Larry Feldman

Fogel Feldman Ostrov Ringler & Klevens

Specialty: Business litigation

Law School: Loyola, 1969

You know a lawyer is well regarded when other lawyers pick him to defend them in court.

When Johnnie Cochran was involved in a paternity case, he hired Larry Feldman. So did Robert Shapiro, another member of the O.J. Simpson team, when he was accused of libel during the case by former L.A. police detective Mark Fuhrman.

“I think the biggest compliment that a lawyer can get is to be called upon by another lawyer,” Feldman said.

Not that Feldman only works for attorneys. He represented the young boy who accused Michael Jackson of sexual molestation. Although the settlement was ruled confidential, various news agencies reported it to be in the neighborhood of $24 million. Last September, Feldman concluded a civil rights case against McDonnell-Douglas with a jury award of $28 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

“Larry is an incredibly hard worker, he is very intensely focused in any project and is extraordinarily committed to achieving an excellent result for a client,” said Jerry Ringler, partner at Fogel et al. “And he’s incredibly smart, which is always an advantage. His ability to bring key evidence into a trial at the exact moment when it will be the most effective is key.”

Feldman usually works with a team comprised of eight paralegals and 14 lawyers, and he has two full-time investigators. “You have got to learn the facts in order to win a case,” he said. “Winning comes from hard work, rolling up your sleeves and finding the answers that will support your position.”

Feldman acknowledges that a healthy ego is necessary for the kind of work he does, but added that, “I think I approach every trial with a sense of insecurity along with confidence. If you start taking yourself for granted, you do your clients a disservice.”

Karen Teitelman