Who are India's richest lawyers?

 The following are India's richest lawyers.

//List of 10 highest-paid lawyers in India//

While we’re busy looking out for the highest paid celebrities in Bollywood, let us throw some light on the fact that our lawyers earn no less than any celebrity. India is home to some very influential and powerful lawyers who can hold the entire court in awe with their fabulous argument skills and yes, they charge a bomb for it!.

Here is the list of top 10 highest paid lawyers in India according to Legally India.

//Ram Jethmalani //

He was the oldest lawyer in India at 94 years. His fee was approximately Rs. 25 lakh per appearance and that gave him the top spot on this list. His forte was criminal law.

//Fali Nariman //

He has been awarded with Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and the Prize for Justice for his contribution to law and judicial system. He charges nearly Rs. 8-15 lakh for his cases.

//KK Venugopal //

He is one of the most renowned lawyers in India. In fact, he was once hired by the Bhutan Government for consultation while drafting their Constitution. His fee ranges from Rs. 5-7.5 lakh per case.

//Gopal Subramaniam//

He primarily practices in Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court. He served as a Solicitor General of India from 2009-2011. Apart from that, he also served as the Chairman of Bar Council of India. He charges Rs. 5.5-15 lakh for his cases.

//P. Chidambaram//

The former Finance Minister is a corporate lawyer. He practiced in Supreme Court of India and other high courts as well.

//Harish Salve //

He served as the Solicitor General of India for 9 years. His clients include Reliance, Tata, ITC and Vodafone. His fee ranges from Rs. 6-15 lakh.

//Abhishek Manu Singhvi //

He was the youngest Additional Solicitor General of India at the age of 37. He charges Rs. 6-11 lakh as his fee.

//C. Aryama Sundaram //

He has regularly been representing the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Anil Ambani and many other high profile clients. His fee ranges from Rs. 5.5 lakh-16.5 lakh.

//Salman Khurshid //

He was the former Minister of External Affairs in the previous government. He charges a fee of Rs 5 lakh per appearance.

//K.T. S. Tulsi //

He is a famous senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India. His high-profile clients include Robert Vadra. Since 1994, he is serving as the President of Criminal Justice Society of India. His fee is Rs. 5 lakh per appearance.

What are some of the most mind-blowing facts about lawyers?

 There is a secret to making a profit when selling to lawyers.

My first job involved selling copiers on a 100% commission basis. If I sold a copier at cost, I worked for free. This only made sense if the sale helped me reach a bonus level, but that was rarely the case.

Now there were hundreds of small lawyers in my territory and they used a lot of small copiers. There was only one problem. Nearly every sale to a lawyer ended up as a no- or low-profit sale.

Competition was only on price. Lawyers commonly called 4 or 5 copier companies for a demonstration and bid. They never accepted any first bid. They knew perfectly well, that the profit margin was 40% or more on the list price.

They laughed at a 20% discount, they scowled at a 30% discount, kindly types accepted a 35% discount, but most wanted the machine at cost.

And the fact was, they could always get it. Somebody among the 4 or 5 competitors would always sell at cost.

I wasted so much time, I was ready to give up on even trying to sell to lawyers.

That was when I read an article talking about legal billing hours and hourly rates. A light went on.

During my next sales call with a lawyer, I cut right to the chase. Rather than play the discount game, I put my cards on the table.

“If you are like most lawyers, you expect a 35-40% discount. I am not going to give it to you.”

“If that’s what you really want, I can give you the names of 4 or 5 companies that will give it to you – though I am never sure how they stay in business that way.”

“Of course you will need to meet them all and play them off each other, but you will certainly succeed.”

“I just always wonder how lawyers who can bill clients $200-300 per hour can afford to spend six to eight hours trying to save $600 on a copier.”

“If you’re interested, I will give you a 25% discount to close the deal right now. That means I make $300 on the sale. It means I will come back and train you and your staff. It means I may still be employed in this job if you have a problem in 2 years. Otherwise, I can give you the list of competitors and get on my way.”

It was amazing how well it worked. That direct no-bullshit speech won me immediate closure on 50-60% of the lawyer sales calls.

They said yes or they said no in under 5 minutes.

Lawyers like to be reminded of how valuable their time is.

This was 30 years ago. I wonder if it would still work.