O.J. Simpson's dream team may be the best-known lawyers around today, but all the publicity in the world couldn't help Johnnie Cochran Jr. and his crew get a ranking among the nation's highest-paid attorneys.
The high-profile names took a back seat to the less visible crowd, who made their fortunes by winning lawsuits, counseling popular entertainers or advising the nation's major companies, according to Forbes magazine's ranking of the top-earning trial and corporate lawyers for 1994.No women graced this year's list, which was released Sunday in the magazine's Nov. 6 issue, and a large segment of the winners came from New York, Texas and Los Angeles.
Houston's Joseph Jamail came in as the No. 1 trial lawyer, with $90 million in earnings last year. He's known for his $10.5 billion verdict in 1987 against Texaco that drove the oil company into bankruptcy but managed to cash in this year from litigation on behalf of his corporate clients.
Heading up the corporate list is Allen Grubman, 52, who made at least $5 million in 1994 aiding celebrities including Rod Stewart, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.
This is the first time since October 1989 that the magazine has surveyed the nation's top-paid attorneys. The list is compiled through interviews and reviews of court and government documents. It is only based on income derived from the practice of law in 1994.
Trial lawyers were the big winners in this year's survey, with all of the top 10 making at least $10 million in 1994.
Much of their money was derived from class-action lawsuits, which bring together many clients fighting for the same cause. In addition, many corporate clients started dedicating more money to trial lawyers, the magazine said.
John O'Quinn, a Houston lawyer, ranked No. 2 of the trial lawyers with an estimated $40 million earned, in large part because of silicone breast implant litigation. The 54-year-old set up an 800-number to attract frightened patients and now he's settling more than 15 cases a month.
Rounding out the top five, four of whom are from Texas, are: Wayne Reaud, 48, of Beaumont, who made $26 million for his personal injury and workers' compensation cases; Walter Umphrey, 59, also of Beaumont, who earned $19 million; and Guy Saperstein, a 52-year-old from Oakland, Calif., who earned $15 million, much of which came from job-bias suits.
On the corporate side, seven of the top 25 are entertainment attorneys, focusing on the celebrity sect.
But no representatives from the big-name Wall Street firms made it into the top 10 as many companies built up their in-house legal teams instead of using outside counsel. Five in-house attorneys made this year's list - from companies including Merrill Lynch and Viacom - compared to none in the 1989 survey.
Right behind Grubman is Harry Brittenham, a 54-year-old Los Angeles lawyer who made $4.5 million last year representing Woody Harrelson, Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Ted Danson and Eddie Murphy, in addition to doing some corporate work.
Kenneth Ziffren, 55, who is Britenham's partner in Los Angeles, also earned around $4.5 million through his work representing television and movie producers.
The Rolling Stones' lawyer, 44-year-old John Branca, held the No. 4 spot with $4.25 million in earnings, while celebrity divorce lawyer Raoul Felder, 61, made more than $3 million from his New York practice, ranking fifth.