O.J. Simpson's lawyers 30 years later: Where are all the key players now?
It has been 30 years since O.J. Simpson stood trial for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The case had a team of high-profile lawyers on both sides that drew global attention. Some of O.J. Simpson’s lawyers remain active in the legal field, while others have transitioned to different careers, and some have since passed away.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- The O.J. Simpson lawyers' list included high-profile lawyers like Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz.
- Johnnie Cochran died in 2005 but is remembered for his powerful courtroom presence.
- Robert Kardashian transitioned out of the legal field and passed away in 2003.
- F. Lee Bailey was disbarred and died in 2021.
Where are O.J. Simpson's lawyers now?
The defence team for O.J. Simpson, nicknamed the "Dream Team," represented famous athlete O.J. Simpson in his 1995 trial for the alleged murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. The team included several high-profile lawyers, such as Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz. Below are more details about them:
1. Johnnie Cochran
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- Full name: Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr. was
- Date of birth: 2 October 1937
- Date of death: 29 March 2005
- Age at the time of death: 67
- Place of birth: Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Johnnie Cochran was an American attorney who was involved in various civil rights and police brutality cases throughout his career. Johnnie gained prominence for leading the so-called Dream Team during the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.
Cochran joined the Simpson defence team and later took over as its chair during the trial. Beyond the Simpson case, Cochran represented high-profile clients like Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, and Snoop Dogg. He succumbed to a brain tumour on 29 March 2005, at the age of 67, in his home in Los Angeles.
2. Robert Shapiro
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- Full name: Robert Leslie Shapiro
- Date of birth: 2 September 1942
- Age: 82 years old (as of April 2025)
- Place of birth: Plainfield, New Jersey, United States
Robert Shapiro is an American attorney and entrepreneur. He is best recognised for being the short-term defence lawyer of Erik Menendez in 1990 and a member of the Dream Team of O.J. Simpson's attorneys.
Robert Shapiro joined Simpson's defence team one week after the murder, when Howard Weitzman withdrew from the case. Following the trial, Shapiro shifted his legal focus from criminal defence to civil litigation. He co-founded ShoeDazzle, LegalZoom, and DreamTeam. Legal and has been involved in various business ventures.
3. Robert Kardashian
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- Full name: Robert George Kardashian
- Date of birth: 22 February 1944
- Date of death: 30 September 2003
- Age at the time of death: 59
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Robert Kardashian was an American attorney and businessman. He reactivated his law licence to assist in Simpson's defence, becoming a key member of the Dream Team. Kardashian passed away from oesophageal cancer on 30 September 2003 at the age of 59.
The American attorney had four children with his first wife, Kris Kardashian: Kourtney Kardashian, Kim, Khloé, and Rob, who appear on their family reality TV series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spinoffs.
4. F. Lee Bailey
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- Full name: Francis Lee Bailey Jr.
- Date of birth: 10 June 1933
- Date of death: 3 June 2021
- Age at the time of death: 87
- Place of birth: Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
F. Lee was an American criminal defence attorney, widely considered one of the greatest lawyers of the 20th century. He was involved in numerous high-profile cases, including defending O.J. Simpson during the 1995 murder trial.
F. Lee first came into the spotlight for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering his wife. He defended Albert De Salvo and worked on an unsuccessful defence of Patricia Hearst. Lee passed away on 3 June 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia, at 87.
5. Alan Dershowitz
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- Full name: Alan Morton Dershowitz
- Date of birth: 1 September 1938
- Age: 86 years old (as of April 2025)
- Place of birth: Williamsburg, New York, United States
Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer, law professor, regular media contributor, political commentator, and legal analyst. He taught at Harvard Law School from 1964 to 2013. Dershowitz served as the appellate adviser on the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.
Throughout his career, Alan has been involved in numerous significant legal cases. He won a reversal of Claus Von Bulow's conviction and has led the appeals of Leona Helmsley, Mike Tyson, and evangelist Jim Bakker. Dershowitz has also authored numerous books, such as Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bulow Case (1985) and The Case Against Impeaching Trump (2018).
6. Marcia Clark
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- Full name: Marcia Rachel Clark
- Date of birth: 31 August 1953
- Age: 71 years old (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Alameda, California, United States
Marcia Clark is an American prosecutor, author, television correspondent, and television producer. She was the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case. Marcia has prosecuted other high-profile cases, including the Robert John Bardo trial for the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
After the Simpson trial, Clark resigned from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and transitioned into writing and media. She co-authored the book Without a Doubt, detailing her trial experience.
7. Christopher Darden
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- Full name: Christopher Allen Darden
- Date of birth: 7 April 1956
- Age: 69 years old (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Martinez, California, United States
Christopher Darden is an American lawyer, author, and lecturer. He was a co-prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Before that, he worked for 15 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, handling cases related to illicit substances, gangs, and public corruption.
After the Simpson trial, Darden left the DA's office and entered private practice, writing, and teaching. He has also authored books and worked as a legal analyst on television.
8. Gil Garcetti
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- Full name: Gilbert Salvador Iberri Garcetti
- Date of birth: 5 August 1941
- Age: 83 years old (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Gil Garcetti is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 40th District Attorney of Los Angeles County from 1992 to 2000. He represented high-profile cases, including the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
Gil has also been involved in photography and television production and has worked as a producer on shows like Major Crimes and The D.A. He is the father of Eric Garcetti, the former Mayor of Los Angeles and U.S. Ambassador to India. Gil is a graduate of the University of Southern California and has a law degree from the UCLA School of Law.
9. Hank Goldberg
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Hank Goldberg was a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County and played a key role in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. He was responsible for presenting much of the forensic and scientific evidence, which was central to the prosecution's case.
Beyond his work as a prosecutor, Goldberg later became a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court, serving from 2002 until his retirement in 2018. He prosecuted about 30 felony trials, including eight murder trials. He was known for his expertise in family law and received multiple awards for his judicial service.
10. William Hodgman
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- Full name: William Hodgman
- Date of birth: 14 December 1952
- Age: 72 years old (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: La Habra, California, United States
William Hodgman is an American lawyer and prosecutor, best known for his role in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. He was originally assigned as a co-prosecutor alongside Marcia Clark, but he had to step back from a prominent courtroom role due to health issues during the trial.
Hodgman served as the Assistant District Attorney for line operations in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, where he worked on high-profile cases. He was involved in high-profile prosecutions, including the Charles Keating fraud case and investigations into Michael Jackson. Hodgman retired in 2019.
11. Gerald Uelmen
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- Full name: Gerald F. Uelmen
- Date of birth: 8 October 1940
- Age: 84 years old (as of April 2025)
- Place of birth: Greendale, Wisconsin, United States
As one of O.J. Simpson's defence team, Gerald reportedly came up with the memorable phrase used by Johnnie Cochran: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit". Throughout his successful career in criminal law, Gerald has represented numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court.
He was involved in the defence of Daniel Ellsberg during the Pentagon Papers trial and worked on wrongful conviction reforms in California. Uelmen also served as Dean of Santa Clara University School of Law from 1986 to 1994. He currently serves as the Director of the Edwin A. Heafy Jr. Centre for Trial and Appellate Advocacy at Santa Clara University School of Law.
12. Barry Scheck
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- Full name: Barry Charles Scheck
- Date of birth: 19 September 1949
- Age: 75 years old (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: Queens, New York, United States
Like other O.J. Simpson lawyers, Barry Scheck gained widespread recognition while serving on O.J. Simpson's defence team. He is currently the director of the Innocence Project and a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Scheck has been involved in several high-profile cases, including the Louise Woodward trial and the Duke lacrosse case. He has also served as president of the National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers.
13. Peter Neufeld
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- Full name: Peter J. Neufeld
- Date of birth: 17 July 1950
- Age: 74 years old (as of April 2025)
- Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Peter Neufeld is an American attorney best known for co-founding the Innocence Project alongside Barry Scheck. His legal career began at the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, New York City, where he served as a staff attorney from 1976 to 1985.
Neufeld taught trial advocacy at Fordham School of Law from 1988 to 1991. He currently teaches Cardozo law students in the Innocence Project clinic. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice appointed him to the National Commission on Forensic Science.
14. Carl Douglas
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- Full name: Carl Edwin Douglas
- Date of birth: 8 May 1955
- Age: 69 years old (as of April 2025)
- Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Carl Edwin Douglas was also one of the defence attorneys in the O. J. Simpson murder trial. He has had a distinguished career in civil rights litigation and personal injury law. Carl was the managing attorney at Cochran’s firm until 1998, after which he founded Douglas/Hicks Law.
He has won record-breaking verdicts, including a $4.9 billion judgment against General Motors in a product liability case. Douglas has also represented celebrities like Michael Jackson, Jamie Foxx, and Queen Latifah in various legal matters.
15. Lisa Kahn
- Full name: Lisa Kahn
- Date of birth: 28 December 1957
- Age: 68 years old (as of 2025)
- Place of birth: United States
Lisa Kahn is also among the O.J. Simpson lawyers. She worked as the DNA coordinator for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, played a key role in California's first DNA evidentiary jury trial, and has been involved in organised crime investigations.
Lisa earned her law degree from Southwestern University School of Law and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California.
16. Cheri Lewis
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- Full name: Cheri Ann Lewis
- Date of birth: 8 August 1952
- Age: 72 years old (as of 2025
- Place of birth: United States
Cheri A. Lewis helped in the research and preparation of prosecution motions and pleadings in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. She obtained a law degree from the University of La Verne College of Law and an undergraduate degree from California State University at Northridge. According to the State Bar of California, her license status has been inactive since 28 March 2015.
Who were the lawyers for O.J. Simpson?
O.J. Simpson’s defence team, famously known as the “Dream Team,” included Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, Barry Scheck, Robert Kardashian, and Gerald Uelmen.
What was Nicole Brown Simpson's cause of death?
Nicole Brown Simpson was found dead outside her Los Angeles home on 12 June 1994, alongside her friend Ronald Goldman.
Who was the woman lawyer in O.J. case?
The most prominent woman lawyer in the O.J. Simpson trial was Marcia Clark. She was the lead prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and played a central role in presenting the case against Simpson.
Where is Mark Fuhrman today?
As of 2025, Fuhrman resides in the United States and has transitioned to a career as a true crime author and media commentator.
Where is O.J. Simpson now?
O.J. Simpson passed away on 10 April 2024, at the age of 76, after battling metastatic prostate cancer.
Where is O.J. Simpson's lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, now?
Johnnie Cochran passed away on 29 March 2005, at the age of 67, due to complications from a brain tumour.
Thirty years after the O.J. Simpson trial, many of the key lawyers have taken different paths. Some became TV personalities, others stayed in law or retired, and a few have passed away. The trial changed their lives in big ways, and people still remember them because of how important and famous the case was.
Legit.ng also published a compelling article on some of the most famous lawyers known for defending high-profile clients. These legal minds have made headlines for their courtroom skills and involvement in widely publicised cases.
From celebrity trials to landmark legal battles, their careers offer a glimpse into the world of elite defence attorneys. Dive into the article to discover their backgrounds, notable cases, and how they built their reputations.
Source: Legit.ng
