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 the world 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 World, so let’s get started.
Highest Paid Lawyers in the World
We compiled this ranking from the lawyer that has the least net worth to the lawyer that has the highest.
15. Harish Salve (Net Worth – $6 million)
Harish Salve is one of the highest paid lawyers in the world and in India and is a senior advocate at the supreme court of India. As a dedicated lawyer, he has served as the Solicitor General of India and was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel for the courts of England and Wales in 2020.
He is also popularly known for fighting the case of actor Salman Khan and preventing him from going to jail on a hit-and-run charge.
14. Jose Baez (Net Worth – $8 million)
Jose Baez got his law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law, and he’s a criminal defense lawyer. He came to the eyes of the public after defending the case of Casey Anthony in 2011, which Time Magazine tagged “the Social Media Trial of the Century.”
A lot of people are seeking him for their criminal cases, and he has gone ahead to author lots of books including the best-selling “Presumed Guilty: Casey Anthony: The Inside Story.”
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 world. 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 the world 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. Lynn Toler (Net Worth – $15 million)
Lynn Toler is one of the lawyers in the world that earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. For years, her focus was on civil law, before serving as a sole municipal judge in Cleveland Heights Municipal Court.
Her fame grew due to her role as an arbitrator on a courtroom television series, “Divorce Court.” Lasting for 14 seasons made her the longest-running arbitrator in this series.
10. 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.
9. 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 the world.
8. 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.
7. David Boies ( Net Worth – $50 million)
David Boies was prominently recognized for successfully leading the U.S. federal government prosecution of Microsoft in United States v. Microsoft Corporation. He has also represented some prominent companies and people in different lawsuits.
Due to his competence, he was able to win over 140 cases within his 25 years of a law career.
6. Roy Black (Net Worth – $65 Million)
Roy Black is one of the highest paid lawyers in the world 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.
5. 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.
4. 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.
3. Richard Scruggs (Net worth – $1.7 billion)
Richard Scruggs is one of the highest-paid lawyers in the world 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. Wichai Thongtang (Net Worth – $2.2 billion)
Of course, Wichai Thongtang’s net worth is proof that he earns a lot of money, and he’s known for successfully representing former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in an asset concealment case back in 2001. Even though he’s a prolific lawyer, most of his money is gotten from a minority stake in hospital operator Bangkok Dusit.
He’s from Bangkok Thailand and graduated from Thammasat University.
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 that these highest paid lawyers in the world made most of their money based on reputable cases they have won or other means of income like business, investments, etc.