
As J.K. Rowling famously quoted – ‘Celebrity is as celebrity does’, meaning famous personalities need quick fixes for when they get stuck in situations. And no, we’re not talking about simple matters where famous people write their own Will or get a parking ticket. We mean things and instances that have the power to taint their image and royally screw them over.
At times like this, who can these celebrities rely on to get their names cleared? Who can they put their faith in to give it a legal spin so that people can see how the system is being unjust?
This is where celebrity lawyers make their grand entrance to sweep in and save the day. And given the popularity of these cases, these attorneys are bound to cost our beloved celebs more than just an arm and leg. Mind you that these lawyers work their asses off to earn every penny they charge because we know how celebrities can get themselves in quite the pickle every now and then.
So here’s a list of 5 richest lawyers who are the legal hotshots of the celebrity universe!
1. Roy Black
Back in 1991, Roy Black famously handled the William Kennedy Smith rape case and got him off the hook and free of all charges. Later on, he married one of the jurors on the case. He is also known to defend clients like Helio Castroneves, Rush Limbaugh, Joe Francis and Jeffrey Epstein. Quiet miraculously, Black has been successful in getting these clients acquitted in spite of considerable public opinion that says otherwise.
2. Mark Geragos
Mark Geragos is perhaps one of the better known celebrity attorneys around considering that he represented the Prince of Pop Michael Jackson. Mark was the late musician’s defence attorney after MJ was charged with child molestation lawsuit. Geragos also represented Winona Ryder after she was caught for shoplifting in Saks. He currently represents Chris Brown who put in a retainer without delay after the case on Rihanna against Brown tanked.
3. John Branca
John Branca dipped toes in the sea of entertainment as a member of a band that opened doors for him in a club in Los Angles back in the 60s. He made up his mind to specialise in tax and corporate laws that surrounded musicians and rock stars. His clientele is star studded with the likes of Aerosmith, Backstreet Boys, Carlos Santana, The Beach Boys and Limp Bizkit. He earns a good five percent of all his client’s record contracts. The figure he makes isn’t too bad when you consider that his client’s bands have sold more than 20 million records each year.
4. Gloria Allred
Gloria Allred’s USP lies in the fact that she portrays herself as ‘the most renowned woman attorney practicing law’. And judging by the kind of cases and clients she takes on and the whirlpool it creates in the media, she is probably right. Her clients include Amber Frey, the family of the late Nicole Brown Simpson and Paula Jones. She also represented Britney Spears’s bodyguard. She garnered more attention when she brought Octomom to court, claiming that the newborns need to have a court-appointed guardian to safeguard their interests.
5. Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz is best known for actively defending O.J. Simpson during his murder trials back in the 90s. He has been teaching law in Harvard Law School for a couple of years now. He has also represented Patricia Hearst and Mike Tyson. He also defended Claus van Bulow – a socialite who was convicted for attempting to murder his wife in 1980. The wife was comatose for more than two decades after this incident. Dershowitz’s appeal won in the court and van Bulow’s conviction came toppling down.
6. Joel Seagal
Joel Seagal is an attorney who specialised in contracts related to sports. He successfully conferred on a profitable six-year contract worth $100 million for Michael Vick after the star quarterback was imprisoned for his association with dogfighting. Seagal also defends Chris Johnson, Randy Moss and other NFL players.
The celebrities probably breathe a little easy because they know that one of these kickass richest lawyers is out there to represent them. To quote J.K. Rowling again, ‘Fame is a fickle friend’ and this rings true for all famous people out there who wish to have a long successful career.