Most Expensive Lawyer

So, who are they? Here's a quick look at the wealthiest attorneys in the world, ranked from the lowest net value to the greatest. Please be aware that the people on this list are practicing attorneys or judges. There are plenty of additional "lawyers" using a substantially higher net value, but they just possess a law degree and no more use it.

Joe Jamail: $1.7 billion

Though he passed away at age 90 in December 2015, Joe Jamail makes this list because he had been the wealthiest practicing attorney in the USA at the time of his death. Often referred to as the "King of Torts," he represented Pennzoil in a 1985 lawsuit against rival Texaco. His contingency fee was $335 following the courts chose in Pennzoil's favor. The 1953 graduate from the University of Texas School of Law was a former marine who had a longstanding reputation in the court to be abrasive, rude, and vulgar. But outside the courtroom, he was famous for his generous philanthropy.

Bill Neukom: $850 million

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

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 a number of large corporations, such as IBM, Napster, George Steinbrenner (proprietor of the NY Yankees), CBS, and the NBA Players Association during the 2011 NBA lockout. According to Fortune magazine, he is "corporate America's number-one hired gun. "

Mark Geragos: $25 million

A 1992 graduate of Loyola Law School, Mark Geragos is a criminal defense lawyer who has also been involved in a number of landmark civil lawsuit 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 one of the top 10 verdicts in California history to get a 2008 situation where he obtained a jury verdict awarding over $38 from a pharmaceutical firm. He currently serves as a managing associate at Geragos and Geragos.

Alan Dershowitz: $25 million

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1962, Alan Dershowitz went to work. By 1964he was a member of the Harvard Law School school and in 1967, he had been made a full professor. (He murdered in 2013.) While teaching classes, he was also making a name for himself in the criminal law area. Thanks to his standing as the "top lawyer of last resort," he has a bevy of high-profile clients, including Mike Tyson, Jim Baker, Leona Helmsley, O.J. Simpson, and Jeffrey Epstein. Additionally, he's composed more than a dozen novels. Everything together helped him collect his fortune

Willie E. Gary: $100 million

Nicknamed "The Giant Killer," Willie Gary has taken on a number of the nation's biggest corporations, including Anheuser-Busch and Disney. He has won a number of the biggest settlements and jury awards in the U.S., including many cases valued at more than $30 billion. A graduate of Shaw University, he is currently the managing director at Gary, Williams, Parenti, Watson, and Gary, P.L.L.C., works as a motivational speaker, and has emerged as a legal analyst on "The Early Show. "