Brian Steel

Brian Steel (born 1965) is an American attorney best known for representing rapper Jeffery "Young Thug" Williams in the YSL racketeering trial. Steel served as the lead defense attorney for Williams in what would become the longest trial in the history of the state of Georgia, lasting over 22 months.

Steel founded his own law firm in 1997 alongside his wife Colette, who is also an attorney. He is Georgia's most successful criminal appellate attorney, with around 300 published opinions and 45 reversals to his credit.

In February 2025, Canadian musicians PartyNextDoor and Drake's collaborative album, Some Sexy Songs 4 U featured a song titled "Brian Steel", named after Steel.

In April 2025, Brian Steel was hired as a member of Sean "Diddy" Combs' Legal team for his then-upcoming federal criminal trial on sex trafficking charges.

In March 2026, Brian Steel reportedly replaced Jonathan Brayman as counsel for Lil Durk in his federal murder-for-hire case.

Early life and education Steel graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan in 1987 and graduated with a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1990. YSL racketeering trial

On May 9, 2022, Williams was arrested and charged alongside 27 other individuals in a 56-count Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) indictment filed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Fulton County Chief Judge Ural D. Glanville denied bond for everyone who was charged and scheduled the trial for January 9, 2023.

During the nearly two-year trial, Judge Glanville engaged in several controversial actions, such as conducting multiple ex parte meetings without the defense’s knowledge, imprisoning Steel for refusing to reveal his sources after the defense attorney had been informed about the meetings, and allegedly coercing key witness Kenneth Copeland to testify.

On July 15, 2024, Glanville was removed from the case. He was replaced by Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker.

On October 31, 2024, Williams pled guilty to the drug-related and gun-related charges and no contest to charges of conspiracy and participating in a street gang, which allowed him to go home free after serving over two and a half years in custody.