One of the key decisions in your law career will be choosing which kind of legal work to specialize in. There are various branches, each offering different compensation structures.
A lawyer’s salary can be determined by a range of factors, including specialization, clientele and reputation. Experience and seniority also play a part in how much income a lawyer receives.
David Boies
Boies Schiller Flexner co-founder is renowned litigator who was instrumental in breaking down gay marriage bans and representing Al Gore in the Supreme Court case that decided the 2000 presidential election. Unfortunately, however, his name has come under criticism due to cases with Harvey Weinstein and Theranos (blood testing company that falsified data).
He’s currently representing “Jane Doe 1”, in her suit against Deutsche Bank over allegations of sexual abuse by late financier Jeffrey Epstein and alleges that it missed red flags in this case.
Boies is part of an exclusive group of attorneys who charge more than $2,100 an hour, which he disclosed when seeking legal fees from Alphabet Inc’s Google for privacy litigation services provided to both plaintiffs and defendants alike. He’s famous for his unwavering cross-examination tactics.
Daniel Petrocelli
Ten years ago, Dan Petrocelli had only ever represented one case from start to finish before a jury. That case was Fred Goldman’s wrongful death suit against O.J. Simpson; Petrocelli should never have been hired by Fred.
Petrocelli’s experience in high-profile litigation positions him well for success in this year’s class action fraud trial involving Trump University. He is defending the billionaire against accusations that his expensive real estate seminars overloaded customers with debts.
He has successfully handled multiple other significant cases, such as AT&T and Time Warner’s successful challenge to the Justice Department’s effort to block their merger. Additionally, he serves on Disney’s team defending them against Stephen Slesinger’s heirs in a case over Winnie the Pooh merchandise royalties.
As chair of O’Melveny’s trial practice and vice chair, Petrocelli has represented former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, boxer Manny Pacquiao and rapper Travis Scott among his former clients – as well as donated to Clinton who will soon face off against Trump in a general election battle.
John Finley
John Finley first rose to fame as part of Toronto R&B band Jon and Lee and the Checkmates and later with Elektra supergroup Rhinoceros. Since then he has performed across various genres such as rock, gospel and jazz music production as well as song writing.
He holds both a BBA from The Wharton School and an MBA from Harvard Business School, with both degrees earning honors. At Blackstone he currently holds the position of Chief Legal Officer as well as being part of its Management Committee.
John Finley received $22.2 million total compensation in 2022 – a significant increase from his previous year’s pay of $17.1 million. We can notify you whenever John Finley buys or sells Blackstone Inc stock; simply enter your email below to stay informed.
Kathryn Ruemmler
Kathryn Ruemmler is global co-chair of Latham & Watkins’ white-collar defense and investigations practice and was an advisor in the Obama White House as counsel to the president and principal associate deputy attorney general. Additionally, as an experienced federal prosecutor she helped secure convictions of Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling.
Ruemmler was a partner at Latham before she joined Goldman Sachs as its Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel in 2020, becoming the highest-paid GC in New York and second most-compensated in the U.S.
Ruemmler was named in a Manhattan federal court filing by the government of the Virgin Islands naming Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested for child sex trafficking charges in 2019. A person familiar with this matter told CNBC that Epstein referred Ruemmler to JPMorgan Chase in February 2019 and recommended her as an ideal client, as per Virgin Islands filing. JPMorgan later hired Ruemmler.