The lawyer who got Young Thug out is now explaining how he ended up at Lil Durk's table, and the answer starts with a phone call from Thug. On Tuesday, October 13, attorney Brian Steel went on T.I.'s expediTIously podcast, and XXL published the recap October 14.
The call
Per XXL, Steel joined Durk's murder-for-hire case a few months before it went to trial. He said Durk's team had been reaching out but his schedule was full. Then Young Thug, called "Jeffery" in the quoted exchange, phoned him and asked him to meet with Durk's people. Steel said he was already willing and that scheduling was the only obstacle. After speaking with Durk's family and camp, he cleared his calendar. His summary of the relationship, per XXL: "I love Durk. Durk is my brother."
Steel joined Drew Findling on the defense. XXL credits that team with helping Durk beat one case. The recap does not give the verdict date or court, so we are not adding them here; our own coverage of the aftermath is in Brian Steel's MVP moment.
What comes next
Steel is also on the team for Durk's second trial, on racketeering charges. XXL reports it is scheduled for next August, and a bond hearing is set for next month, where Durk could be released before trial. His lawyers plan to seek dismissal, arguing he was already acquitted of the main accusation in this case. Exact dates were not in the XXL piece; our earlier reporting on the trial calendar has the court's schedule.
The culture angle
Atlanta's rap legal network is a small room. Steel represented Thug in the YSL case, Durk in his, and Diddy. The recommendation that put him on Durk's team did not come from a firm. It came from a former client. In a genre where the legal system keeps reading lyrics as evidence, the word-of-mouth network between defendants is the real infrastructure.
## Sources - XXL, Oct. 14, 2026: Brian Steel explains why he joined Lil Durk's legal team after Young Thug urged him to do so - T.I. expediTIously, Oct. 13, 2026 (via XXL)

