The Cochran Firm

The Cochran Firm is a law firm in the United States founded by the late Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. in Los Angeles, CA in 1983.[1]

History

In 1997, Cochran partnered with Samuel L. Cherry,[2] Keith Givens,[3] and Jock M. Smith[4] to expand The Cochran Firm into a national law firm, giving the firm the ability to represent clients in multiple states.

In 2007 the firm was ranked as the 141st largest law firm in the United States on the National Law Journal 250 with nearly 300 attorneys.[5] The Cochran Firm primarily does criminal defense and civil plaintiff work. The firm has been named to the National Law Journal Plaintiff's Hot List which compiles the United States' top 12 plaintiffs' firms.[6][7]

In 2014 the firm had 26 offices located in 15 states, including in Mobile, Miami, Dothan, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Birmingham, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Mississippi, Milwaukee and Memphis Tennessee.[8]

Civil practice

The firm maintains a massive civil law division representing mostly injured plaintiffs. The firm handles products liability, medical malpractice, mass torts, pharmaceutical litigation, and premises liability.[9] The Cochran Firm has received verdicts and settlements totaling over $45 Billion.[10] The partners of the firm have won 10 verdicts in excess of $100 Million and more than 35 over $10 Million.

In 2004 one of the founding partners, Jock Smith, helped his client retain a verdict of $1.6 Billion, the largest jury verdict in 2004.[11]

In 2013 an attorney in the California office, Brian T. Dunn, achieved a $4.4 million settlement[12] in the case of Marine Sergeant Manual "Manny" Loggins, a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, who was shot and killed by Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Sandberg in the presence of Sergeant Loggins' children.

Criminal Defense Practice

The Cochran Firm also has a criminal defense section. Notable clients include: Sean "Puffy" Combs, O.J. Simpson, Snoop Dogg, Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Todd Bridges, Riddick Bowe, Jim Brown and Latrell Sprewell.[10] More recently the firm was counsel in the acquittal of former HealthSouth CEO, Richard Scrushy of all white collar charges involved in allegedly directing a massive $2.7 Billion earnings overstatement, the only successful defense of a defendant charged under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.[10]

Controversy

After Cochran's 2005 death, there was widespread criticism about changes in the firm's mission and personnel. Cochran's family and others worried that the new criminal division would weaken the firm's traditional emphasis on civil cases, particularly civil rights and police abuse cases. There was concern in the Los Angeles black community about "white folks taking over Johnnie Cochran's firm".[13] Two well-known partners left the firm, while a third, Mr. Brian Dunn, remained.[13] Mr. Dunn, who was originally hired by Johnnie Cochran in 1992 to follow in Mr. Cochran's foot steps as a Civil Rights lawyer, remains the senior partner of the Los Angeles office. [14]

Despite past controversy, The Cochran Firm remains a national legal presence. In 2013 Mr. Cochran's daughter, Tiffany Cochran Edwards, was interviewed about the continuing legacy of the firm and the pride her father would feel for the firm's work. [15]

References

  1. ↑ Johnnie Cochran - Biography
  2. ↑ Samuel L. Cherry - Cherry & Irwin
  3. ↑ Keith Givens - The Cochran Firm
  4. ↑ Los Angeles Times - PASSINGS: Jock Smith
  5. ↑ ILRG Largest 250 Law Firms in the US
  6. ↑ The 2007 Plaintiffs' Hot List
  7. ↑ The Cochran Firm, Lawyers and Attorneys, Johnnie Cochran
  8. ↑ The Cochran Firm, Lawyers and Attorneys, Johnnie Cochran
  9. ↑ The Cochran Firm, Lawyers and Attorneys, Johnnie Cochran
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Cochran Firm, Lawyers and Attorneys, Johnnie Cochran
  11. ↑ The Cochran Firm : Jock Smith
  12. ↑ Los Angeles Times - Slain Marine Loggins
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hall, Carla (March 9, 2006). "Many Angry Over Fate of Cochran Law Firm". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "Brian T. Dunn, Findlaw". FindLaw.
  15. ↑ "YouTube, Tiffany Cochran". YouTube.

External links