Lawyers in Donald Trump's hush money trial: Meet the attorneys and prosecutors battling it out in the Stormy Daniels case

The spectacle of Donald Trump's first criminal trial has arrived.

The former president will appear in court in Manhattan on Monday, despite multiple efforts from his legal team to delay the start of the Stormy Daniels hush money case, where he is accused of trying to hide a $130,000 payment to cover up an affair he denies ever having.

His legal team have been in and out of court for months trying to get the charges tossed and claiming it should be in a different venue, because he can't get a fair trial in Manhattan.

The presumptive Republican nominee's attorneys will now go to battle with prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

He has picked a veteran white-collar lawyer, a criminal defense attorney and those who have worked on Trump Organization cases to fight his corner as he stares down 34 charges of falsifying business records.

Here are the key members of both the prosecution and defense teams as jury selection begins on Monday. 

The spectacle of Donald Trump's first criminal trial has arrived. The former president will appear in court in Manhattan on Monday, despite multiple efforts from his legal team to delay the start of the Stormy Daniels hush money case

THE DEFENSE 

Todd Blanche

Blanche is the head of Trump's legal team and will be leading his defense in the trial that could last between six and eight weeks. 

The white-collar attorney and former federal prosecutor was hired the day before Trump's arraignment in the case in April 2023. 

He resigned from an elite New York law firm and relished the opportunity to represent Trump, and is now assigned to three of his four criminal cases.

Blanche has already worked for Trump's inner circle. He represented Trump lawyer Boris Epshteyn, former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Furman. 

Todd Blanche is the head of Trump's legal team and will be leading his defense in the trial that could last between six and eight weeks

Susan Necheles

Trained at Yale Law School and head of her own legal firm, Necheles is known to be particularly tough in cross-examination and cut her teeth representing mobsters.

The fearless attorney joined Trump's legal team years ago when she represented the Trump Orgnizaton in the Manhattan district attorney's tax fraud case.

When Trump has appeared in the Manhattan courtroom, she has been by his side at the defense table and giving him counsel.

She started her career with corporate law firm and in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

Then she moved into criminal law at a firm with Frederick Hafetz, who eventually named her partner.

Recently, she defended Seagrams heiress Clare Bronfman, who was convicted in 2020 of financing the NXIVM sex cult in upstate New York.  

She also gave counsel to Genovese crime family underboss Venero Mangano, who was known as Bennie Eggs and has represented a Miss America and Lady Astor's son.

According to reports, Harvey Weinstein tried to hire her to fight sex assault allegations against him in 2019, because of her 'extremely creative arguments'. 

When Trump has appeared in the Manhattan courtroom, Susan Necheles (right) has been by his side at the defense table and giving him counsel

Emil Bove

Trump added Bove to his team in September 2023.

He was the co-chief of the national security unit at the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. 

In a statement to CNN when he was hired, Blanche called Bove 'an expert in white collar and CIPA-related litigation'.

Trump added Emil Bove (left) to his team in September 2023. He was the co-chief of the national security unit at the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York

Gedalia Stern

Stern is a partner at Necheles' law firm who also worked on the Trump Organization tax fraud case in 2022.

'He has extensive experience representing clients in both federal and state court charged with a variety of crimes, including bribery, benefits fraud, wire fraud, kidnapping, and sex crimes,' a description on Necheles' firm's website reads. 

Gedalia Stern is a partner at Necheles' law firm who also worked on the Trump Organization tax fraud case in 2022

THE PROSECUTION 

Chris Conroy

Conroy has worked in the Manhattan District Attorney's office for 27 years and now serves as the Executive Assistant District Attorney and Senior Advisor to the Investigation Division.

He has worked in the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit and the DA's Major Economic Crimes Bureau.

He has overseen major cases including the violations of U.S. sanctions and is an expert on calcification of business records, the charges Trump is facing.

Chis Conroy has worked in the Manhattan District Attorney's office for 27 years and now serves as the Executive Assistant District Attorney and Senior Advisor to the Investigation Division

Susan Hoffinger

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hired Hoffinger last year to bolster the team investigating Trump.

She argued against Necheles during the Trump Organization tax fraud case, and secured a conviction.

 The Columbia Law school graduate worked at the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1992 to 2000.

She moved into private practice before she was brought onto the prosecution's team last year when two members abruptly resigned over how Bragg was handling the case.

As both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, she has extensive experience in white-collar crime.

One of her tactics may be that she will treat Trump like any other defendant in a criminal case. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hired Susan Hoffinger last year to bolster the team investigating Trump

Josh Steinglass 

Steinglass is a 25-year veteran of the Manhattan district attorney's office known for prosecuting high-profile murder and manslaughter cases.

Alongside the Trump case, he also led the investigation into the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on the subway. Daniel Penny is awaiting trial and has pleaded not guilty to the charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Steinglass was also a key member of the team that secured the conviction of two Trump Organization companies in 2022 on 17 counts of tax fraud.

He questioned key witnesses and delivering the closing argument. 

Josh Steinglass (center) is a 25-year veteran of the Manhattan district attorney's office known for prosecuting high-profile murder and manslaughter cases

Matthew Colangelo 

Former Senior Justice Department official Colangelo is an attorney Trump has frequently cited as evidence that the Manhattan investigation is tied to the Biden administration.

He was hired in 2022 after being involved in the New York attorney general's civil investigation of Trump, which ended in the former president having to pay a $454 million fine for fraud. 

Former Senior Justice Department official Matthew Colangelo is an attorney Trump has frequently cited as evidence that the Manhattan investigation is tied to the Biden administration