To begin, it is important to acknowledge the importance of an advocate in society. The necessity for trained personnel who can form the adequate link to ease the communication amongst lay people and the courts is credited with the emergence of lawyers as a class of professions. This includes giving legal help on the claimant’s rights, freedoms, and property within the framework of legislative and legal rights, as well as defending the client before an adjudicatory authority in the case of a disagreement.
A lawyer is a representative of a client or an impartial third party, and a person with a specific duty for helping in getting justice. Without attorneys to defend you from legal abuse, you wouldn’t have anyone else. Being an advocate is a job full of responsibilities, both financially and personally. You are assisting individuals who are experiencing matrimonial or financial difficulties, as well as more major issues.
Well, students have these preconceived notions that lawyers don’t earn that much and only judges do. But believe me; several Indian lawyers are earning a lot! Let’s take a look at the top 10 richest lawyers in India. This will debunk the myth that the Indian legal industry is not very profitable. It would also inspire university students and attorneys in India to put extra effort into their legal profession.
1 – Ram Jethmalani: INR 25 lacs
The first person to hold the highest-paid lawyer position was an extremely prominent and established lawyer “Mr. Ram Jethmalani”. He died in 2019 but till the age of 93 had appeared in various cases till his retirement in 2017 from the legal profession and was considered as a King of Spades in the legal fraternity.
His forte was Criminal law. He has been a part of numerous controversial criminal cases. Some of these famous cases were the Harshad Mehta Scam, Narsimha Rao Bribery instance, 2G Spectrum, Jessica Lal murder, etc. He had also joined the Rajya Sabha in 1988 and afterward, became the Union Law Minister in 1996.
2 – Kapil Sibal: INR 8-16 lac
Kapil Sibal is known for holding various important designations in the Government of India. He joined the Bar Association in 1972 and became a senior advocate in 1983. In 2007, the Indian Delegation in Bali known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held by him. He was the only lawyer who has appeared in Parliament and had defended a judge of the Supreme Court in the Proceedings for Impeachment. Some of the well-known cases of which he had been a part are the Coal Scam, BCCI Scam, and the National Herald Case.
3 – Fali Sam Nariman: INR 8-15 lacs
Occupying the 3rd position, Mr. Nariman is an Indian as well as an internationally recognized jurist. He was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Padma Vibhusan in 2007 and was also awarded the Gruber Prize of Justice in 2002. Currently, being 92 years old, he is still holding the designation of a senior advocate. He has appeared in several crucial cases such as Golak Nath, T.M.A Pai Foundation, and in the tragic Bhopal gas tragedy lawsuit, Nariman pleaded in favor of Union carbide.
4 – Harish Salve: INR 6-15 lacs
The 4th position is rightfully held by Harish Salve, ranked 43rd in the top 50 powerful people list in 2017 by India Today. In India’s Supreme Court, he argued the first anti-dumping case. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited, Salman Khan, Tata Group is among his many clients. He also defended Kulbhushan Jadav at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), who was given the death penalty by the Pakistani military after being suspected of being a spy. Recently, he got appointed as a Counsel for the Queen in the England and Wales Courts in 2020.
5 -Soli Jehangir Sorabjee: INR 8-15 lacs
Next coming up on the 5th position is another famous senior advocate “Soli Sorabjee”. Recently, he died on April 2021 due to Covid-19. For his advocacy in favor of freedom of expression and the protection of human rights, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2002. He had also assisted the counsel in the famous Kesavananda Bharti case, which was a landmark in discussing the Constitution’s basic structure doctrine.
6- Kesava Parasaran: INR 8-12 lacs
Kesava Parasaran, a senior Supreme Court lawyer and former Attorney General of India, was designated a trustee of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after successfully defending Hindu parties in the Ayodhya property legal dispute. During his time, he was a prominent lawyer and was witty with a great sense of satire.
7- Abhishek Manu Singhvi: INR 6-11 lacs
At the age of 37, Abhishek Singhvi was India’s youngest Attorney General, India. He is presently a Member of Parliament from the Rajasthan Congress. He is known for his strong and compelling remarks on various political conflicts.
8- Kottayan Katankot Venugopal: INR 5-7.5 lacs
K.K. Venugopal is yet another rich and influential constitutional law lawyer in India and played a pivotal role in the drafting of Bhutan’s Constitution. He has worked on matters involving India’s most powerful people and organisations. He was appointed as the Attorney General in 2017. He was also a part of the controversial Babri Masjid case and represented BLP leader L.K Advani.
9- Mukul Rohatgi: INR 10 lacs
Mukul Rohatgi is another renowned lawyer who has defended the Gujarat government in the Supreme Court in matters including the 2002 Gujarat riots and allegedly false encounter deaths, such as the Best Bakery and Zahira Sheikh Matters. He joined the Vajpayee government as Additional Solicitor General of India in 1999. Talking about Mukul Rohatgi fees he charges up to 10lakh per hearing.
10 – Gopal Subramaniam: INR 5.5-15 lacs
Gopal Subramaniam is one of India’s top attorneys. He has served as India’s Solicitor General and Chairman of the Bar Council and is continuously serving in the legal profession despite the fact that he is 62 years old. He was honored by the President of India in 2009 with the National Law Day Award for Outstanding Jurist. In addition, he is one of India’s richest attorneys.
So, these were the highest-paid lawyers. Lawyers are definitely one of the most important pillars of our country, fighting for justice their work never ends. As rightly quoted by Norman Ralph Augustine:
“People do not win people fights. Lawyers do.”