Brian Steel

Brian Steel 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.^[2][3]

Brian Steel
Born	1965[1] Queens, New York, U.S.
Education	University of Michigan (BBA) Fordham University School of Law (JD)
Occupation	Attorney
Employer	Steel Law Firm
Known for	Representing Young Thug in the YSL Records racketeering trial
Spouse	Colette Resnik Steel

In February 2025, Canadian musicians PartyNextDoor and Drake's collaborative album featured a song titled "Brian Steel", named after Steel.^[4]

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 July Combs was found not guilty on 3 of 5 counts.^{[5] [6]}

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.^[7]

YSL racketeering trial

Main article: YSL Records 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.^[8]

During the nearly two year trial, Judge Glanville committed numerous controversial acts, including holding multiple ex parte meetings without the defense, jailing Steel for refusing to disclose his sources when the defense attorney had learned about the meetings, and allegedly coercing key witness Kenneth Copeland to testify.^[9][10][11]

On July 15, 2024, Glanville was removed from the case.^[12] 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.^[13]