13 Highest Paid Lawyers in America

I believe that rich and influential people have a way of affecting our lives, that’s why most of us have role models we admire and want to be like. The same thing is applicable in all professional fields, including in law careers, there are those that have done what we want to do, and have been greatly financially rewarded for their achievements.

Some of these highest paid lawyers in America attended the best law schools in the world, some attained both bachelor’s degrees in law and master’s degrees. One thing common with most of them is that they had a strong law library that has helped them to become outstanding in law cases.

So, in this article, you will see those highest-earning lawyers in the United States, so let’s get started.

highest paid lawyers in America
highest paid lawyers in America

Highest Paid Lawyers in America

We compiled this list in increasing order, which means those that have the least net worth (from our list) are seen first, then followed by those with the highest.

13. Ana Quincoces (Net Worth – $9 million)

Ana Quincoces is not just a beautiful blonde woman, she is a workaholic that is recognized for lots of things including one of the hottest chefs, an American reality television star, an entrepreneur, and also one of the highest paid lawyers in the United States. She started her food career after spending over 20 years in the legal industry.

12. Vernon Jordan (Net Worth – $12 Million)

Vernon Jordan, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, didn’t just become one of the highest earning lawyers in USA all of a sudden, he was the only black student in a class of 400 at DePauw University. He used his knowledge and experience in law to become an American business executive and civil rights attorney, and later he became a special advisor to President Bill Clinton.

11. Thomas Mesereau (Net Worth – $25 Million)

If you know about Michael Jackson, then you should know that Thomas Mesereau is one of those that made him gain his public image back, after being accused of child molestation in 1993 which lasted till 2005. Jackson was found not guilty on all charges after replacing his former attorneys with Mesereau and Susan Yu in 2004.

Mesereau has also represented some other celebrities like Mike Tyson, Robert Blake, Claudia Haro, Bill Cosby, etc.

10. Erin Brockovich (Net Worth – $42 Million)

I believe you should have heard of her name based on the Oscar-winning film, Erin Brockovich (2000), which showcased her fight for environmental rights against Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Her aim is focused on companies that are destroying our environment and those in it, and this has made her one of the highest paid lawyers in America.

9. John Branca (Net Worth – $50 Million)

The next person on our list is John Branca who is popularly known as the co-executor of the Michael Jackson Estate. He was instrumental in the life of MJ and helped him purchase ATV Music Publishing in 1985 for $47,500,000.

He focuses on both entertainment law and real estate law and he finished his law degree at UCLA School of Law.

8. Roy Black (Net Worth – $65 Million)

Roy Black is one of the highest paid lawyers in the US who focuses on civil procedure and criminal defense.

He rose to fame after winning the case of an American Physician, William Kennedy Smith who was charged with rape. He has also represented so many other celebrities including pop artist, Justin Bieber.

7. Willie Gary (Net Worth – $100 Million)

Willie Gary completed his degree in Law at the North Carolina Central University School of Law, and due to his experience and competence was able to win a $240 million verdict ESPN sued against Disney. He has also won so many other cases including a $500 million verdict for O’Keefe, a $23 billion case against R.J. Reynolds, etc.

6. Bill Neukom (Net Worth – $850 Million)

Bill Neukom is one of the highest paid lawyers in America that was the lead lawyer for Microsoft for almost 25 years. And, due to his competence in Microsoft, he retired as their executive vice president of law and corporate affairs.

Furthermore, he was appointed the president of the American Bar Association from 2007 to 2008, and he’s the founder and chief executive officer of the World Justice Project.

5. Joseph Dahr Jamail Jr (Net Worth –  $1.7 billion)

Joseph Dahr, who was popularly known as the “King of Torts,” was the wealthiest practicing attorney in America, and he earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. His wealth began when he won a case for Pennzoil, and he received a contingency fee of $335 million.

He’s also been named America’s top personal injury lawyer by National Law Journal for seven consecutive years.

4. Jerry Reinsdorf (Net Worth – $1.7 billion)

Jerry is one of the highest paid attorneys in America that started his career as a tax attorney, and his first job after graduating from Northwestern University Law School was a case for Bill Veeck, the former owner of the White Sox. 

Jerry was not just a dedicated attorney, he was also a businessman in real estate, and his career in real estate made him lots of money including co-founding Balcor co. Which he later sold for $53 million to American Express.

Moreover, he’s now the owner of the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. 

3. Richard Scruggs (Net worth – $1.9 billion)

Richard Scruggs is one of the highest paid lawyers in America who earned lots of money through his law cases in tobacco litigation. He was publicly recognized when he successfully sued the asbestos industry because of sick shipyard workers.

However, his career wasn’t as smooth as many would wish, he spent lots of years in jail due to his involvement in judicial bribery and he was disbarred as a trial lawyer.

2. Peter Angelos (Net Worth – $2 Billion)

Peter Angelos has been a successful attorney for more than 50 years, and during his career as a lawyer, he focused mostly on representing citizens that have suffered from exposure to harmful asbestos fibers, defective products, medical malpractice, and personal injury.

His cases are mostly on contingency bases, that is, he will be paid only when he wins the case, and he won so many of them which made him lots of money. 

One of them was where he represented approximately 8,700 steelworkers that sued for asbestos poisoning. In this case alone, he made approximately $330 million.

He’s also a baseball executive from Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

1. Charlie Munger (Net Worth – $2.3 billion)

I believe you know him as Warren Buffett’s partner and right-hand man at Berkshire Hathaway, but it didn’t start there, he was a real estate attorney who gained his law degree from Harvard Law School. 

Conclusion

As you can see, there are lots of highest paid lawyers in America, and the interesting thing about these people is that most of them started as ordinary employees. With proper commitment and dedication, they grew to become wealthy.

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