A veteran criminal defense lawyer moved this week to join the legal team representing rapper Lil Durk in the high-profile federal murder-for-hire case against him. Brian Steel filed legal documents on March 6 seeking admission pro hac vice to Durk's California defense team, a filing Billboard reported it had viewed. The papers say Steel would replace attorney Jonathan M. Brayman if the court approves his application.
Steel’s filing says he is licensed and in good standing in Georgia but not in California, which is why he seeks pro hac vice status to participate without committing unauthorized practice of law. If approved, Steel would join a roster that includes Drew Findling, a prominent defense lawyer whose clients have included Cardi B, Gucci Mane and Donald Trump, as reported in the filing and related coverage.
Steel has raised his public profile by representing other high-profile figures. He led defense work in the YSL RICO trial and represented Young Thug, whom he initially met in the early 2010s. The YSL case kept that Atlanta rapper in custody from May 2022 through October 2024, when Young Thug was sentenced to 15 years of probation and time served, according to the reporting. Steel also joined the legal team for Sean "Diddy" Combs in April, months before Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison for violating federal prostitution laws, and after Combs avoided sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Steel told Billboard he forms close relationships with clients and their families and that he approaches defense work with personal investment. He said he wants to help people ethically and zealously and that a loss in major cases would carry heavy consequences for him personally, as reported in the interview.
Case Background And Immediate Court Developments
Durk, born Durk Banks, has been jailed since October 2024 after federal agents said he was attempting to board a private flight to Italy. His trial, previously set for April, was delayed and rescheduled for August 20, according to court updates cited in the reporting. Co-defendants had sought to be separated from Durk’s trial, but Judge Michael Fitzgerald denied that request.
Prosecutors allege that Durk organized a plot to have rival rapper Quando Rondo killed during a 2022 shooting in Los Angeles. The indictment says the attack instead killed Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pap, amid crossfire. The prosecution also contends the alleged plot was retaliation for the 2020 killing of rapper King Von, Dayvon Bennett, described in filings as a close friend and frequent collaborator of Durk.
The case combines criminal allegations with complex witness and co-defendant dynamics, and the addition of a nationally known lawyer like Steel could alter trial strategy if the court grants his pro hac vice application. The filings and the judge’s decisions on team composition and co-defendant separation will shape the path to the August trial date.
