Mass Black Judge

Lawyers are highly-paid professionals. However, their earnings largely depend on their field of specialization; medical and real estate lawyers offer greater earning potential than others.

Private equity firms have amassed trillions in assets and are among the main clients for Wall Street law firms. Law firms with close connections to private equity can expect significant profits.

1. Jamie Dimon

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon enjoys the highest salary among New York lawyers. While his base salary of $1 Million may seem high for his industry peers, performance-based incentives make up most of his overall compensation package.

Dimon was born to be in banking, and possesses an intuitive understanding of what works at banks. Early in his career he developed a surgical approach to running businesses; beginning as Sandy Weill’s lieutenant at Commercial Credit in 1986 he employed this strategy against unexplained spending and poor performance.

As a result, his businesses have flourished. Today he owns one of America’s biggest companies and one of the world’s largest banks; furthermore he’s an influential voice in national debate – particularly about tariffs which has caught his eye.

2. David Solomon

David Solomon specializes in representing mid-market companies with general counsel matters, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). He meets personally with each client in order to gain an in-depth knowledge of their business.

His firm represents ESOPs and private equity funds in acquisitions and divestitures as well as banks, mezzanine lenders and private equity firms who make investments in middle market companies. Furthermore, Solomon specializes in labor and employment law issues for both unionized and nonunionized companies.

His high salary stems from his work at Goldman Sachs, where he serves as CEO. Last year he earned $31 million despite profits dropping and dealmaking becoming less vigorous; a 24% raise by board was meant as an expression of support after some rough years; yet whether he can keep Goldman on track following an uprising by junior bankers remains to be seen.

3. John Finley

John Finley serves as Senior Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer of Blackstone Investment Firm as well as its Management Committee. Prior to that he was a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett where he co-headed its global mergers and acquisitions group.

Finley had worked on Fox News programming and development projects before leading Fox Nation, the subscription streaming service offered by the network, until an unidentified woman filed a formal complaint alleging sexual harassment by him, which resulted in an independent investigation which confirmed her account according to Mediaite reports.

Finley was widely revered and fondly known as “JHF” among his students and fans for infusing strength, courage, and pursuit of excellence (aristeia) into their lives. He will be greatly missed; JHF leaves behind his wife Genevieve; children Michael Finley PhD (Dr), Mary Finley Bridgit Finley as well as grandchildren plus numerous family members and friends.

4. Kirkland & Ellis

Apollo, Blackstone and KKR’s expansion from company buyouts into real estate investment and insurance has resulted in increased demand for legal services from big law firms like Kirkland & Ellis in New York offering substantial fees per associate – leading to bidding wars for junior associates at top firms like Kirkland. They now pay well over $20 Million annually.

“Kirkland juniors work hard for lots of money,” according to one former colleague who now works at a smaller firm. However, working at such large firms can often be stressful and require long hours devoted to their duties. There’s pressure from both clients and colleagues alike “billing and meeting targets,” as another former Kirkland colleague recently described it.

Jon Ballis, Kirkland’s chairman, acknowledged his firm has an unfavorable image for its strict culture. To improve things further, he has begun efforts to lower billing targets that often reach absurdly high numbers.