Who is Alina Habba?
Alina Habba gained nationwide recognition in September 2021 when she was hired by former US President Donald Trump’s to join his legal team as his lawyer. Habba not only served as his attorney, but she also had a close bond with the ex-commander-in-chief.
Her journey from a small-time fashion executive to a central figure in one of the most significant legal controversies is both captivating and motivational.
Habba’s upbringing in Summit, New Jersey, was marked by a strong work ethic in an ethnic household, as her Assyrian parents had immigrated to the US in the early 1980s.
Alina Habba’s career has been an interesting journey that has taken her through different industries. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Lehigh University, she began working in the fashion industry. Specifically, she joined the high-end fashion company Marc Jacobs, where she spent several years honing her skills.
However, her passion for law led her to earn a J.D. from Widener University Commonwealth Law School. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Eugene J. Codey Jr., Presiding Judge of the Civil Superior Court in Essex County, New Jersey.
Habba then went on to become the lead counsel in numerous prominent cases, such as a federal class action lawsuit against a nursing home in New Jersey accused of consumer fraud violations and various negligent acts.
In a remarkable turn of events, Alina Habba’s legal career took an exciting new direction in 2021 when she was allowed to represent none other than former President Donald Trump in a critical civil case against himself and his children.
The case was a massive $250 million suit filed by the New York attorney general’s office, alleging widespread financial fraud by the Trumps. The complaint specifically accused the defendants of repeatedly inflating the value of their assets on financial statements to secure better terms for commercial real estate loans and insurance policies.
As lead counsel, Habba worked tirelessly to build a strong case and ultimately secured a deposition from the former president in April 2023. The deposition lasted over 7 hours and provided crucial insights into the business practices of Trump’s company.
Alina Habba has faced unwarranted criticism for her work as legal counsel for former President Donald Trump, with some detractors alleging that her hiring was based solely on her appearance. However, Habba has proven her detractors wrong with her strong defense of Trump.
When not working on Trump’s legal team, Habba is a managing partner of Habba, Madaio & Associates LLP, a five-person law firm based in Bedminster, New Jersey. Habba leads a relatively private life and was previously married to Matthew Eyet, a lawyer at Eyet Law Firm LLC.
The couple separated in 2020, and Habba, who is of Chaldean descent, remarried philanthropist Gregg Reuben the same year. Reuben, a Harvard Business School graduate, is the founder of Centerpark, a parking management company headquartered in New York City. Habba has a six-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old stepson from her husband’s previous marriage. The family lives in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
