Knowing about the richest and highest-paid lawyers in the world is one way to keep your hopes high in the earning business in the law firm.
Being a lawyer is very lucrative and one of the most priced professions in the world today.
One of the tips to become successful in this business is to be properly trained.
In his guide, we give you a glimpse into the list of the highest-paid lawyers and how much their net worth is.
Also, we have included that you stand to earn as a lawyer with your degree.
So, sit tight and get informed!!!
Who is a Lawyer?
I’m sure you must have seen this set of people always in black and white ensuring people get justice in a law court.
Wonder what they are called?
Part of the crew is called lawyers, others judges.
A lawyer is a professional, trained and qualified to authorize and practice law.
They conduct lawsuits, give legal advice as an attorney, counsel, solicit, and serve as a legal executive, or public servant preparing, interpreting, and applying the law.
Lawyers are known to possess peculiar ethics such as;
- Must be audible
- Being Competence
- Being Confidential
- Possess Research skills
- Has a Professional Judgement
- Communication with other legal professionals
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How Can I Become a Lawyer?
Being a lawyer is a worthy profession. Just like being a medical doctor is priced, being a lawyer is one of the treasured professions.
It’s one of those professions that most parents want their children to study because it’s a humanitarian profession and secondly, lawyers earn well.
Before joining the league of the highest-paid or richest lawyers in the world, first, you have to become a lawyer.
How do you do that?
Becoming a lawyer involves many processes from reading to writing many exams. Many say it can be a herculean task being a law student but what we do know is that it pays off in the end.
To become a lawyer, here are some of the processes law students will have to undergo;
- Complete a Bachelor’s Degree Program of your choice.
- Pass the accredited law School Admission Test (which usually involves taking an LSAT prep course beforehand to make sure you’re prepared).
- Earn a law undergraduate degree with a minimum CGPA of 3.0 different from the initial degree if you ever had one.
- Pass the bar examination.
- Be called to bar
Do you want to be one of the highest-paid lawyers in the world? Find out how much lawyers earn below!!!
How Much Do Lawyers Earn?
Lawyers are one of the highest-paid professions in the world. However, the amount you earn as a lawyer depends on factors such as;
- Your level and experience.
- Your Location of Practice.
- The Law firm you’re working with.
- The type of lawyer degree you possess.
There is no particular amount we can give as the amount lawyers earn, however, there is a range of fees that you earn depending on the factors above.
Below is a salary structure of lawyers based on the degree they have;
| Salary Structure For | Salary Amount per year |
| Corporate lawyer | $30,000 – $100,000 |
| Patent Lawyer | $129,500 |
| Criminal lawyer | Associates: $115,000Public defenders: $51, 000 |
| Tax lawyer | $99,690 |
| Real Estate Lawyers | $90,125 |
| Family Lawyers | $70,828 |
| Personal Injury Lawyer | $73,000 |
Note: Lawyers working for non-profit organizations or the government tend to earn less.
From the table above, you can see that lawyers earn quite a bunch from practising.
Up next, you will find a list of the richest and highest-paid lawyers in the world.
Also Read: 39 Best Law Schools in UK and Ranking
List of the Highest Paid Lawyers In The World.
Here is a list of the highest-earning lawyers in the world;
#1. Ana Quincoces
- Net Worth: $8 million
If you’re looking for an excellent beautiful blonde lady who knows her onion with defiance, then Ana Quincoces comes to mind.
Besides being the kind of lawyer that you would want to defend your case, she’s also a multi-talented chef, reality star show, writer and one of the richest and the highest earning lawyers in the world.
If you ever need a defendant, Ana Quincoces is always ready to use her skills in a court of law.
#2. Vernon Jordan
- Net Worth: $12 Million
Vernon Jordan earned his law degree from the Howard University School of Law.
First, he started his career as a civil rights activist devoted to bringing about a change in society.
This excellent lawyer is not just one of the highest paid lawyers in the world. He is the kind of lawyer who dedicated his life to taking up cases relating to racial discrimination in Georgia.
Although getting old, his skills still win cases in the present.
#3. Thomas Mesereau
- Net Worth: $ 25 Million
If you need a lawyer that can handle any child molestation case then Thomas Mesereau is the defendant you need.
Thomas Mesereau has a track record of excellence in this part of the case.
Mr Thomas Meserea defended the legend Micheal in the child molestation case way back in 2005.
Also, he was involved in the rape investigation of Mike Tyson.
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#4. Erin Brockovich.
- Net Worth: $42 Million
Erin Brockovich is famous for her fight for the environment.
This lawyer is an active environmentalist who is ready to fight against organizations that cause environmental havoc.
One of her famous cases is the fight against the Pacific Gas Company in 1993. This case though fierce, earned her a movie called Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts.
Even though Erin Brockovich is one of the highest paid lawyers in the world, she is still ensuring that the environment gets its fair due.
#5. John Branca
- Net Worth: $50 Million
It would only be fair enough to have John Branca on the list of the top 10 richest lawyers in the world.
This New York lawyer par excellence completed his law degree from UCLA School of Law.
John Branca focuses his expertise on entertainment and real estate law.
#6. Robert Shapiro
- Net Worth: $50 Million
Have you heard of a celebrity lawyer?
Robert Shapiro is the lawyer you need to defend your case if you’re a celebrity who needs an attorney.
He has defended famous personalities and athletes, one of the most famous being the athlete O.J. Simpson case.
With a net worth of $50 million, Robert Shapiro is one of the highest-earning lawyers in the world.
Robert Shapiro is a New Jersey-born.
#7. Roy Black
- Net Worth: $65 Million
Roy Black is famous for handling criminal law cases. One of his famous cases is the William Kennedy Smith and Rush Limbaugh case.
Roy Black has a track record in fighting reality crime shows throughout the U.S.A.
He is so efficient that is not ready to stop at anything to make his case a winning case.
Also Read: 15 Best Lawyers in the World
#8. Willie Gary
- Net Worth: $100 Million
Willie Gary is a motivational speaker who has also earned a name for himself in the field of business and law.
Willie is a graduate of law from the North Carolina Central University.
His focus is leading Martin County’s first-ever black law firm.
#9. Joe Jamail Jr.
- Net Worth: $1.5 Billion
Do you need an aggressive, abrasive, as well as well-spoken attorney? Joe Jamail Jr. is an advocate for you.
Joe Jamail is one of those lawyers whose skills have gotten them to the Supreme Court and made him rule the hearts of the judges and the clients alike.
He is one of the richest and highest paid lawyers in the world with a net worth of $ 1.5 billion.
#10. Richard Scruggs
- Net Worth: $1.7 Billion
Heard of the “King of Torts”?
That’s Richard Scruggs.
Richard Scruggs is that lawyer you need if you’re in the tobacco field.
He has pretty much carved a name for himself in the dynamic field of law.
#11. Harish Salve
- Net Worth: $6 million
Harish Salve charges clients about $45,000 a day.
He is an Indian lawyer who specializes in commercial, constitutional, and tax law.
Salve has represented several government entities, large corporate clients, industrialists as well as Bollywood celebrities.
#12. Jose Baez
- Net worth: $8 million
Jose is famous for the Casey Anthony case in 2011.
He obtained his law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law.
Jose is not just a rich lawyer, he is known to have championed a lot of high-profile cases such as the murder case of Nilton Diaz.
He is unarguably the most sought-after criminal attorney in the U.S.
#13. Lynn Toler
- Net worth: $15 million
Lynn Toler is known as the judge from TV’s Divorce Court. She was once the only municipal court judge in Cleveland Heights, OH for over 8 years.
Lynn for her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School where she focused on civil law.
In addition to being a lawyer, Lynn is an author.
#14. David Boies
- Net worth: $20 million
David Boies was once the Chief Counsel for the US Senate. However, currently, she is the chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner.
David is a graduate of Yale University. By a good deal, he has represented many large corporations such as IBM, Napster, George Steinbrenner, CBS, and the NBA Players Association.
David is one of the highest-paid lawyers in the world
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#15. Alan Dershowitz
- Net Worth: $25 million
Alan is a graduate of the famous and most prestigious law school in the world: Harvard Law School.
Besides being an attorney, Alan Dershowitz was made a full professor at Harvard Law School until 2013 when he retired.
Alan has represented top organizations and personalities such as Mike Tyson, Jim Baker, Leona Helmsley, O.J. Simpson, and Jeffrey Epstein.
And to top the cherry off, he is one of the highest-earning lawyers in the world.
#16. Mark Geragos
- Net Worth: $25 million
Mark is a graduate of Loyola Law School with a focus as a criminal defence attorney
Mark has been involved in several landmark civil litigation class action cases and has represented clients such as Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder, Scott Peterson and Susan McDougal.
He is one of the 100 Most Influential Attorneys in California.
#17. Judge Joe Brown
- Net Worth: $30 million
Judge Joe Brown is one of the highest-earning lawyers in the world. He is best known for his daytime court show that ran for 15 years.
Joe Brown got his law degree from UCLA and served as the first African-American prosecutor in Memphis, TN.
And in 2014, he ran for district attorney general in Shelby County but lost to the incumbent.
#18. Jane Wanjiru Michuki
- Net Worth: $60 million
Jane is a product of the Kenya School of Law and Warwick University. Currently, she is the managing partner at Kimani & Michuki Advocate in Nairobi.
Over the years, she has represented several large corporations in Kenya, such as Equity Group Holdings Limited.
#19. Judy Sheindlin
- Net Worth: $150 million – $250 million
If you are a lover of the Judy Judy TV show then you must have come across Judy Sheindlin.
From records, this no-nonsense TV judge earns $47 million in a year.
She graduated from the New York Law School as a corporate attorney but she switched to become a family court prosecutor.
Judge Judy is the toughest lawyer who has presided over 20,000 cases.
#20. Bill Neukom
- Net Worth: $850 million
Bill is currently the founder and CEO of the World Justice Project. He is a corporate attorney well-known for his philanthropy.
He is a graduate of Stanford Law School. Also, he once served as Microsoft’s legal counsel, a position he held for 25 years.
One remarkable feature of these highest-earning lawyers in the world is that they have unique expertise and a Bert for humanitarian service.
Beyond being a lawyer, seek to represent with effectiveness and excellence.
Also Read: 25 Most Famous Business Leaders in the World
How Long Does it Take to Go to Law School?
Typically, it takes 7 years of full-time study in a tertiary institution, followed by an examination required to get a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) to become a lawyer.
How Do Lawyers Make Their Money?
Lawyers make their money by becoming a specialist and learning to defend and win cases.
Some of the ways lawyers make money is by;
- Criminal Defense
- Criminal Justice System
- Public Defender or Prosecutor
- Product Liability and Class Action Litigation
- Corporate Mergers and Acquisition Attorney
Summary
The law profession is a good, reputable and well-paying job. Most go for glamour and exposure, while others go for money.
However, knowing how to do your business well is the first step to joining the league of the highest-paid and richest lawyers in the world.
