Jan 21, 2016 · Education and Early Career. Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. was born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Hattie and Johnnie L. Cochran Sr. The family moved to California in 1943, where the ...
Answer (1 of 3): Inspired by Thurgood Marshall and the legal victory Thurgood won in Brown v. Board of Education, Cochran decided to dedicate his life to practicing law. Cochran felt his career was a calling, a double opportunity to work for what …
Feb 26, 2013 · Johnnie Cochran will always be best remembered as the criminal attorney who defended O.J. Simpson in the most publicly presented murder case in the history of the world. Back when Simpson was on trial for the deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, televised trials were a relatively new type of programming.
Apr 13, 2021 · According to The Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame, Johnnie Cochran became the first African American assistant district attorney in Los Angeles when he was hired to the position in 1978. He said that joining the government was the best way to become one of the "good guys" that can fight for justice within the justice system.
Johnnie Cochran established himself as a sought after attorney dealing with high-profile police brutality cases involving the African American community . He attracted famous clients like Michael Jackson and led O. J. Simpson 's defense team in the 1995 murder trial.
The “trial of the century,” as it was dubbed, began in January 1995 and was among the most publicized in history, followed by millions around the world. Cochran, displaying his trademark style, came to lead the team, with some conflict rising among the attorneys amidst sensational proceedings.
In 1966, a Black motorist named Leonard Deadwyler, while attempting to get his pregnant wife to a hospital, was killed by police officer Jerold Bova. Cochran filed a civil suit on behalf of Deadwyler's family; though he lost, the attorney was nonetheless inspired to take on police abuse cases over the ensuing years.
With an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Los Angeles, Johnnie attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles where he received his Juris Doctor.
It was here that Johnnie Cochran started his life-long friendship with Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt. Two years later, in December of 1971, Johnnie Cochran rose to make his closing arguments in defense of Willie Stafford and the other Panther’s on trial with him. Eleven days later the jury reached its verdict.
Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. was born on October 2, 1937 in Shreveport, Louisiana. His great-grandparents were slaves, and his grandfather was a sharecropper. His father, Johnnie Cochran, Sr., and mother, Hattie B. Cochran, instilled in Johnnie a work ethic that would take him from the Jim Crow Era South to the upper echelon of the American Legal System. Young Johnnie grew up with two sisters, Pearl and Martha Jean, and the siblings grew up in a time when Louisiana was still dealing with effects of The Great Depression and with Jim Crow laws still deeply entrenched. Despite the times, Johnnies time in Shreveport was a happy time and the memories that always stayed with him were made on Sundays with his family and his church.#N#In the fall of 1943 Johnnie’s father set out to California and quickly found work as a pipe fitter with Bethlehem Steel in the Alameda Naval Shipyards. Just as the young Johnnie Cochran was turning six he and his family boarded the Southern Pacific and headed to California as part of the second wave of the Great Migration, where 6 million African Americans moved to the Northeast, Midwest and West. Initially they lived with Aunt Lucinda, but soon found their own place near the shipyard. It was the family’s first experience with an integrated neighborhood where working class people of all races and religions lived side by side.
One night, in May of 1966, Leonard Deadwyler, his pregnant wife Barbara, and a friend were on their way to purchase baby clothes.
He was running late and decided to take a shortcut through the city of Signal Hill, a city that was notorious for corruption and famously avoided people of color, especially at night. Settles was pulled over by Signal Hill police officer Jerry Lee Brown. The next morning, he was “found” dead in his cell.
The preacher was Reverend Charles Hampton and the verse was John 3:16. At the end of the sermon Johnnie made an agreement with the Lord that he would never regret.
The man who ensured that this happened and inspired 16-year-old Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. in a way that would change his life forever was Thurgood Marshall. Mr. Cochran immediately began reading anything and everything he could about Thurgood Marshall. To Johnnie, Marshall was living proof that a single dedicated man could use the law to bring about change in society and that is exactly what he set out to do. Despite his mother’s insistence in Johnnie pursuing a career as a doctor, both parents fully supported his decision and after graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles he was enrolled in law school at Loyola Law School.#N#Johnnie L. Cochran graduated from U.C.L.A. in 1959 and made the decision to attend Loyola Law School. On top of the grueling regimen at Loyola, Johnnie worked, was married in his first year, and had his first child during his third year. He had also found a job in his chosen profession and became the first African American law clerk in the office of the Los Angeles city attorney. The city attorney and his deputies represent the city government and its agencies in all legal matters. When his superiors noticed Johnnie’s fascination with trial work, they assigned him to represent the city in small claims court. On June 1, 1962 Johnnie graduated from Law school and began preparing to take the California bar exam. He took the bar and returned to work at the city attorney’s office to start the month long wait to hear if he had passed. On Monday, December 17th Johnnie was awoken at 2:30 a.m. by a friend who had call with the news that he (the friend) had passed. Johnnie didn’t get back to sleep that night and at 8:30 a.m. he and a colleague called the clerk at the state supreme court to get their results. Not only had Johnnie passed, but two of his closest friends from law school passed as well.#N#A few weeks later Johnnie knotted his tie and returned to work, not as a clerk but as a freshly minted deputy attorney. On January 10, 1963 Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. went to work as an attorney for the first time.
Johnnie Cochran was a very flamboyant performer in the court room. He was a dramatic actor, a preacher and a master communicator. The secret to his success was being able to capture the attention of the jury and convince them of his client’s innocence. When Cochran uttered his most famous line after O.J.
Peter Wendt is a lawyer turned freelance journalist living and working in Austin, TX. While he is an admirer of Johnnie Cochran’s work, Peter knows that there are tons of other amazing lawyers out there, such as these Philadelphia Defense Attorneys. Bio. Twitter.
He would continue his education at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he would receive his Juris Doctor in 1963.
Despite his work within the Black community and with people without the strongest financial means, Johnnie Cochran was still connected to Hollywood. Cochran's history of representing Black celebrities was well-known even before hitching his wagon to O.J. Simpson. In fact, Simpson was not even the most well-known celebrity Cochran represented in 1994. According to Bustle, that same year, Cochran had represented Michael Jackson in his child molestation trial, which ended in a settlement and no admission of guilt.
Johnnie Cochran's early life. Long before the "Trial of the Century" and parodies on network television, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 2, 1937, to Johnnie L. Cochran Sr. and his wife Hattie.
Simpson trial would be the highlight of Johnnie Cochran's career: He'd successfully acquitted one of his most well-known clients and put the entire Los Angeles Police Department on trial for their history of brutality and racial abuse. However, according to The Washington Post, overturning the conviction of Geronimo Pratt is what Cochran said was "the happiest day" of his legal practice.
This in part came from some disturbing accusations leveled against him by his first wife and an affair during their marriage.
The vast majority of lawyers and attorneys in the United States barely register as blips on the radar of popular culture. In the best-case scenario, they might find themselves in the newspaper or being interviewed on television if a case they're a part of makes national or local news headlines. However, their star typically flames out once the case ends.
According to The Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame, Johnnie Cochran became the first African American assistant district attorney in Los Angeles when he was hired to the position in 1978. He said that joining the government was the best way to become one of the "good guys" that can fight for justice within the justice system.
The Cochran Firm is one of the nation’s largest personal injury, truck accident, and medical malpractice national law firms with some of the most aggressive and accomplished trial attorneys.
With 11 unprecedented verdicts in excess of $100 million each and 35 in excess of $10 million, the partners practicing in The Cochran Firm have secured over $30 billion in verdicts, settlements, and judgments for our clients.
Contact us today to speak with a Cochran Firm intake specialist or attorney. Our team will discuss your legal matter with the confidentiality, understanding and respect you deserve.
Founded over 50 years ago, The Cochran Firm is one of the nation's premier personal injury, truck accident, and medical malpractice law firms. The Cochran Firm is a national firm with regional offices throughout the United States.
It was the dream of our founding partner Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. to build a law firm with offices across the country that was made up of men and women from all races, religions and creeds to show the world how well we could all work together.
The Cochran Firm is absolutely hands down the best law firm I have ever dealt with. They were professional, understanding and cared about me as a client. I could call my attorney anytime and they were there to assist me.
Community outreach is very important to The Cochran Firm, and our partners across the country are dedicated to continuing our commitment to the people in our neighborhoods.