Johnnie L. Cochran

Cochran, Cherry, Givens, Smith & Ferrer

Specialty: Criminal defense

Law School: Loyola, 1962

If Johnnie Cochran didn’t exist, Hollywood would have invented him. Flamboyant, nattily attired and silky in his delivery, Cochran knows how to play a jury like a master violinist whether it’s the so-called Trial of the Century for O.J. Simpson or other, less publicized cases.

“He has a great ability to communicate to jurors,” said Jack Goertzen, a former associate justice of the California Court of Appeals. “He has a nice easy way of speaking to a jury as if he was talking to them individually, and he is a gentleman.”

Gloria Allred, who has opposed Cochran on several occasions, said much of his success comes from his commitment to his clients and not just signing on as a hired gun.

“He knows how to think on his feet,” she said. “He has good instincts and a sense of humor and he is experienced.”

Cochran attributes his success to three things: “Preparation, preparation and preparation,” he says. “I try never to be out-prepared. I still work hard, and I always vowed that I would give it my all.”

Although he maintains an office in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, fame has made Cochran bi-coastal. He now splits much of his time between Los Angeles and New York, where he hosts “Cochran & Co.” for the Court TV cable network. His firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio.

Cochran admits that having a high-profile case like a current one representing pop singer Michael Jackson in a libel lawsuit against the TV show “Hard Copy” is taxing and, at times, all-consuming.

“One of the hard parts of these cases is remaining focused,” he said. “You are always being second guessed. You have to look at every one of these cases as if you were alone.”

Once in court, Cochran has a few sartorial tricks he likes to play that add to a sense of drama. “I love my ties,” he says. “You need to dress well to make yourself presentable and confident to a jury.”

Frank Swertlow