Top 5 Famous Defense Attorneys in History

Famous Defense Attorneys in History

History has been regarded as the greatest asset in every field. Especially when we are finding the pillars and leading legends in that field. So, defense law also has its memories filled by the most famous defense attorneys in the history.
Those attorneys made us remember them whenever a person was wrongly charged with criminal activity.

To know the legends of defense law, here we are nominating the famous defense attorneys in the history below, which will give you their personal lives, net worth, notable cases, and their contribution to high-profile defense cases.

List of Top 5 Famous Defense Attorneys In History

• Clarence Darrow
• Johnnie Cochran
• F. Lee Bailey
• Gerry Spence
• William Moses Kunstler

1. Clarence Darrow:

Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer, born on April 18, 1857, in Ohio, who played the role of defense attorney in the ”Compulsion” film in 1959. Clarence was also a member of the American Civil Liberties Association and a nominated lawyer for Georgist economic reform. Darrow was also a well-known public speaker, miscellaneous writer, and debater.

Early Life/Education:

Clarence was the fifth son of Amarius and grew up in Kinsman, Ohio. Darrow did not graduate from either institution. But he starts his higher education at Allegheny College and form the University of Michigan Law School.

Family:

Marriage: Darrow married Jessie Ohio in April 1880.
Child: Darrow has one child named Paul Edward Darrow in 1833
Divorce: Darrow divorced in 1897.
Next Marriage: Darrow next married Ruby Hammerstrom in 1903, who was a journalist and 16 years younger form Darrow

Clarence Darrow Net Worth In 2024:

$8 million has been nominated as the net worth of Clarence Darrow in 2024.

Legal Career:

Darrow officially starts his legal career with his office in Ohio with no experience.
He polished and enhanced his capabilities as a criminal defense prosecutor in a farming community where he gradually made himself strong, and in just 2 years he moved to Ashtabula, which was the largest city in Ohio, where he proved himself the best lawyer of criminal defense. His expertise proved that he has an undefeated legal accent

First High-Profile Murder Case:

Darrow has been counted among the notable lawyers of history. Darrow dealt with the first murder case of Chicago’s mayor, Carter Harrison, in 1894. Obviously, it was also the first high-profile suite of Darrow in which he failed to prove the innocence of the defendant, ”Patrick Eugene Prendergast”, on the basis of the mental disorder of Patrick
First Failur: Patrick’s case was the first and last failure of Darrow in criminal defense cases in which the defendant resulted in an execution.

2. Johnnie Cochran:

Johnnie Cochran was an American defense attorney, born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. Johnnie Cochran was well known for her contribution to the murder case of the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman as a criminal defense lawyer. Johnnie has its own significance in the famous defense attorneys in history.

Early Life/Education:

During the second wave of the Great Migration, Cochan’s family relocated to the West Coast in 1949. Cochan starts his education at the local schools, but he prefers Los Angeles High School for his graduation and completes his degree in 1955.

In later years, he earned many degrees, like bachelors and business economics, from the University of California in 1959. In 1962, he got his first degree in law, a Juris Doctor, from the Loyal Law School

Family:

Parents : Jonnie L. Cochran, Sr. / Hattie Bass Cochran

Marriage: Cochran got married to his first wife, Sylvia Dale, in 1960
Later, he divorced her in 1977.
After eight years, he got married with Sylvia Dale in 1985

Child: Cochan had three children.

1.Tiffany Cochran
2.Melodie Cochran

3. Jonathan Cochran

Johnnie Cochran Net Worth 2024:

According to the latest report of Forbes and Business Insider, Johnnie Cochran’s net worth will reach $8 Million in 2024

Legal Career:

Cochran was inspired by the popular lawyer of America, Thurgod Marshall, who served on the Supreme Court of the United States as an assistant justice from 1967 to 1991 and was the first African-American justice. Cochan felt that he had to start his career as a defense attorney.

In 1964, Cochran was positioned as deputy city attorney in Los Angeles. After losing the case of Leonard Deadwyler, who was killed by a LAPD officer, he noticed that this incident awakened the black community.

Cochran had made his position in the black community People start knowing him as the best defense attorney of all time when he start a number of cases against the brutality of police

Know About: Net Worth Of Richest Lawyer Of America

Best Defense Attorney of American Musicians In History:

Cochran was the most famous defense attorney in history due to his high-profile cases. Cochran was famous as the legal representative of great musicians of America and other famous celebrities, and these are

1. Tupac Shakur
2. Micheal Jackson
3. Shoop Dogg
4. Sean Combs
5. Stanley Tookie Williams
6. Todd Brides
7. Jim Brown
8. Geronimo Pratt
9. Marison Jones
Due to his great contributions, he deserved to be awarded the title of Best Defense Attorney In The History.

3. F. Lee Bailey:

Francis Lee Bailey Jr. was also an American criminal defense attorney, born on June 10, 1933, in Waltham, USA. He earned the nickname of ”The Flying Mouth”
He served most of his defense services in Florida, as he was first licensed in Florida, but after the involvement of defending the marijuana dealer, his license was cancelled due to misconduct. F. Lee Bailey got nationwide attention as the best criminal lawyer in the world in the case of Sam Sheppard. He was also famous for being an actor in the 1981 film Spider-Man.

Early Life/Education:

Bailey started her education at the Cardigan Mountain School and graduated from the Kimball Union Academy in 1950. Bailey joined Harvard College in 1952; later, he left and join the United States Navy, where he became a commissioned officer in 1954 and served as a jet fighter pilot

In 1957, he joined Boston University School of Law to become a legal prosecutor for criminals, which means he wanted to become a criminal defense attorney. While graduating from Boston University, he got the highest grade point. Bailey completed his graduation with an LL.B. in 1960. As he was desperate to become the best lawyer in the world, he got the first rank in the class.

Family:

Parents: Grace Mitchell, a nursery school director
Francis Lee Bailey Sr., an advertising salesman

Marriage: Bailey married four times

First Marriage: Got married with Florence Gott. Divorce in 1961
Second Marriage: Got married to Froma Portley. Divorce in 1972
Third Marriage: Got married to Lynda Hart in 1972. Divorce in 1980
Fourth Marriage: Got married to Patricia Shiers in 1985, until her death in 1999.

Childs:
Bendrix L.Bailey
Scott F. Bailey
Brain Bailey

F. Lee Bailey Net Worth In 2024:

According to the latest update of 2024, F. Lee Bailey’s net worth reaches approximately $5 million.

Legal Career:

After completing his law studies, he starts his legal career with many high-profile cases. While gaining success in these lawsuits, Bailey became known as the best among the most famous criminal defense lawyers. These notable cases are:

1. Sam Shappard Case:

In 1945, Sam was found guilty of the murder of his wife. In 1966, Bailey succeeded in completing his argument before the Supreme Court of the US. This case has made him one of the most famous defense attorneys in history.

2. Boston Strangler Case:

Another criminal defense case in which Albert DeSalvo was stucked with a series of sexual assaults on 13 women and Bailey was his criminal attorney Later, he confessed the charge to him. But he was never hanged in execution.

3. Carl A. Coppolino:

Carl A. Coppolino has been charged in the 1963 murder of his neighbor, William Farber, who was a retired soldier in the Army. He was also accused of the murder of his wife, Carmela Coppolino. Bailey succeeded in defending him because of the limitations of forensic. But later, he was stuck in Florida in charge of his wife’s murder and sentenced to death.
F. Lee Bailey has been counted in the most important and historical lawyers of the 19th century.

Related Article: Top 12 Best Lawyers in the World 2024

4. Gerry Spence:

Gerry Spence was a semi-retired American trial and defense lawyer, born on January 8, 1929, in Laramie. Gerry has a very distinct record in his legal journey that he has never lost in any lawsuit as a trial lawyer, criminal lawyer, defense lawyer, or even as a civil case lawyer since 1969.

This record differs Gerry apart from the other notable lawyers in the list of famous defense attorneys in history. As a member of Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, Spence Gerry has won many high-profile cases, which we discuss below

Early Life / Education:

Basically, Gerry grew up in a middle-class family in the small town of Laramie. His childhood was challenging, and he faced many economic difficulties. Despite these hurdles, Gerry developed his strong determination to become the best lawyer in the world in every aspect of the legal field, which he proved in later years.

Graduation: Spence graduated in 1949 from the University of Wyoming and got his first degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1952. In 1990, Spence was awarded an honorary Doctor Of Laws degree

Gerry Spence Family:

Parents: Darrell Spence and Genevieve Spence
Wife: Imogene Spence
Childs: Gerry Spence had three children: Lisa Spence, Kent Spence, and Wes Spence.

Gerry Spence Net Worth 2024:

According to the latest reports, Gerry Spence’s net worth reaches to $20 Million in 2024, which is obviously the results of many high-profile criminal cases

Legal Career:

Spence started his legal journey in Riverton, Wyoming, and later became the most important lawyer in the insurance industry. Gerry started his legal career at his college. Spence served as a prosecuting attorney for Fremont County, Wyoming, from 1954 to 1962.

Most Famous Criminal Defense Attorney:

As Spence Gerry is one of the best best high profile criminal defense attorney, he solved numerous cases in his legal career; some of them are given below

1. Karen Silkwood Case:
Karen Silkwood was a whistleblower and a chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonimum production plant. On November 13, 1974, Silkwood died in a one-car accident under some weired signs. Spence was hired by the father of Silkwood.

After gathering all the evidence, the company was accused due to the high radiation levels found in the Silkwood body. The company was charged $10.5 million for the family of Silkwood.
The Silkwood case gained international fame and was published in many news papers, magazines, books, and films.

2. McDonald’s Case:

McDonald’s case is another famous law case in which McDonald’s was charged with $50 million by a small, family-owned ice cream company.

3. Mock Trial: United States v. Oswald

In 1986, Spence was the criminal defense attorney for Oswald, who was the descesed assassin of the United State’s President John F. Kennedy, against the famous prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi. The mock trial was sponsored by London Weekend Television and was almost 21 hours long and unscripted.

5. William Moses Kunstler:

William Kunstler was the best American lawyer, born in New York on July 7, 1919. He is known for being the counted in the famous defense attorneys in the history due to defending the Chicago Seven. Kunstler was the co-founder of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and an active member of the National Lawyers Guild. As a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), he often takes an interest in law communities.

Early Life / Education:

William Kunstler was raised in a Jewish family and started his higher education at DeWitt Clinton High School. Further, he graduated from the Yale University of New Haven in 1941. After his graduation from Yale, he passed from Columbia Law School in 1948, which was the first initiative of Kunstler in his career of becoming a defense attorney.

Kunstler has a poetic accent in his writing, which he showed in the Glascock Prize competition at Mount Holyoke College. Kunstler also served in the US Army in the Wrold War and was ranked a major due to his honorable services.

Family :

Parents:
Frances Mandelbaum / Monroe Bradford Kunstler
Wife:
Margaret Ratner Kunstler / Lotte Kunstler
Childs:
Kunstler has four children, including Emily.

William Kunstler Net Worth In 2024:

According to the latest established reports, William Kunstler’s net worth is approaching $5 million in 2024. At the time of his death (1995), William held $2 million. He earns $500,000 a year from his law practice.

Legal Career:

William Kunstler started his legal career after being discharged from the US Army by joining a law school. In 1948, he began his law practice at the New York bar. Later in 1940, he started practicing as a family lawyer. In 1960, Kunstle began his practice as a civil rights lawyer. From 1950 to 1951, William Kunstler worked as an associate professor of law in New York.

The Notable Case Of Chicago Seven (1969–1972):

The Chicago Seven case was a high-profile case in the legal career of Kunstler, in which he was the criminal defense lawyer of Chicago Seven. This high-profile case made Kunstler to counted in the famous defence attorney in the history

The Chicago Seven trial case was a five-month trial in 1969–1970. It was charged with conspiring to incite in Chicago in 1968 during the Democratic National Convention. Under the proceutation, Kunstler noticed a clue, which was actually the contradictory statement of a cop (Jerry Rubin) with his previous witness.

That’s the turning point of the trial; after that, Kunstler found out how to win the criminal court case. Wiliam Kunstler easily solves all the opposition from the opposing defendant, who was the best federal criminal defense attorney (Thomas Foran).
Kunstler became a nationally famous lawyer after winning this case. Kunstler won many notable lawsuits. William Kunstler died at New York in 1995 due to heart failer. Kunstler proved himself as the answer of the question in his career that, who is the best attorney in the world.

FAQS:

Who is the best criminal defense attorney in history ?

Johnnie Cochran is considered one of the best criminal defense lawyer in the history du to his success in many high profile cases.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DEFENSE LAWYER AND CRIMINAL LAWYER?

A criminal lawyers is a sub-category of defense lawyers which only protects the concerns of criminal charges of his defendant. While a defense lawyer defend his defendant on every aspect of law, and saves him to be charged any prosecution

What lawyer won the most cases?

Gerry Spence is nominated mostly in term of success rate in law suites, due to his high success ration Gerry Spence net worth reached at $20 Million in 2024

Who is the greatest attorney of all time?

It’s difficult to specify a single lawyer, but Abraham Lincoln is considered the greatest lawyer / attorney of time

Who is the most famous celebrity lawyer?

Mark Geragos deal many cases of celebrities like Micheal Jackson, due to this he was nominated as the most famous celebrity lawyer in history

Who is the best trial lawyer in history?

In the category of best trial lawyers in history, Clarence Darrow dominates other

Who is the most famous prosecutor?

Prosecutors are the other type in legal industry which make him one step higher on lawyers, Summer Stephan is the most famous prosecutor of America

Who is the most powerful criminal justice official?

Prosecutors are the most powerful and authority acquired personality in legal field.

 

 

Reference From: Wikipedia-Criminal Defense attorne