All about Johnny Cochran

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.(October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer perhaps best known for his leadership in the legal defense of O. J. Simpson, who was charged with the murder of his former wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.Cochran also represented Sean Combs (during his trial on gun and bribery charges), Michael Jackson, actor Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown, rappers Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, and Reginald Oliver Denny, the trucker beaten by a mob during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He also defended 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 alleged police abuse.

Cochran completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA and earned his law degree at Loyola Marymount University School of Law (now Loyola Law School) in Los Angeles. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.

Inspired by Thurgood Marshall and the legal victory he won in Brown v. Board of Education, Johnnie Cochran decided to dedicate his life to practicing law. Cochran felt his career was a calling, a double opportunity to work for what he considered to be right and to challenge what he considered wrong; he could make a difference by practicing law. In A Lawyer’s Life, Cochran wrote:

“I read everything that I could find about Thurgood Marshall and confirmed that a single dedicated man could use the law to change society.”

Cochran had achieved a reputation as the “go-to” lawyer for the rich and famous, as well as the poor. It was the controversial and dramatic trial of O.J. Simpson, nevertheless, that made Cochran widely known, with opinions of him ranging widely.

Cochran often liked to say that he worked “not only for the OJs, but also the No Js”. In other words, he enjoyed defending or suing in the name of those who did not have much in terms of fame or wealth. The most glorious moment as a lawyer, in Cochran’s opinion, was when he won the freedom of Geronimo Pratt. Cochran considered the release “the happiest day” of his legal practice.

When Cochran died in 2005, family and friends proclaimed they “were most proud of the work he did on behalf of those in the community” rather than those with wealth and might. In the words of Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree, Cochran “was willing to fight for the underdog.” Reverend Jesse Jackson believed Cochran was the “people’s lawyer.” Magic Johnson proclaimed Cochran was known “…for representing O.J. [Simpson] and Michael [Jackson], but he was bigger and better than that.” Cochran would have been pleased to know that he was even described as the Thurgood Marshall of his era.

Johnnie Cochran died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 29, 2005 from a brain tumor. In April 2004, Cochran underwent surgery, which led to him staying away from the media. Shortly thereafter, he told the New York Post he was feeling well, and that he was in good health.