Attorney Brian Steel was surrounded by supporters chanting “MVP” after rapper Lil Durk was acquitted on all counts in his federal murder-for-hire trial in Los Angeles on September 11.
The federal jury cleared Lil Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, of charges including murder-for-hire conspiracy and stalking linked to a fatal 2022 shooting. He had faced the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted.
Steel’s latest courtroom result follows prominent roles in two other major hip-hop cases. He represented Sean “Diddy” Combs during the music executive’s 2025 federal trial, where Combs was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking but convicted on two prostitution-related transportation counts. Combs later received a 50-month prison sentence and a $500,000 fine.
Lil Durk fans swarm Brian Steel chanting “MVP” after Durk was acquitted of all charges in his federal murder-for-hire case. 😭pic.twitter.com/j7Xe0Rrsr0
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) September 12, 2026Steel also served as lead counsel for rapper Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, during Georgia’s lengthy YSL racketeering case. Williams pleaded guilty or no contest to multiple charges in October 2024 and was released after receiving time served plus probation.
The 61-year-old criminal defence lawyer earned a business degree from the University of Michigan in 1987 and a law degree from Fordham University in 1990. He became a Fulton County assistant public defender in 1991 and has been a partner at The Steel Law Firm since 1997.
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Steel also attracted national attention during the Young Thug trial when Judge Ural Glanville held him in contempt for refusing to identify how he learned of an ex parte meeting involving prosecutors and a witness. The Georgia Supreme Court overturned that contempt judgment in October 2024.
Despite Friday’s acquittal, Lil Durk remains in federal custody ahead of a separate racketeering, murder and firearms trial scheduled for October 5.
