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Top Ten Richest Lawyers In America

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

Thomas Mesereau: $25 million

Additionally 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 been appointed "Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2015" from the National Trial Lawyers.  (He has won lots of other awards including "Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year. ") He's known for carrying high stakes instances with impossible odds and getting extraordinary results.  He had been Michael Jackson's lawyer when he was 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 high it's not published, he also does pro bono work through the Mesereau Free Legal Clinic.

Wichai Thongtang: $1.1 billion

Considered by many in the industry to be "one of the top names in the profession from around the globe," Wichai Thongtang is a strong lawyer in Thailand.  After graduating from Thammasat University in 1970he moved to corporate law, where he represented a range of top Thai executives and businesses and took the opportunity to learn about the stock exchange and investing.  In addition to his law career, Thongtang is the Chairman of Cable Thai Holding PLC and owns 15 percent of Dusit Medical, a Bangkok healthcare firm.

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 and the fact that he won more than $1 billion in judgements against various companies.  He was also highly involved in 2000's Ritalin class action suits, as well as the 2003 situation against Lehman Brothers for which he won a $51 million verdict.  But in 2007, he was accused of judicial bribery.  In 2008, he pled guilty and eventually served six years in prison.  Now, in the age of 70, he's completed his sentence, and it has kept his massive fortune.

David Boies: $20 million

Currently serving as the chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner, David Boies previously served as Chief Counsel for the US Senate.  He graduated from Yale University in 1966 and almost immediately made a name for himself.  He gathered his fortune by representing several large corporations, including IBM, Napster, George Steinbrenner (owner of the NY Yankees), CBS, and the NBA Players Association throughout the 2011 NBA lockout.  According to Fortune magazine, he's "corporate America's number-one hired gun. "