| Geoffrey Nels Fieger | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 23, 1950 Detroit, Michigan |
| Education | University of Michigan (B.A., 1974; M.A.,1976); College of Law-Michigan State University (J.D., 1979) |
| Employer | Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux, Southfield, Michigan |
| Known for | Defense attorney for Dr. Jack Kevorkian, gubernatorial candidate (Michigan, 1998) |
| Website | |
| www.fiegerlaw.com | |
Geoffrey Fieger is an American attorney based in Southfield, Michigan.[1] Fieger is the senior partner at the law firm of Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux and is an occasional legal commentator for NBC and MSNBC. His practice focuses on criminal defense, litigation and medical malpractice cases.
Fieger is best known as the defense attorney for Jack Kevorkian and as the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor of Michigan in 1998.
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Fieger grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit, Michigan. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1979 and his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law (now the Michigan State University College of Law) in 1979.
Fieger is the older brother of the late Doug Fieger, lead vocalist of the late-'70s/early-'80s rock group The Knack, best known for their hit song "My Sharona" in 1979. Fieger and his wife, Kathleen ("Keenie"), have several children and live in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Fieger was the Democratic nominee for governor of Michigan in 1998, but was defeated 62-38 percent by John Engler.
Fieger has been involved with a variety of high-profile or controversial cases. In 1994, he represented Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the first of several doctor-assisted suicide trials. Kevorkian was acquitted in that trial and all subsequent trials where Fieger represented him. (Kevorkian was convicted when he represented himself in his last assisted suicide trial in 1999). These events were made into a movie, You Don't Know Jack, which aired on HBO, in which Fieger was portrayed by actor Danny Huston.
Other notable clients and cases include:
In 1997, Fieger donated four million dollars to the Detroit College of Law, now the Michigan State University College of Law, to start the nation's first trial practice institute for law students, which was named the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute.[5]
In 1998 Fieger ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic nominee for governor of Michigan. During the campaign Fieger made several inflammatory and controversial comments and statements, including
Fieger appeared as one of the attorneys on the reality TV show Power of Attorney, and was opposing counsel in an episode of NBC's The Law Firm.
In August 2007, Fieger was indicted on federal campaign finance charges; the U.S. government alleged that Fieger had illegally funneled $127,000 to John Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign. Fieger was defended by famed defense attorney Gerry Spence, who announced this would be his last case. A jury acquitted Fieger of all 10 charges, and Fieger's co-defendant and law partner Ven Johnson on five charges, on June 2, 2008. Johnson stated that the charges were politically motivated.[9]