Top Ten Richest Lawyers In America

So, who are they? Here's a fast look at the wealthiest attorneys in the entire world, ranked from the lowest net value to the highest. Please note that the people on this list are practicing attorneys or judges. There are loads of additional "lawyers" using a substantially higher net value, but they simply have a law degree and no longer use it.

Harish Salve: $6 million

At 59 years old, Harish Salve has worked tirelessly to create a reputation among India's best (and most expensive) lawyers, specializing in commercial, constitutional, and taxation law. Salve, who comes from a long line of lawyers and formerly served as the Solicitor General of India, currently charges customers about $45,000 a day. In addition to representing many government entities, large corporate clients, and industrialist Mukesh Ambani, he's represented Bollywood stars in criminal cases. In fact, he's often referred to as famed actor Salman Khan's "guardian angel" for keeping him out of jail on a hit and run charge. (Indian prisons are notorious for harsh conditions.)

Mark Geragos: $25 million

A 1992 graduate of Loyola Law School, Mark Geragos is a criminal defense attorney who has also been involved in several of landmark civil litigation class action cases. He has represented everyone from Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, and Winona Ryder to Scott Peterson and Susan McDougal. Named "One of the 100 Most Influential Attorneys in California," he holds a listing for a few of the top 10 verdicts in California history for a 2008 case where he obtained a jury verdict awarding over $38 against a pharmaceutical company. He currently serves as a managing associate at Geragos and Geragos.

Bill Neukom: $850 million

Currently serving as the founder and CEO of the World Justice Project, which is devoted to promoting the rule of law all over the planet, Bill Neukom is a corporate attorney who is well-known because of his philanthropy. After graduating from Stanford Law School in 1967, he worked at a small business until he was asked to do work for Microsoft, which had been still in its beginning stages. Finally , he became Microsoft's legal counsel, a position he held for 25 years. Formerly, he had been an investor at the San Francisco Giants.

Robert Shapiro: $50 million

Presently a senior partner at Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard, Avchen, and Shapiro, LLP, Robert Shapiro graduated from Loyola Law School in 1968 and began a career as a criminal lawyer. After working on O.J. Simpson's legal team (and representing several other actors ), he opted to move into civil litigation. Besides his law career, he has written a children's publication and can be a co-founder of LegalZoom and Shoedazzle.com.

William Lerach: $900 million

Though he was disbarred in 2009 because of his participation in a kickback scheme, William Lerach had a lucrative career as a corporate lawyer with a specialization in private securities class action lawsuits for more than 30 years, which is the way he gathered his considerable fortune. Nicknamed the "King of Pain" and frequently known as the most dreaded attorney in American through his heyday, Lerach, a University of Pittsburg School of Law graduate, holds the record for the largest sum ever regained in a bunch of securities class actions suits for the $7.12 billion decision he received against Enron.