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

The highly anticipated event of Donald Trump's initial legal proceeding for a criminal case has finally come.

Despite attempts from his lawyers to postpone the start of the case, the ex-president will show up in a Manhattan court on Monday. The case involves hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, whom he claims he did not have an affair with, to conceal a payment of $130,000.

For months, his lawyers have been repeatedly appearing in court attempting to dismiss the charges and arguing that another location would be more appropriate since a fair trial cannot be ensured in Manhattan.

The Republican candidate who is expected to win has selected his legal representatives to confront the lawyers representing the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

He selected a highly experienced lawyer who specializes in corporate crime, a legal representative for criminal defense, and individuals who have dealt with legal matters involving the Trump Organization to support him in his battle against 34 accusations of tampering with business documentation.

As the process of selecting the jury commences on Monday, let's take a look at the important members of the prosecution and defense squads.

Donald Trump's initial trial for criminal charges is finally taking place and he will be making an appearance in a Manhattan court on Monday. His lawyers have been making various attempts to postpone the commencement of the case related to the payment of Stormy Daniels' silence.

In the upcoming trial that may span from six to eight weeks, Blanche will be the one in charge of Trump's legal team and will be responsible for his defense.

The lawyer who works mainly in corporate law and used to work for the government as a prosecutor was enlisted just one day prior to the court hearing of the case involving Trump in April of 2023.

He left a prestigious law firm in New York and delighted in the chance to act as legal counsel for Trump. He has since been assigned to three out of the four criminal cases against him.

Blanche is a former member of Trump's close group of advisors. She provided legal representation for Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer working with Trump, and also assisted in legal matters for Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager, as well as helping the legal team of Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Furman.

The chief of Donald Trump's legal team is Todd Blanche, who will be taking the lead in defending him during the trial that might endure from six to eight weeks.

Necheles is a legal expert who has received education from Yale Law School, and she owns her own law firm. She is infamous for her uncompromising cross-examination skills and began her career by representing organized crime figures.

The bold lawyer became a part of Trump's legal team a few years back after taking on the tax fraud case of the Trump Organization before the Manhattan district attorney.

Whenever Trump has made an appearance in Manhattan's court, she has remained beside him at the defense desk and provided him with legal advice.

She began her professional journey working at a legal company and also served in the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.

Afterwards, she transitioned to practicing criminal law alongside Frederick Hafetz at a law firm. Over time, Hafetz recognized her talent and promoted her to be a partner.

Lately, she provided legal support to Clare Bronfman, the heiress of Seagrams, who was found guilty in 2020 of funding the sex cult NXIVM located in upstate New York.

Additionally, she offered advice to the second-in-command of the Genovese criminal organization, Venero Mangano, also referred to as Bennie Eggs. Furthermore, she acted as legal representation for a Miss America and the offspring of Lady Astor.

Reports state that in 2019, Harvey Weinstein sought to employ this individual in order to counter accusations of sexual assault leveled against him, due to their reputation for providing exceptionally ingenious arguments.

During Trump's appearances in the court located in Manhattan, Susan Necheles has been providing him with counsel while standing next to him at the defense table.

In September 2023, Trump included Bove as part of his team.

He held the position of co-leader in the national security sector of the US attorney's department for the Southern District of New York.

Blanche referred to Bove as a proficient person in dealing with white-collar matters and lawsuits related to CIPA, in a statement given to CNN at the time of his recruitment.

In September 2023, Trump enlisted Emil Bove (on the left) to join his crew. Bove previously held the position of co-head of the national security division at the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.

Stern is affiliated with Necheles' legal practice where he also played a role in the Trump Organization's tax fraud litigation proceedings of 2022.

On the website of Necheles' company, it is written that he has a lot of knowledge in standing for customers who have been accused of different offenses, such as bribery, benefits fraud, wire fraud, kidnapping, and sex crimes, in both federal and state court.

Gedalia Stern holds a position as a partner at Necheles' law firm and has actively worked on the Trump Organization's tax fraud case in 2022.

For 27 years, Conroy has been working in the district attorney's office located in Manhattan. Presently, he is occupying the position of Executive Assistant District Attorney and Senior Advisor in the Investigation Department.

He previously served in the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit and the Major Economic Crimes Bureau of the DA's office.

He has been responsible for important trials, such as the breaking of U.S. rules, and is skilled in interpreting financial documents, which are the accusations against Trump.

For 27 years, Chis Conroy has been employed at the Manhattan District Attorney's office where he currently holds the position of Executive Assistant District Attorney and Senior Advisor to the Investigation Division.

Alvin Bragg, the District Attorney of Manhattan, employed Hoffinger in the previous year to enhance the squad that is examining Trump.

In the Trump Organization tax fraud case, she opposed Necheles and managed to obtain a guilty verdict.

The individual who obtained a degree from Columbia Law school was employed at the office of Manhattan District Attorney from 1992 to 2000.

After transitioning to working independently, she was recruited onto the prosecution's squad in the past year due to the unforeseen departures of two members. The resignations occurred as a result of disagreements regarding Bragg's management of the case.

With a background in both prosecuting and defending legal cases, she possesses considerable expertise in the realm of white-collar offenses.

She could potentially use a strategy in which she treats Trump as she would a typical accused person in a legal situation.

Last year, Alvin Bragg, the District Attorney of Manhattan hired Susan Hoffinger to strengthen the team investigating Donald Trump.

Steinglass has been working at the Manhattan district attorney's office for over two decades and is recognized for handling important cases related to murder and manslaughter.

Beside the matter concerning Trump, he also spearheaded the inquiry into Jordan Neely's death due to a chokehold on the subway. Daniel Penny is currently waiting for his trial and has pleaded innocent to the accusations of causing second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Steinglass played a crucial role in the group that successfully found two Trump-related companies guilty of tax fraud in 2022, with a total of 17 charges.

He interviewed important witnesses and made the final statement.

Josh Steinglass, who has been working at the Manhattan district attorney's office for 25 years, is recognized for his expertise in handling high-profile murder and manslaughter cases.

The ex-Senior Justice Department authority, Colangelo, is a legal representative that President Trump has often mentioned to support his claim that the Manhattan inquiry is linked with the Biden government.

In 2022, he got the job after participating in the civil inquiry of Trump by the attorney general of New York. This investigation resulted in the ex-president being required to pay a mammoth amount of $454 million for carrying out fraudulent activities.

Matthew Colangelo, a past high-level employee of the Justice Department, has been mentioned by Trump on several occasions as proof that the Manhattan inquiry is connected to the Biden government.