Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his lawyer Alina Habba will serve as an advisor to the president-elect during his next term in office.

The announcement marks a spectacular rise for Habba, who met Trump at his Bedminster Golf Club, New Jersey, in 2019, eight years after she began her legal career. She then represented him in several high-profile cases and eventually became a key advisor to his successful 2024 election campaign.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday: “Alina was a tireless advocate for justice, a passionate defender of the rule of law, and an invaluable advisor to my campaign and transition team,” Trump wrote.

“She was unwavering in her loyalty and unmatched in her determination – she stood by me through numerous ‘trials’, battles and countless days in court. Few understand the weapon of the ‘injustice system’ better than Alina, who has fought tirelessly to combat the full force of lawfare with courage and an unwavering commitment to justice.”

Newsweek emailed the Trump transition team seeking comment.

Born in Summit, New Jersey, to Iraqi immigrants, Habba graduated from Lehigh University and Widener University Commonwealth Law School.

Trump met Habba after she joined his Bedminster Golf Club in 2019. In 2020, she founded her own company, Habba, Madaio and Associates.

In 2021, Trump recruited Habba to his legal team out of relative obscurity, replacing incumbent lawyer Marc E. Kasowitz, who had withdrawn his services after years of working for Trump.

This year, Habba filed a $100 million lawsuit The New York Times and Trump’s niece, Mary L. Trump, who was fired.

She also filed a countersuit for defamation against the former apprentice Candidate Summer Zervos, who claimed Trump sexually harassed her. Habba’s countersuit was dropped after Zervos dropped her case.

In 2022, Habba defended Trump in a civil investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James and unsuccessfully attempted to prevent his removal. He was called to testify and invoked the Fifth Amendment nearly 450 times during the four-hour deposition.

In January 2023, Judge Donald Middlebrooks ordered Trump and Habba to jointly pay nearly $938,000 in legal costs for filing a series of “frivolous” lawsuits against the former president’s perceived political enemies.

Middlebrooks said the lawsuits were “designed to advance a political narrative” and “should never have been brought.”

“Its inadequacy as a legal claim was clear from the start. No reasonable attorney would have filed it,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “The amended complaint served a political purpose and did not contain any discernible legal claim on any of the issues.”

In January 2024, Habba served as lead counsel in the E. Jean Carroll federal case.

During the trial, the judge frequently reprimanded Habba for being argumentative and violating basic court rules. The jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages against Trump.

During Trump’s criminal trial in New York, which stemmed from a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, Habba became his “legal advocate” because she does not practice criminal law and could not represent him in the case.

In addition to her legal work, Habba worked for MAGA, Inc., Trump’s super PAC, and participated in his 2024 campaign, where she was paid as a senior adviser.

She was a keynote speaker at the 2024 Republican National Convention and was with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club on election night.