omnipresent.”

Neal Katyal, a frequent commentator on MSNBC, is a partner at the Hogan Lovells law firm and is the Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center. He has argued 50 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and has extensive experience in litigation, constitutional law, patents, arbitration, and employment. He served as the Special Prosecutor for the State of Minnesota in the murder of George Floyd. While Acting Solicitor General of the United States from 2010-2011, he won a case upholding the constitutionality of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Katyal won another landmark voting rights-related case in 2023 when the court rejected the “independent state legislature theory” in a North Carolina gerrymandering case. 

Ambika Kumar of Seattle, Washington, is co-chair of Davis Wright Tremaine’s media practice and a go-to lawyer on content liability and electronic privacy issues. She is widely recognized for her free-speech expertise, knowledge of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, and her understanding of how free-speech principles apply to evolving technology. She also counsels clients on defamation, copyright, trademark, and public records matters.

New York-based Monica Arora is a top investment fund lawyer and co-head of the Private Funds Group at Proskauer. She advises asset managers on buyouts, credit, growth equity, real assets, and infrastructure funds. A thought leader in the industry, she represents global asset managers across the full spectrum of investment fund matters, from large investment firms to start-ups.

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