Star lawyers get Rs 5 lakh for 5-minute job

Paramita Chatterjee & Reshmi R Dasgupta, ET Bureau Oct 31, 2009, 09.04pm IST
(Top cos which offer Rs 1 cr plus salaries Top salary earners of India Inc India's top 10 business
houses)
NEW DELHI: As far as prayers go, this variety is the most rewarding. India's superstar lawyers
make a mini fortune every time they pray, plead or appeal, and the bar has now gone up by
several notches thanks to the ongoing legal tussle between the Ambani brothers.
The Ambani vs Ambani battle is just the icing on the cake for the handful of India's elite lawyers
who are probably the country's highest paid professionals. Harish Salve, Mukul Rohatgi, Ashok
Desai, KK Venugopal, and Abhishek Singhvi are the notables in this essentially boys' club
These star lawyers charge around Rs 3-5 lakh for a five-minute appearance, and can manage up
to 10 such appearances per day, said a lawyer who did not wish to be named. For outstation
cases, the rate is even higher: from Rs 10-30 lakh, plus expenses.
The rates for the Reliance battle could be double that rate, said members of the legal fraternity
close to the matter.
Not every case comes with a Reliance premium, but they said it's not unusual for some of India's
top 10-15 advocates to earn over Rs 50 crore a year by way of legal fees.
That stacks up against the Rs 5-10 crore that CEOs of Sensex 30 companies make per year as
compensation on an average. For cash-rich clients the race to pocket one from this league has
become even more tight as public affairs has already weaned away three other stars home
minister P Chidambaram, HRD minister Kapil Sibal and BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley
leaving the rest in high demand.
Then there are the veterans like formal solicitor general Soli Sorabjee, Shanti Bhushan and Fali
Nariman who are said to be in the same income bracket. But they, like former law minister Ram
Jethmalani representing the Anil Ambani group in the Reliance case, take cases selectively.
"With the opening up of the economy and more foreign companies coming in, the landscape of

corporate India has changed," says Mr Rohatgi who represents Anil Ambani-promoted RNRL in
the apex court.
Mr Rohatgi refused to comment on what he charges, while RIL's face in the Supreme Court,
Harish Salve, said disclosing his fees would be in violation to his clients' right of confidence.
"I have no clue as to what RIL is spending per day nor is it a matter of any interest to me," Mr
Salve replied to an ET e-mail.
Emails sent to Mr Desai, Mr Venugopal, Mr Sundaram and Mr Singhvi went unanswered.
The black gown-brigade has come a long way since the days of legal luminary MC Setalvad who
fixed a standard rate of Rs 1,040 for special leave petitions (SLPs) and Rs 1,680 for final
hearings three decades ago. When a senior SC lawyer wanted to charge Rs 7,000 per appearance,
he had to retreat in the wake of a fraternity uproar.
For outstation cases, the top lawyers are rumoured to charge around Rs 20-30 lakh, plus expenses
for each appearance.
Sure, all of them have managed to stay on the right side of the law, and count among the top
Income Tax payers in the country.
Attorney-general Goolam Essaji Vahanvati and Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam are
reportedly paid a fixed sum when appearing for the government (a measly Rs 5,500, reportedly)
but can charge commercial rates for PSU cases.
"Litigation has undergone a huge change and it has become more aggressive in nature," says Mr
Bhushan, another former union law minister.
Lawyers say that remuneration often depends on the type and duration of a case.
On Mondays and Fridays, admission/miscellaneous matters are normally listed for which the
lawyer concerned is not needed to appear for more than 5 minutes! About 50 to 70 matters are
listed before all courts for admission/miscellaneous matters, as per industry estimates.
"Not much preparation is required for admission matters so Rs 2-2.5 lakh per appearance is
normal," said a senior advocate who did not wish to be quoted.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are earmarked for matters involving regular hearing for
which advocates can charge upto even Rs 5-10 lakh, depending on the case - with the most
complex cases attracting exceptional rates.
A case would also require a couple of rounds of conferencing, which are usually included in the
total fees, though some lawyers charge hourly rates of around Rs 2 lakh.
Says top advocate Dushyant Dave who also charges upwards of Rs 2 lakh per appearance,
"Litigation over the years has become more complex and demanding because of the nature of
issues and stakes. So strategies are more important now."
For a top lawyer, business could be beyond the court gates too. Many charge clients for written
and oral opinions, besides taking on retainerships, a crucial legal ploy that cuts both ways. A
retainer is a fixed amount that a client pays in advance to secure the services of the litigator - and
in some cases also to ensure that he or she does not appear for the other side.
In nearly all the headline-grabbing cases in India, the names of the lawyers who did not appear
are often more intriguing than those who did, says a senior advocate.
Mr Sorabjee told ET that he charges a normal fee of Rs 1.5 lakh for admission inclusive of one
conference. He said that for regular hearing matters, he charges around Rs 3 lakh per appearance
and conference.
Mr Sorabjee, Mr Dave and Mr Bhushan said they charge much less if the litigant happens to be a
government servant or a school teacher or any person in that category.
How to choose correct forum and right lawyer
MONEYLIFE DIGITAL TEAM | 21/03/2014 07:30 PM |
Are consumer courts your only option? Or do some issues have faster, alternative solution?
Three experts, Adv Bapoo Malcolm, Indrani Malkani and Shirish Shanbhag say yes
Finding a solution or redress of your grievances requires you to make smart choices and act
strategically. Most people are unaware of the alternative dispute resolution forums like Lok

Adalat and Lokshahi Din to resolve their issues. Also if one decides to go for legal recourse, one
must chose right lawyer or end up in deep trouble. These were the words of advice provided by
three experts, Adv Bapoo Malcolm, Indrani Malkani and Shirish Shanbhag, at a panel discussion
organised by Moneylife Foundation in Mumbai.
There are several other fora like tax, insurance and banking ombudsman, alternative dispute
resolution fora like Lok Adalat, Lokshahi Din held in government offices, counselling offered by
Council for Fair Business Practices and Disha Financial Counselling and consumer courts that
help people to resolve grievances quickly.
Lokshahi Din
According to Shirish Shanbhag, a retired professor, who provides guidance to people on several
issues, grievance of citizens is best resolved in Lokshahi Din. There are four levels of Lokshahi
Din and one can escalate her grievance from taluka level to the chief minister level as well.
If one follows the simple procedure, like submitting the application in prescribed format, well
before the prescribed time limit, she can get quick and effective redressal. Raising public
grievances through Lokshahi Din is less time consuming, and is an inexpensive solution. In
addition, there is no need to hire a lawyer and one can represent herself, Mr Shanbhag said.
Lok Adalats
Social activist Indrani Malkani who is also a trustee of vCitizens Action Network (V-CAN), said
Lok Adalat works on a system of reaching a compromise between the disputed parties. Lok
Adalat is a non-adversarial system, whereby mock courts (called Lok Adalats) are held by the
State Authority, District Authority, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, High Court Legal
Services Committee, or Taluk Legal Services Committee.
The Lok Adalats can deal with all civil cases, matrimonial disputes, land disputes, partition/
property disputes, labour disputes, and compoundable criminal cases, Ms Malkani said.
She said, in Lok Adalat, disputing parties plead their case themselves. No advocate or pleader is
allowed, even witnesses are not examined. No court fee is levied. Speedy justice is given to the
people of all classes of society and the award has the same effect as of a Civil Court decree.

According to Ms Malkani, disputes can be brought before the Lok Adalat directly instead of
going to a regular court, which provides speedy justice.
How to choose the right lawyer?
Advocate Bapoo Malcolm, who practises civil and criminal law as well as documentation and
arbitration, said before looking for a lawyer, one must think about the outcome she wants and
what branch of law applies to her specific problem. Since legal cases may drag on for years, one
must also consider if the battle is worth the time and cost, he said. According to Adv Malcolm, it
is always better to hire a lawyer who is highly recommended from people in one's inner circle
who have dealt with legal issues. While credentials are important, knowledge of the lawyer about
penal provisions is equally important, he said.
He said, well-established and reputed lawyers charge higher fees than the upcoming ones. At the
same time, well-established lawyers dont always charge fees for consultation or first visit, Adv
Malcolm added.
One must have a frank and open discussion with the lawyer and should not hide facts. She must
also ask for a realistic estimate of cost and duration to resolve the particular issue. "If you do not
understand what your lawyer is saying, seek an explanation. Don't get intimidated," he said.