29. Frederick Brewington

We feel sorry for anyone who’s named a defendant in a headline-grabbing civil rights lawsuit filed by Frederick Brewington. Just in the past year alone, the Hempstead-based lawyer won a $295,000 settlement from Nassau County for a politically motivated arrest that resulted in the firing of the former police commissioner, accused Valley Stream South High School administrators of failing to prevent a white student from attacking a black classmate in a racially motivated assault, and filed suit against white Garden City village police officers that allegedly beat a black former corrections officer they mistook for a suspect. But it’s not always just about winning money for his clients. Brewington’s cases sometimes also improve public policy. Look no further than the $7.7 million settlement he won for the family of Jo’Anna Bird, who was tortured and killed by her ex-boyfriend after Nassau County police failed to protect the victim, who had an order of protection against her killer. The settlement sparked police reforms intended to prevent such fatal failures from happening again in the future. Considering Brewington’s long-winning track record, his legal opponents would be well advised by their attorneys to warm up their settlement check-writing pens.