Johnnie Cochran: His Life, His Legacy, His Death

Johnnie Cochran: His Life, His Legacy, His Death

Johnnie Cochran to everyone was known as the lawyer for representing the “No J’s”. He was a good Christian lawyer. He was a loving, heartful human being (CNN.com, Simpson on the death of a friend). He was dignified in his line of work, took precaution in solving his cases with slick phrases that caught the jury to see the truth. Through his many years of public and private practice Johnnie Cochran used his humble beginnings to see himself through

life. Johnnie Cochran’s life will not be seen as a somber event but rather as a joyous life well spent helping people less fortunate to help themselves. Ebony magazine once described Cochran as “a litigator who’d taken the cases people said he couldn’t do.”(bookrags.com).

Part One: His Life

Johnnie Cochran Jr. was born on October 2, 1937. He was the eldest child of four children. Cochran was born at Charity Hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana. His parents were Johnnie L. Cochran Sr. and Hattie Bass Cochran. Johnnie Cochran left Louisiana in his early years to move with his family to Los Angeles, California where he spent the rest of his child and most of his adult life.

After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Cochran earned a law degree from Loyola Marymount University in 1962. Mr. Cochran was fast to pass the California Bar in 1963, just four years after getting his Bachelors in Business Administration. Soon after passing the California Bar, he took a job as a deputy city attorney in the criminal division of Los Angeles. Two years into public work, Johnnie Cochran entered into private practice and soon opened his own firm called Cochran, Atkins & Evans. By the late 1970’s, Johnnie had made his name in the black community. In 1978, he joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. He did not stay too long at the district attorney’s office and after five years, he returned to private practice. In private practice he was best known to the public as a criminal defense lawyer.

Part Two: His Legacy

In 1995, Mr. Cochran was famous for the acquittal of O.J. Simpson (MiamiHerald.com, editorial.). Johnnie joined the infamous “Dream Team” in 1994 and by late 95’ won the case with the now famous phrase, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”(CNN.com). Through the years following the O.J. case, Johnnie Cochran represented many celebrities including Michael Jackson in his much publicized 1993 child molestation case whereby they settled out of court with a reported 1.5 million dollars. He also represented Sean “P. Diddy”