If a lawyer wants to make $200K a year what kind of law should they practice? -

I heard that to make this amount of money, you should not be a criminal attorney. So what are some options?

Very good litigators can make this kind of money, including criminal defense attorneys. Niche kind of practices, like federal anti-trust law, tort litigation are also lucrative. Patent attorneys make very good money as well. Keep in mind, it also depends on where the attorney is located. Small town attorneys will make much less, regardless of the type of practice.

Corporate Law. I worked at Fenwick and West LLP in California and they were the richest lawyers I had ever seen (also the most stuck up, but hey, it comes with the territory). They represented large corporations such as Google and Cisco in court. They also represented large groups such as the 49ers and even actors/actresses like Eliza Dushku. This is the most profitable legal area I can think of because you would be representing the richest of all people in the world.