Robert Shapiro

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Robert Leslie Shapiro (born September 2, 1942 in Plainfield, New Jersey), is a high-profile attorney who is most notable for being part of the defense team which successfully defended O.J. Simpson from the charges that he murdered his ex-wife Nicole and Ronald Goldman in 1994 (the trial was in 1995). He also worked for famous athletes Darryl Strawberry, José Canseco and Vince Coleman as well as other celebrities like Johnny Carson and Linda Lovelace. In 1998, he sued Strawberry over unpaid legal fees which were eventually settled. Shapiro has also been sued unsuccessfully by record producer Phil Spector for refusing to return a $1 million retainer for legal services. Under the legal protection of Shapiro's partner, Eric P. Early, Spector decided to drop all alleged charges against Mr. Shapiro.^[1]

Shapiro graduated from UCLA in 1965 and obtained his law degree from Loyola Law School. He has been married since 1970 and has a son, Grant. Another son, Brent, was found dead by an apparent overdose of MDMA on October 11, 2005. The death of Brent sparked the founding of "The Brent Shapiro Foundation," a non-profit organization with an aim to raise drug awareness.^[2]

On April 30, 2007 Shapiro was the subject of a published appellate opinion involving allegations that he improperly removed $6 million in cash from the apartment of a client, in violation of a judge's order freezing the client's assets. The Court of Appeal held that Shapiro's law firm, Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil and Shapiro could be held liable for his misconduct, even though Shapiro holds no equity interest in the firm and is not a true partner. ^[3]

Shapiro is also one of the co-founders of LegalZoom.

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