Johnnie L Cochran, Jr. (October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Cochran also represented Sean Combs (during his trial on gun and bribery charges), Michael Jackson, rapper Tupac Shakur, actor Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown, rapper Snoop Dogg, former heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe, 1992 Los Angeles riot beating victim Reginald Oliver Denny, and Geronimo Pratt. He also represented athlete Marion Jones when she faced charges of doping during her high school track career. Cochran was known for his skill in the courtroom and his prominence as an early advocate for victims of police brutality.
Melodie Cochran, Tiffany Cochran, Jonathan Cochran
Parents
Hattie Bass Cochran, Johnnie L. Cochran, Sr.
Siblings
Ralonzo Phelectron Cochran, Martha Jean Sherrard, Pearl Baker
Movies
Showtime
TV Shows
Cochran & Grace
Star Sign
Libra
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Quote
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[To the jury of the O.J. Simpson murder case, referring to police corruption in his closing arguments] who then "polices" the police? You police the police.
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[on wining the OJ Simpson case] We fought all the battles, we fought by their rules and we won.
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[Referring to the black gloves found at the crime scene] If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
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Fact
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Has represented many high profile clients such as actor Todd Bridges, singer Michael Jackson, rappers Tupac Shakur, Sean Combs, Snoop Dogg, heavyweight championship boxer Riddick Bowe, and athlete Marion Jones.
2
[During the OJ Simpson murder trial] the media gave their defense team the nickname "The "Dream Team" because the team consisted of prominent lawyers such as F. Lee Bailey, Robert Shapiro, Robert Kardashian and Alan Dershowitz., all led by Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.
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Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 87-89. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.
Known in Los Angeles as a brilliant trial attorney at the start of the 1990s, Cochran reportedly received only $100,000 of the multi-million dollar fee paid by O.J. Simpson to attorney Robert Shapiro. Shapiro acted as a broker for the defense, assembling the defense team and bringing in Cochran, F. Lee Bailey and Barry Scheck, all of whom helped save Simpson from what seemed, at first, to be a sure conviction for murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. Though his fee was relatively small, the publicity generated by the trial was enormous, and before the trial ended with an acquittal, Cochran was world famous.
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He was the basis for Jackie Chiles, the flashy lawyer played by Phil Morris on the TV series Seinfeld (1990). Even the initials are the same.
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His catchphrase in the Simpson trial, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," became famous over the years. It derived from a dramatic moment during which Simpson tried on a pair of bloodstained "murder gloves" to show jurors they did not fit.
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Was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
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Graduated from UCLA; law degree from Loyola Marymount University.