Robert Shapiro (lawyer)

Early life and education

Shapiro was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, to a Jewish family. He graduated from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, in 1961 and then UCLA in 1965, with a B.S. in Finance. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in 1968.

Personal life

Shapiro married Linell Thomas on March 8, 1970. They had two sons, Grant and Brent.

Brent was found dead from an MDMA and methamphetamine overdose on October 11, 2005. His death sparked the founding of The Brent Shapiro Foundation, a non-profit organization with an aim to raise drug awareness, for which Shapiro serves as chairman of the board, as well as Pickford Lofts, a rehabilitation facility.

Legal practice and books about the law

Shapiro was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1969. He has represented famous athletes, most notably O. J. Simpson, Darryl Strawberry, José Canseco, and Vince Coleman. He has represented other celebrities, as well, such as Johnny Carson, Christian Brando, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Linda Lovelace, the Kardashians, and F. Lee Bailey. In 1998, he sued Strawberry over unpaid legal fees; the case was eventually settled out of court.

Shapiro played an important role in the O. J. Simpson murder case. Already associated with Simpson, on June 17, 1994, Shapiro was present at Robert Kardashian's press conference pleading for Simpson to turn himself in to the police. According to Shapiro, Simpson's psychiatrists agreed that his letter to "friends", which Kardashian read over the air, was a suicide note. Over the television, Shapiro appealed to Simpson to surrender. Later that day, after the famous low-speed "Bronco chase", Simpson surrendered to the police, with Shapiro's assistance.

When the actual trial began, Shapiro led the defense team (dubbed the "Dream Team") but later ceded lead chair to Johnnie Cochran. Despite their team's success in freeing Simpson after the verdict, Shapiro criticized his fellow Dream Team attorneys F. Lee Bailey (calling him a "loose cannon") and Cochran, for bringing race into the trial. In his book, The Search for Justice, A Defense Attorney’s Brief on the O.J. Simpson Case (1998), Shapiro states that he does not believe Simpson was framed by the LAPD for racial reasons but does believe the verdict was correct due to reasonable doubt. Shortly after the Simpson trial, Shapiro steered his practice away from criminal defense toward civil litigation.

Shapiro was sued unsuccessfully by record producer Phil Spector, for refusing to return a US$1 million retainer for legal services. Spector ultimately settled the lawsuit against Shapiro for an undisclosed amount.

On April 30, 2007, Shapiro was the subject of an unpublished appellate opinion involving allegations that he forwarded a request from his client to the client's CEO to remove $6 million in cash from the client's apartment, prior to a judge's order freezing the client's assets. In an April 30, 2007 unpublished opinion, the California Court of Appeal held that Shapiro's law firm, Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro, LLP, could be held liable for his alleged misconduct, even though Shapiro holds no equity interest in the firm and is not a true partner. Ultimately, Shapiro was exonerated from any wrongdoing.

Shapiro represented Steve Wynn and Wynn Resorts, actress Eva Longoria, Rob Kardashian in the 2017 revenge porn case brought upon by Blac Chyna, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Rockstar, and Diamond Resorts International. Shapiro represented the colorful Malibu psychiatrist and stem cell marketeer William C. Rader before the Medical Board of California, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent permanent revocation of Rader's medical license.

Shapiro frequently writes about the law and has published multiple books on the subject. In 2013, the National Law Journal named him to the list of The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.

Children's book

Shapiro has created SOMO the Sober Monkey, a character in the children's book Somo Says NO, that has an anti-drug theme. It is made available to schools free of charge.

LegalZoom

Shapiro is one of the co-founders of LegalZoom.

Shoedazzle.com

Shapiro is one of the co-founders of ShoeDazzle.com.

RightCounsel

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

Portrayals in films and television

Shapiro is known as a "celebrity" lawyer and as such is a celebrity himself. He has appeared as himself (or as a lawyer resembling his real-life self) in a number of films and television series, including the film Havoc (2005).

Bruce Weitz portrayed Shapiro in the Fox TV movie The O.J. Simpson Story (1995).

Ron Silver portrayed Shapiro in the CBS TV mini-series American Tragedy (2000).

John Travolta portrayed Shapiro in the FX cable TV mini-series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016).

Patton Oswalt voiced Robert Shapiro's fictional son Alan Shapiro in the seventh season of FX's Archer (2016).