Above the Law
U.S. left-center
Background
Above the Law was founded in August 2006 by David Lat, a Harvard Law graduate and former associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, who had previously run the pseudonymous legal blog 'Underneath Their Robes.' Lat launched the site under the umbrella of Breaking Media, a digital media company that operates several industry-specific publications including Dealbreaker and Breaking Defense. The site quickly became one of the most widely read destinations for legal news, gossip about Big Law firms, and commentary on the judiciary. Lat departed as managing editor in May 2019, and editorial leadership shifted to writers including Joe Patrice; Elie Mystal, a prominent left-leaning legal commentator, served as executive editor before moving to The Nation as its justice correspondent. Media Bias/Fact Check rates the outlet Left-Center Biased, and AllSides rates it Lean Left, reflecting its tendency to editorialize critically on conservative legal policies, Republican judicial nominations, and actions by Republican administrations. Under the second Trump administration, Above the Law has published sharply critical coverage of executive orders targeting major law firms, including pieces with openly mocking headlines about firms that struck deals with the White House. The site is rated highly for factual accuracy by third-party monitors despite its clear editorial tilt.
Sources
- Above the Law (website) — Wikipedia
- Above the Law — Media Bias/Fact Check
- Above the Law Media Bias — AllSides
- Reflections Of An Editor Emeritus: Above The Law, 2006–2019
- Trump Turns On Capitulating Biglaw Firms HAHAHAHAHA — Above the Law
- The ABA Wants The White House's Receipts On The Biglaw Executive Orders — Above the Law
- Breaking Media — Crunchbase
- Above the Law — Breaking Media brand page
Profile compiled 2026-08-15; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.