Here’s Who’s Made The Most Defending Trump In Court

Given the amount of time that former president Donald Trump and his attorneys have spent either in court or preparing for trials lately, it’s no surprise that his legal bills have been towering. In fact, they total more than $80 million. Forbes took a close look at which lawyers for Trump have gotten paid the most, based on federal filings, since he left office in January 2021. Seven lawyers have made at least $3.5 million apiece representing Trump, with the highest paid reaping nearly $12 million. Altogether these lawyers have earned $45 million in the past few years, with more still to come.

But the crew of lawyers who have defended Trump haven’t been paid from the ex-president’s own coffers. Instead, Trump has primarily turned to Save America PAC, a leadership political action committee affiliated with the former president that’s become increasingly dedicated to covering the Republican presidential candidate’s legal fees. Altogether the PAC has spent $69.4 million on Trump’s legal fees (which it characterizes as “legal consulting”) since it was formed directly after the election in November 2020, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Another Trump-affiliated PAC, Make America Great Again, has also spent $18.4 million on legal consulting since January 2021. Altogether Forbes found a record of more than 75 law firms getting paid by these PACs.

While that $69.4 million is less than half of the $199 million Save America has spent in total since its inception, the percentage spent on legal fees is growing. In February, more than $5 million of the $7.2 million the PAC spent was dedicated to legal expenses. And with Trump still set to face four criminal trials and multiple civil cases against him still ongoing, the amount Trump owes his lawyers will likely only go up.

Trump’s lawyers have already been commanding impressive fees to represent him in court even before his criminal cases go to trial, FEC filings show, with his highest-paid lawyers racking up millions that Save America is paying to their firms. The top five highest-paid firms by Save America have received between $3.7 million and $11.9 million, while even lower-paid lawyers representing Trump in some of his biggest cases have still been paid more than $1 million from the ex-president’s PAC. (Attorneys have not yet responded to requests for comment on their payments.)

Here are Trump’s highest-paid lawyers through Save America, Make America Great Again PAC and Trump’s main campaign fund, based on the groups’ filings from January 2021 through February 2024, the most recent month for which data is available:

Christopher Kise

Firms: Chris Kise & Associates + Continental PLLC

Amount Paid: $11.9 million

Trump’s fattest legal fees have gone to Kise and his associates at his Florida-based firms Chris Kise & Associates and Continental PLLC, which Save America has paid $5.8 million and $6.1 million, respectively. Kise—previously Florida’s Solicitor General—served as the former president’s lead attorney in the civil fraud case that New York Attorney General Letitia James brought against the ex-president and his associates, which resulted in Trump now owing more than $450 million plus interest. (Trump has filed notice saying he’s appealing that ruling.) The attorney is also representing Trump in the ex-president’s federal criminal case for allegedly mishandling White House documents, which remains ongoing. (Trump has pleaded not guilty and decried the allegations against him as a “witch hunt,” claiming he had authority to keep White House materials.)

Kise was brought into the criminal case in August 2022, prior to Trump’s indictment, after other Florida-based criminal defense lawyers reportedly refused to take the former president on as a client. The lawyer withdrew from his previous law firm, Foley & Lardner, when he joined the ex-president’s legal team, the firm confirmed in a statement at the time.

Clifford S. Robert

Firm: Robert & Robert PLLC

Amount Paid: $7.7 million

His New York-based Law firm Robert & Robert PLLC has raked in millions as principal attorney Robert directly represented both the ex-president and his sons Eric and Donald Trump, Jr. in the civil fraud case. Robert has filed motions on behalf of the former president and his co-defendants in the wake of the nine-figure judgment against Trump, arguing last Monday in a filing that it is “not possible” for Trump to secure a bond for the full amount he owes. (An appeals court ultimately partially sided with the former president.) The attorney has also represented Trump and his business in other lawsuits related to the Trump Organization, such as a case accusing Trump and his associates of unlawfully promoting a multi-level marketing scheme—which was dismissed before it went to trial in January because the judge ruled the case should be tried in state court. Trump and his co-defendants defended their alleged promotion of the American Communications Network, writing in a filing that any promotion by Trump was merely a “celebrity endorsement of a company whose business model is lawful and longstanding.” He also represented the Trump Organization in ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s lawsuit against the company, which was settled in July 2023.

Alina Habba

Firm: Habba Madaio & Associates LLP

Amount Paid: $6.9 million

Habba has emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent advocates as the New Jersey-based lawyer has represented the former president in a slew of civil lawsuits, including as co-counsel for the New York civil fraud trial and as lead counsel for writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation cases against him; after losing the latter two suits, Trump was ordered to pay nearly $90 million in total. (He posted a $91.6 million bond and has appealed both rulings.) The attorney, who reportedly formerly represented a parking garage company, joined Trump’s legal team in September 2021, first signing on to a defamation case before filing suit on Trump’s behalf against The New York Times NYT and Trump’s niece Mary Trump, and soon becoming the face of many of Trump’s biggest legal battles. (The case against the Times was later dismissed, but his allegations against Mary Trump were allowed to move forward.) Habba has also gotten in hot water for how she’s represented the former president: She and Trump were jointly ordered to pay nearly $1 million in sanctions for his lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other Democratic operatives.

In addition to the $6.5 million that Save America has paid Habba’s law firm since she joined his legal team, the attorney has also received an additional $346,000 from the separate Trump-aligned Make America Great Again PAC, though there’s no information on which specific cases those payments were for. Save America’s February filing also notes the PAC still owed Habba’s law firm $534,000 for legal consulting; it’s unclear if that fee has since been paid. (The law firm has not yet responded to a request for comment.)

Trump’s Campaign Lawyers

Harmeet Dhillon and Jesse Binnall

Firms: Dhillon Law Group, Binnall Law Group

Amount Paid: $5.9 million and $4.9 million

Dhillon Law Group and Binnall Law Group have been paid only modest amounts by Save America by the standard of other Trump lawyers, taking in $1.2 million and $1.5 million, respectively, through February. The two firms rank among the most highly paid when Trump’s campaign PACs factor in, however: Trump’s 2024 campaign and Make America Great Again PAC have paid Dhillon Law Group a joint $4.7 million, while the two law firms Binnall has worked for have earned $3.3 million through Make America Great Again PAC. Unlike lawyers representing Trump in cases that don’t directly concern his presidential candidacy, Binnall and Dhillon and their associates have focused on cases concerning Trump’s status in the 2020 and 2024 elections, with Dhillon’s firm representing Trump in the lawsuits challenging his candidacy under the 14th Amendment, which ultimately ended up at the Supreme Court. Binnall represented Trump in his cases alleging election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and FEC filings show his firm Harvey & Binnall PLLC continued to receive fees into 2022 for recount efforts.

Both Binnall and Dhillon Law Group attorneys have also represented Trump in non-campaign-related cases, including civil cases seeking to hold Trump liable for the January 6, 2021, riot, and Binnall represented the former president in his Trump’s failed lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, among other litigation.

John F. Lauro

Firm: Lauro & Singer

Amount Paid: $4 million

Lauro is representing Trump as one of the attorneys in the federal criminal case alleging that he tried to overturn the 2020 election, including as the ex-president asks the Supreme Court next month to throw out the charges against him because he claims to have “presidential immunity.” The former federal prosecutor formally joined Trump’s legal team in July 2023 and quickly started speaking out on Trump’s behalf, doing media interviews and telling ABC News in August that “the government will never be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump had corrupt or criminal intent.” FEC filings show he was actually first paid for legal consulting by Save America PAC in October 2022.

Evan Corcoran

Firm: Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin & White

Amount Paid: $3.7 million

Corcoran represented Trump as the federal government was investigating the ex-president for the classified White House documents Trump brought back to Mar-a-Lago—though he soon became part of the story. The indictment, which charges Trump with allegedly willfully retaining national security documents, identifies Corcoran as “Trump Attorney 1,” alleging Trump deceived the lawyer as he was tasked with turning over all remaining classified documents to the federal government in response to a subpoena, with Trump allegedly concealing many documents from his attorney. Trump also allegedly suggested to Corcoran that he should obstruct the government’s investigation, saying, “Wouldn't it be better if we just told them we don't have anything here?” Corcoran left Trump’s legal team when was forced to testify to a grand jury, and the attorney turned over materials to prosecutors and could be called as a witness at trial. The attorney has not commented on the allegations in the indictment and has previously said he cannot comment on investigations against Trump while they remain ongoing.

The lawyer has also been linked to Trump’s federal election interference case, appearing at his arraignment, though he is not formally listed as counsel in the litigation. FEC filings show Save America has paid Corcoran’s law firm Silverman Thompson for legal consulting as recently as January, though it’s unclear what those fees are for and if they were for work done by Corcoran or a different lawyer at the firm. Corcoran and Silverman Thompson have not yet responded to requests for comment.