Super lawyers: their names are Billy Martin and Ted Wells

HANDS DOWNS THEY ARE TWO OF THE NATION'S BEST, THE GUYS ON THAT VERY SHORT LIST OF HIGH-POWERED, HIGH-PRICED LITIGATORS WHO THE RICH AND FAMOUS, AND SOMETIMES THE INFAMOUS, TURN TO WHEN THEY GET INTO REALLY BIG TROUBLE. THEIR VICTORIES ARE OFTEN THE STUFF OF AWE. OTHER LAWYERS FLOCK TO THE COURTROOM, SOMETIMES FROM HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY, TO STUDY THEM WHILE THEY WORK,

Their client lists read like a virtual who's who of American life and beyond--former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff Lewis (Scooter) Libby, former U.S. Pep. the Rev. Floyd Flake, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, financier Michael Milken, actor Wesley Snipes, White House intern Monica Lewinsky (who almost brought down a president), former U.S. Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan and professional athletes like NBA stars Allen Iverson, Rod Strickland, Jayson Williams and former boxing champion Riddick Bowe. In addition, they have represented major U.S. corporations, including Exxon Mobil, Philip Morris and McKesson, and even the presidents of other nations.

They are what those in their profession call the "go-to attorneys," the men you call when price is not an issue because losing is not an option. Their backgrounds differ. Wells, selected the nation's 2006 lawyer of the year, is from predominately Black Washington, D.C., a major city steeped in African-American history and culture. Martin, who also has a number of national top lawyer awards, grew up in a tiny, mostly White bedroom community near Pittsburgh that is home to a mere 100 or so Black families.

Wells and his sister were raised by their mother, now a retired mailroom clerk. When Martin sat down to dinner as a kid with his parents, his mom, a caterer and domestic, and his dad, a steelworker, he was joined by his seven brothers and sisters.

Wells attended College of Holy Cross College in Massachusetts and Harvard University, where he received a law degree and a master's degree in business. Martin graduated from Howard University and received his law degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Still, their paths--guided by a love of courtroom battle and an unbending will to win--have led them to the pinnacle of their profession. Both say that while recognizing their own talents, they are where they are, in part, because they "stood on the shoulders of giants," African-American attorneys such as Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley and Charles Hamilton Houston.

But according to Willie Gary, considered by many to be the dean of the current generation of African-American lawyers, there is something beyond intellect that separates Wells and Martin from the rest.

"They have a work ethic that's second to none," Gary says. "Nobody is going to outwork them. There are only 24 hours in a day, and the question is, are you willing to work 24 hours? It's not just how smart you are. It's whether you are willing to pay the price. Ted and Billy are."

It's been a long time since Billy Martin, 57, stood in a Mississippi courtroom to represent a White Philadelphia corporate client, and the judge, thinking that because Martin was Black he must be the defendant, started to address Martin's client rather than him. These days, nobody mistakes Martin for the guy in trouble.

"Billy is a marquee kind of player in the litigation world," says Dan Marino, who helped recruit Martin as a partner to the prestigious Washington law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. "He's somebody who has a lot of stature, a wonderful reputation." Daniel R. Meachum, an Atlanta attorney who has hired Martin to defend Wesley Snipes, agrees. "Billy is one of the best, bar none."

So, what separates Martin as a great attorney from the good attorneys? "Hard work, hard work and hard work," Martin says. "There were so many times that I couldn't do the fun things because I had to work or study." What he doesn't say is that his jobs, which have taken him all over the world, have been his fun. The 14- to 18-hour days almost daily for the past 30 years are more joy than chore. "There's a side of me that really enjoys helping people," he says. "I feel my work is like that. I have skills to help put you back on your feet." And nothing is more enjoyable than the rock-em, sock-em world of the trial lawyer. "I love the battle," he says. "It's like we're gladiators. I still get butterflies at the beginning of a trial, but I love the battle."

Martin likes to tell the story that he turned to a career in law because of a traffic accident during a visit home to Sewickley, Pa., from college. His car was rear-ended by a Porsche, and an angry Martin lit into the driver, who turned out to be a Pittsburgh attorney. Impressed with Martin's ability to argue, the lawyer quickly suggested that he consider a career in law and invited him to visit his firm. A few days later, Martin looked around the litigator's plush surroundings and thought again about his new acquaintance's shiny Porsche. "I thought to myself, 'I could go with this,'" Martin says.