Get to know Alina Habba, the lawyer defending Trump at his trial.

One noteworthy aspect of Donald Trump's defamation trial is the frequent conflicts between his attorney, Alina Habba, and the experienced judge, who has questioned her understanding of the law. At only 39 years old, Ms. Habba has risen from relative obscurity to representing the former president in some of his most critical cases. She comes from a background of Iraqi descent, as her parents fled persecution in Iraq in the 1980s. After completing her university education, Ms. Habba worked in the fashion industry at Marc Jacobs, a prominent American brand. However, she later returned to college and obtained her law degree from Widener University in 2010. Following a brief stint as a clerk for a New Jersey Superior Court judge, Ms. Habba entered private practice before establishing her own firm in 2020. It was then that she crossed paths with Donald Trump. After reportedly meeting him at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where her law firm is also located, she joined his legal team in 2021. The former president, still aggrieved by his election defeat and facing numerous lawsuits, selected her from his relatively small law firm to be his most prominent attorney. Since joining Mr. Trump's legal team, Ms. Habba has gained public recognition as the ex-president's most vocal defender. She received praise from Trump after successfully resolving a sexual assault case filed by Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos. Additionally, she represented Trump in a $100 million lawsuit against the New York Times and his niece Mary Trump. She is currently defending him in a civil fraud case brought by the New York attorney general against him and his children. Ms. Habba has particularly clashed with Judge Lewis Kaplan during a civil lawsuit from E Jean Carroll, who accused Mr. Trump of assault in the 1990s. Judge Kaplan reprimanded her on several occasions, leading to heated exchanges. Other legal professionals, such as Ty Cobb, a lawyer who served in the Trump administration, criticized Ms. Habba's courtroom behavior, labeling it as "minor league" and unlikely to benefit her client or appease the judge. She has also clashed with Judge Arthur Engoron, the veteran judge overseeing Mr. Trump's fraud case in New York, whom she referred to as "unhinged." Despite the conflicts with judges, Ms. Habba's relationship with Trump has remained strong. She frequently accompanies him to his clubs in New Jersey and Florida and even celebrated her birthday with him, posting a photo together on social media. She is also a senior advisor for MAGA Inc., a political action committee supporting Trump's re-election campaign. According to ABC News, she has been compensated over $3.5 million for her work with the organization.