Top Lawyers In Usa

So, who are they? Here's a fast look in the wealthiest lawyers in the world, ranked from the lowest net value to the highest. Please be aware that the people on this list are all practicing attorneys or judges. There are plenty of other "lawyers" with a substantially higher net worth, but they just have a law degree and no more use it.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr.: $12 million

Born in 1935, Jordan has enjoyed a very long law career that began after his graduation from Howard University. (In addition, he holds over 70 honorary degrees from several colleges and universities.) He's currently the senior council, focusing on overall council, organization, and international law, in Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld LLP. His early career focused primarily on civil rights, while he later served as an advisor to President Clinton. Most of his fortune was earned by representing substantial businesses, such as Xerox and American Express, in addition to spending some time as Wall Street banker, estate lawyer in Mississauga.

Lynn Toler: $15 million

Better called the judge by TV's Divorce Court as 2007, Lynn Toler formerly served as the sole municipal court judge in Cleveland Heights, OH for more than 8 decades. After receiving her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1984, she concentrated on civil law before becoming municipal court judge. In this role, she was famous for enforcing nontraditional sentences, like writing essays. In addition to presiding over divorce court, Lynn is the author of 3 books.

Richard Scruggs: $1.7 billion

A 1976 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law and also a prominent trial attorney, Richard Scruggs is famous for his love of tobacco and asbestos cases as well as the fact that he won more than $1 billion in judgements against different companies. He was also highly involved in 2000's Ritalin class action lawsuits, as well as the 2003 case against Lehman Brothers for which he won a $51 million verdict. But in 2007, he had been accused of judicial bribery. In 2008, he pled guilty and finally served six years in prison. Now, in the age of 70, he has finished his sentence, and it has kept his large fortune.

Roy Black: $100 million

Still another criminal and civil defense attorney, Roy Black, a graduate from the University of Miami, is the senior associate at Black, Srebnick, Kornspan, & Stumpf. For over 40 decades, he's represented high profile customers, such as William Kennedy Smith (acquitted on rape charges), Albertson's, Inc., and Helio Castroneves. Known by many in the industry for having "the best national standing in Florida," he acts as a legal analyst on "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" and instructs advanced criminal signs in the University of Miami.

Robert Shapiro: $50 million

Currently a senior partner at Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard, Avchen, and Shapiro, LLP, Robert Shapiro graduated from Loyola Law School in 1968 and started a career as a criminal lawyer. After working on O.J. Simpson's legal team (and representing other celebrities), he opted to move into civil lawsuit. Besides his law career, he's written a kids 's publication and is a co-founder of LegalZoom and Shoedazzle.com.

Thomas Mesereau: $25 million

Also a criminal defense lawyer (Are you noticing a trend?) , Thomas Mesereau graduated from Harvard University and The University of California's Hastings College of Law and has was named "Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2015" by the National Trial Lawyers. (He's won lots of other awards including "Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year. ") He's known for taking high stakes instances with impossible odds and receiving extraordinary results. He was Michael Jackson's lawyer when he had been acquitted of 14 child molestation charges and has won an unprecedented three national criminal jury trials in a row. While his hourly rate is so large it's not printed, he also does pro bono work through the Mesereau Free Legal Clinic.