Law is one of the highest paid professions, although the net worth of each lawyer depends on a number of factors, such as experience
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The eight richest lawyers in the world
The annual Forbes list of the richest people in the world does not include anyone in the legal sector in the top ten. While it is true that the legal profession is one of the highest paid professions, the net worth of each lawyer varies depending on a number of factors.
Typically, the fortune they manage to earn depends on the country where they practice their services, the universities they graduated from, the law firm they work for and, of course, their experience.
The highest paid lawyers in the world are hired to represent famous people, with a high economic level, such as politicians, artists and businessmen, which has made them to be recognized as important lawyers worldwide.
Ranking of the lawyers with the highest net worth
Charlie Munger
He has an estimated net wealth of $2.3 billion, Munger ranks as the world's richest lawyer. He graduated from Harvard Law School and has amassed a large fortune. He is currently known in the business world for being the partner of Warren Buffet, the fifth richest man in the world, in Berkshire Hathaway.
Wichai Thongtang
He is a native of Thailand and has a fortune of around US$2.2 billion, making him the second richest lawyer in the world, as well as one of the world's leading lawyers.
He graduated from Thammasat University and practiced corporate law on behalf of some of Thailand's most important executives and corporations, although his reputation grew mainly in the sector in 2001, when he won the case of concealment of assets of which the then Prime Minister of his country, Thaksin Shinawatra, was accused and who was represented by Thongtang.
Richard Scruggs
He is known as the "King of Torts." Scruggs is a graduate of the University of Texas. He later went on to become the highest paid attorney in the United States and was also named the top personal injury lawyer in the country by the National Law Journal for seven consecutive years.
Scruggs' fortune is currently estimated at $1.7 billion, although he is disbarred as a lawyer after serving time in prison for engaging in judicial bribery.
He began to gain popularity and wealth after successfully suing the asbestos industry on behalf of ailing shipyard workers. Other major litigation he represented was the national patient class action against HMOs, hundreds of homeowners against insurance companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Catrina, and of course, he represented the state of Mississippi in the tobacco-related litigation of the 1990s.
Willie E. Gary
He is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and has a fortune of $100 million and could be called "The Lawyer of the Music Industry". He specializes in representing bands and artists, as well as investors and independent music labels.
His clients include, among others, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees, ZzTop and Aerosmith. He has also advised magazines such as Forbes, Penthouse and Playboy.
Roy Black
After earning his law degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Miami, this U.S. civil and criminal defense attorney rose to fame when he obtained the acquittal of William Kennedy Smith, who was indicted on rape charges.
Over the years he has represented more celebrities such as radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, entertainer Peter Max, singer Justin Bieber, film producer Joe Francis and actor Kelsey Grammer, among others. As a result, he has a fortune of around $65 million.
David Boies
With a net worth of $50 million, this jurist became famous for leading three major cases: the successful prosecution of Microsoft by the U.S. federal government against Microsoft; for representing Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in Bush v. Gore; and for the successful representation of the plaintiff in Hollingsworth v. Perry, which invalidated California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage.
John Branca
He has a net worth of $50 million. The lawyer studied of the University of California School of Law and specializes in representing rock and roll acts, as well as independent investors, catalogs and music labels.
He is popularly known as the co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate after a decisive role in the singer's life after helping him buy ATV Music Publishing in 1985 for $47,500,000.
Erin Brockovich
She studied law at the University of Kansas. Her professional career has been based on fighting against companies and people who are destroying the environment, a fact that has made her one of the highest paid lawyers in the world, with a net worth of 42 million dollars.
Brockovich began working in a small California office where she noticed several reports of people affected by a strange disease in the same area. After a five-year long investigation, she discovered that a gas and electric company was responsible for contaminating the area's drinking water with a toxin.
The attorney led the fight for environmental rights against Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Such was the success of her case that in age 2000 a movie was made based on her story. This film won an Oscar.
