The country has produced some of the finest legal brains that have contributed in one of the other to the formation of the judicial system in India. After being able to defend the rights of citizens, win political cases, and even work for celebrated personalities, they deserve due respect. Here are the details of the top 10 lawyers in India, including their early lives, major career accomplishments, and, more importantly, their contributions in the legal field. These top advocates are not only famous for their legal brains but also for their bureaucrats in society.
Contents
Top Indian Lawyers and Their Educational Backgrounds
1. Fali S. Nariman
- Early Life and Career Highlights:
Fali S. Nariman is one of India’s leading constitutional jurists as well as senior advocates. Nariman has been practiced for over six decades and has been involved in several leading cases that have shaped constitutional law in India.
- Education:
Nariman received his law degree at the Government Law College in Mumbai, a university that dates back to the nineteenth century. He had vast knowledge of the Constitution, and this made him feared among his fellow legal lawyers.
- Major Contributions:
Key cases that Fali S. Nariman has handled include the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and various constitutional questions about restrictions of free speech.
- Birth Date: 10 January 1929
- Fee:
Known to command ₹10-15 lakh per appearance, he is considered one of the most expensive lawyers in India.
2. Ram Jethmalani
- Early Life and Career Highlights
Ram Jethmalani was one of the famous and bright Indian lawyers of the modern era, who dedicated his practice to criminal law. He served for many years, working on very many cases, most of which were complicated, and saw him in the limelight.
- Education
Jethmalani earned his law degree at just 17 years old from Government Law College, Mumbai.
- Major Contributions
Other famous cases were defending characters such as celebrities and politicians including Harshad Mehta, L. K. Advani, and Amit Shah. He was also actively involved in the emergency period and the Indian Black Money case as well.
- Birth Date: 14 September 1923
- Fee:
He was known to be the highest paid lawyer in India during his time, commanding exorbitant fees for his services.
3. Nani Palkhivala
- Early Life and Career Highlights
Nani Palkhivala was an extraordinary lawyer, economist, and author who had immeasurable impacts on constitutional interpretation. He was widely practiced in the Kesavananda Bharati case, leading to the “basic structure” of the Constitution of India.
- Education
Palkhivala graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai, and quickly became known for his extraordinary grasp of tax and constitutional law.
- Major Contributions
He insisted on the study of the taxation of India and the constitutional law of India, especially the Legal Base of the Indian Constitution on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of the Government of India.
- Birth Date: 16 January 1920
- Fee: varied, often known for his pro bono cases.
4. Indira Jaising
- Early Life and Career Highlights
Indira Jaising is a recognised human rights lawyer in India and served as the first female Additional Solicitor General of India. Throughout her career, she has focused on advocacy and supporting those whose voices are often silenced, such as women and people of colour.
- Education
Jaising obtained her law degree from the University of Bombay and specialised in constitutional law and human and women’s rights.
- Major Contributions
Jaising has been on the electoral roll to defend women’s defences against domestic violence and abuses, fight for gender equity, and fight against sexual harassment. She also played a substantial part in the Bhopal Gas Disaster case.
- Birth Date: 3 June 1940
- Fee: ₹2-5 lakh per appearance
5. Harish Salve
- Early Life and Career Highlights
Harish Salve is on the list of one of the best constitutional as well as tax law experts in India. He is quite famous for the case involving Kulbhushan Jadhav, which India took to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
- Education
Nagpur University was the place from where Salve completed his LLB, and he took training from Nani Palkhivala.
- Major Contributions
Salve has been part of several other landmark judgements, like Vodafone’s tax case against the Government of India and the Ambani Gas Supply case.
- Birth Date: 22 June 1955
- Fee:
The desired lawyer, Harish Salve, is one of the most expensive lawyer in India, for which he charges INR 30 lakhs per appearance at least.
6. Gopal Subramanium
- Early Life and Career Highlights
India is fortunate that Gopal Subramanium is one of the top advocate in India who has captured constitutional and criminal law. He has held the office of Solicitor General of India.
- Education
He graduated from Delhi University, after which he rose quickly through the legal ranks.
- Major Contributions
Subramanium’s prominent cases include his role in the Parliament attack case and his representation of the Central Government in various important matters.
- Birth Date: 8 August 1958
- Fee: ₹10-12 lakh per appearance
7. Abhishek Manu Singhvi
- Early Life and Career Highlights
Justice Abhishek Manu Singhvi is a top court of India lawyer and influential politician and well known for constitutional as well as corporate law practice. He’s also known for being an excellent speaker.
- Education
Singhvi completed his law degree at Cambridge University and earned a PhD from Trinity College.
- Major Contributions
Singhvi has represented numerous high-profile cases, including corporate litigations and political controversies.
- Birth Date: 24 February 1959
- Fee:
As one of the top 10 advocates in India, Singhvi charges ₹6-11 lakh per appearance for his legal services.
8. K. K. Venugopal
- Early Life and Career Highlights
- K. Venugopal is a very eminent and experienced constitutional lawyer of India, and he has worked as the Attorney General of India. He has practiced for more than five and a half decades.
- Education
The education of law was pursued by Venugopal at Raja Lakhamgouda Law College in Karnataka.
- Major Contributions
Venugopal has been counselled in many crucial cases, including the Ayodhya land dispute case as well as the Right to Privacy case.
- Birth Date: 6 September 1931
- Fee: ₹15-20 lakh per appearance
9. Mukul Rohatgi
- Early Life and Career Highlights
It is helpful to know that Mukul Rohatgi is a senior advocate and former Attorney General of India. Constitutional, criminal, as well as corporate law are areas of practice in which he has gained recognition.
- Education
Rohatgi completed his law from the Government Law College Mumbai and graduated in the field of law.
- Major Contributions
Some of the cases that Rohatgi has worked on are the 2G spectrum case and the HAJ Panel Triple Talaq case.
- Birth Date: 17 August 1955
- Fee:
He is one of the most expensive lawyer in India, with his fee per appearance ranging from ₹10-15 lakhs.
10. Soli Sorabjee
- Early Life and Career Highlights
Soli Sorabjee was a well-known advocate and an ex-Attorney General of India. He was committed to political causes of freedom of speech and human rights organisations.
- Education
Sorabjee was educated at St. Xavier’s College, and then he went to Government Law College in Mumbai.
- Major Contributions
Sorabjee’s defence of the freedom of the press and his efforts in international human rights law made him a legal giant.
- Birth Date: 9 March 1930
- Fee:
Sorabjee’s fees were reflective of his stature, making him one of the most famous Indian lawyers.
Conclusion
The top 10 lawyers in India have done exceedingly well to transform the legal practice in the country. Many of these renowned legal professionals have received the best guidance through CLAT coaching, which helped them build a strong foundation for their law careers. From fighting for human rights to handling serious commercial law cases or explaining complicated constitutional matters, these legal minds deserve to be on this list of the most influential and famous Indian lawyers today. Having lit the path for future generations of lawyers from within the courtroom to the school, their stories still live on.
FAQs on Top Advocate in India
1. Who is the No. 1 lawyer in India?
Harish Salve is one of the most eminent legal personalities in India, and in my opinion, one should rightly call him the best lawyer in India, as he has been in the International Court also.
2. Which lawyer is richest in India?
Harish Salve is also known as the richest lawyer in India; his fee charges are also high for his cases.
3. What is the lawyer’s salary in India?
The top lawyers in India can demand 10 lakhs to 30 lakhs per appearance in premium or time-sensitive legal proceedings.
4. What do the terms lawyer and advocate signify?
A lawyer is simply any layman who has done a law degree program; an advocate is one qualified to practice law and appear in court for clients.
5. Who is the best law school in India?
The best National Law School of India University, Bangalore About 95% of the students in NLSIU are admitted through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) to this college.
6. Who is the biggest law firm in India of all time?
Nani Palkhivala is believed to have been India’s biggest lawyer of all time, and he was an expert constitutional lawyer.
7. What major players are in the Supreme Court of India?
The SC’s leading professional lawyers are Harish Salve, Mukul Rohatgi, and Fali S. Nariman.
8. What is CLAT?
CLAT is the common law admission test that is conducted for admissions to national law universities in India.
