Being a lawyer is one of the most financially rewarding occupations today. You may make a lot of money as a lawyer, whether you are a criminal defense attorney, a civil litigation attorney, or in any other field.
Lawyers’ wages are determined by their years of experience, their track record in court, their prior clients and cases, and the legal company for which they are employed.
Law is one of the most financially rewarding professions on the planet. It’s no secret that attorneys earn a lot of money, and as a result, the vast majority of them manage to get to the upper-middle class or even the elite group of very wealthy individuals.
Lawyers’ salaries are determined by their years of experience, performance in court, prior clients and cases, and the legal company for which they are employed.
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10. Jane WanjiruMichuki
Jane WanjiruMichuki is a Kenyan lawyer, investor, and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $60 million. She is the daughter of a former Kenyan prime minister.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Kimani&Michuki Advocates is her company, and she is the managing partner.
Her business presently covers a diverse range of clients, including Equity Group Holdings, Ltd., the biggest bank holding company in Africa, with over 9.2 million customers, and is the largest bank globally.
The Surayacompany, among other large housing project developers in Kenya, retained Michuki as their principal attorney. She is also the biggest female investor on the Nairobi Stock Exchange and is a practicing lawyer.
A well-known humanitarian, Michuki has worked as a Human Rights consultant for the United Nations and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzGtlgP7roI
9. Roy Black
According to Forbes, Roy Black has an estimated net worth of 85 million dollars. He works as a civil and criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida.
Black is most known for two high-profile trials in which he represented William Kennedy Smith and Rush Limbaugh, respectively, as the defense counsel for the defendants.
In addition to Kelsey Grammer from “Cheers” and “Frasier,” Roy represents musician Justin Bieber, billionaire/sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, artist Peter Max, “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, and car racing driver HelioCastroneves, among other celebrities.
When he went to trial, he was known for delivering intelligent, well-researched arguments, and he is credited with receiving the best possible mark on the Florida Bar test in 1970 when he took it.
Throughout his career, Black has been referred to as “The Professor,” maybe about the time he spent as an adjunct professor of criminal evidence at the University of Miami.
As a legal consultant, Black appeared on Good Morning America and The Early Show. He has also been on The Real Housewives of Miami, where his third wife, Lea Black, is a cast member, and other reality television shows.
Several months after Lea served as a jury in Black’s case against William Kennedy Smith, the two started dating in earnest.
8. John Branca
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With a net worth of 100 million dollars, John Branca is one of the wealthiest entertainment attorneys in the world today. He was born in the Bronxville neighborhood of New York City and relocated to Los Angeles when he was eleven years old.
For much of his teenage years, he was involved in music. He then attended Los Angeles City College and Occidental College, majoring in music composition.
After that, he received his law degree from the UCLA School of Law. Following graduation from law school, he started working in estate planning, but he soon realized that he wanted to pursue a career in entertainment law.
After that, he went on to become one of the most prominent entertainment attorneys of all time, having worked with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Carlos Santana, The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, The Bee Gees (as well as The Doors), Alicia Keys, and Dick Clark, to name a few examples.
While working on The Rolling Stones’ 1989 world tour, he made music promotion history by designing the first centralized ticketing system ever.
He is presently in charge of the Jackson family’s estate, among other high-profile customers. The normal amount that a manager like Branca earns for their efforts is 15-20 percent of all income produced by the company.
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7. Robert Shapiro
Glaser Weil Fink Jacobs Howard Avchen& Shapiro’s Robert Shapiro is a civil litigator in Los Angeles. He has a fortune of $120 million.
Despite being born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and reared in Los Angeles, Robert Shapiro has a New Jersey birth certificate. Hamilton High School in Los Angeles graduated him in 1961.
As a squad member that cleared O.J. Simpson of murdering his ex-wife and Ron Goldman, he became a household name. It includes Occidental Petroleum and Rockstar Energy Drinks as its customers.
He is also a successful businessman. Right Counsel, Shoedazzle, and LegalZoom are all companies he helped start. In addition, Shapiro has been on television and in the movies as both himself and a lawyer.
Tenerife International Film Festival’s Best Film Award went to him in 2015. In the children’s book Somo Says No, Shapiro’s anti-drug message was motivated by his son’s death from a heroin overdose in 2005. To help those addicted to drugs, he launched the Brent Shapiro Foundation and Pickford Lofts.
6. Willie E. Gary
Attorney, motivational speaker, and business tycoon Willie E. Gary has a fortune estimated at over USD 200 million. He was raised in Eastman, Georgia, and attended Shaw University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in management.
His legal degree was earned at North Carolina Central University after that. In Martin County, he opened the first black legal practice.
Sewall’s Point, Florida, is where he presently resides, and he is recognized for winning more than 150 multi-million dollar settlements, including a $500 million decision.
His appearance on “Oprah” was one of several television appearances he has made. Forbes Magazine has named him one of the country’s top 50 litigators. Aside from his two aircraft and several cars, he is also the proud owner of an array of Rolls Royces.
5. Judge Judy
Judicial superstar Judith Sheindlin (better known as Judge Judy) has a net worth of $440 million and is an American family court judge and television personality.
Her outspoken demeanor has earned her the title of one of the highest-paid female daytime television personalities. She worked as a prosecutor in the family court system for 17 years, beginning in 1972.
She subsequently went on to become a judge in the criminal court system in New York, as well as the supervising judge for the family court system.
Judy’s responsibilities included the prosecution of domestic violence and child abuse cases. She was well-known for her no-nonsense demeanor and “tough” judging approach, and she was profiled in the Los Angeles Times and on “60 Minutes” for her qualities.
She has a strong interest in real estate, and she has invested at least a portion of her money in various luxury residences around the nation.
She is also a best-selling author, with a critically acclaimed book titled Don’t Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining, published in 2012.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she opted to forego commercial jet travel. Instead, she travels by private jet between her home in Florida and Judge Judy set in Los Angeles, where she is now filming.
4. Bill Neukom
Bill Neukom is a successful businessman and entrepreneur from the United States with an estimated 850 million dollars. In 1942, he was born in the California city of San Mateo.
He graduated from Stanford Law School and worked as the business’s chief lawyer for over two decades, expertly navigating the company through difficult anti-trust and intellectual property lawsuits. He is married with two children.
His high-profile cases include the “trial of the century,” also known as United States v. Microsoft, in which the United States successfully sued Microsoft for patent infringement.
He served as Vice President of Law and Corporate Relations at Microsoft, where he was responsible for handling the company’s legal and governmental affairs and its extensive charitable initiatives.
He retired in this capacity. From 2007 to 2008, Neukom served as the president of the American Bar Association, a position he held until his death in 2008.
Eventually, Neukom rose to the Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Giants, where he oversaw the team’s first World Series victory since relocating to California in 1958.
He currently devotes most of his time to the World Justice Project, where he serves as its creator, president, and CEO. He established his foundation to promote the rule of law to foster the establishment of communities of opportunity and fairness around the globe.
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3. Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry M. Reinsdorf was born on February 26, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York. He is a lawyer, certified public accountant, and professional sports owner who has a net worth of $1.5 billion.
He received his undergraduate degree from George Washington University, after which he relocated to Chicago, where he obtained employment as a certified public accountant, appraiser, and mortgage underwriter.
He was awarded a full scholarship to Northwestern University School of Law, from which he graduated in 1960 with honors. His very first job after graduation was with the Internal Revenue Service.
The very first case he was assigned to included Bill Veeck, the owner of the Chicago White Sox, who was accused of tax evasion.
Currently, he owns both the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls, valued at $1.9 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively, in today’s market.
He has been the head coach of both teams for more than 35 years, and his treatment of important team players, most notably Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan, has been received with tremendous success and criticism.
2. WichaiThongtang
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WichaiThongtang, which has a net worth of $1.8 billion, is ranked second globally. In Bangkok, Thailand, he is a strong corporate billionaire lawyer with a prestigious legal firm.
He first came to public attention in 2001, when he was appointed to defend former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in an asset concealing lawsuit that ended in victory.
This case immediately elevated him to the rank of a superstar across Thailand and worldwide. Following graduation from Thammasat University, Thongtang started his legal career in the 1970s, mostly defending Thai people in business and their corporations.
In addition to his legal work, Thongtang’s fortune is derived mostly from strategic financial assets that he has amassed throughout his professional life.
He serves as Chairman of Cable Thai Holding PLC and holds a 15 percent stake in Dusit Medical, a Bangkok-based healthcare provider.
1. Peter Angelos
Angelos, an American trial lawyer and businessman with a net worth of $2 billion, is ranked first on the list of the wealthiest people in the world.
The month of July 1929 saw the birth of his son in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. He is the primary shareholder of the Baltimore Orioles, a Major League Baseball franchise.
At the University of Baltimore School of Law, Angelos received his Juris Doctor degree. Also, he is an owner and breeder of racing horses.
In 1996, he was engaged by the state of Maryland to represent the state in a lawsuit against the cigarette industry. As an attorney, Angelos established the Law Office of Peter Angelos in 1961, which he continues to operate today.
Baltimore’s City Council has elected him to serve on the body. When Peter Angelos purchased the Baltimore Orioles in 1993, he became the team’s major owner and managing partner.
He is on the Advisory Committee at the University of Baltimore Law School. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor was presented to him in 1996; in 1988, he was voted Marylander of the Year.
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