The lawyer that will cost you $295m

LONDON - In many respects David Cooper is just like the other 400 millionaire lawyers working in London.

He owns properties in the most salubrious parts of town, sends his children to private school, and drives some very fast sports cars.

But after just negotiating a record-breaking deal with a British property consortium, the 64-year-old planning specialist has become Britain's most expensive solicitor.

Cooper is to be paid the staggering fee of £100 million ($295 million) to advise a client on the development of a new town to be built between Birmingham and Milton Keynes.

Even among the rich elite of lawyers this counts as an eye-watering return. Last year the very highest-earning solicitors were claiming annual fees of £1.3 million. The vast majority of solicitors will be lucky if they make £40,000 this year.

Despite charging a minimum of £650 an hour, Cooper is still very much in demand from a number of high-profile clients, including Arsenal Football Club.

- INDEPENDENT