The work focuses on the defense attorneys of the Nuremberg Trials as independent, and not least political, actors alongside their clients. In the first part of the study, all biographies of the defense attorneys who appeared in the Nuremberg Trials and the compositions of the individual defense teams, categorized by client groups, are presented for the first time using a broad range of sources. The second part of the study revolves around the concept of the "political lawyer" (Otto Kirchheimer). Selected documents are analyzed against the backdrop of their political socialization to explore the explanations and justifications of prominent Nuremberg defense attorneys such as Otto Kranzbühler, Rudolf Dix, or Alfred Seidl for the Third Reich and its consequences. Finally, the work examines their role in societal debates regarding how to deal with these issues.