Media Spotlight Suits O.J. Lawyer

Law Practice

Posted Sep 21, 2007, 10:05 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

CORRECTED:The man known as O.J. Simpson’s lawyer is in media demand since his client’s arrest on armed robbery charges, a situation he appears to relish.

Yale Galanter toiled in relative anonymity in South Florida before he was referred to represent Simpson when he was accused in a road rage incident, the Associated Press reports.

Galanter's low-profile status quickly changed and he became a popular television commentator. Today the former prosecutor oversees a seven-lawyer firm and lives in a million-dollar waterfront townhouse.

Galanter's unusual defense may have helped Simpson avoid jail time in the road rage incident, Time reports. Galanter argued that Simpson's fingerprint on the front of the glasses of the other driver showed the former football star did not pull the glasses off his face. Rather, it indicated he put up his hands in self-defense. Story CORRECTED to omit incorrect reference to Galanter serving on O.J.'s dream team.

Now Galanter is making news once again, although he maintains he will not be trying Simpson’s latest case in the media. "You don't fight for your client in front of a television camera," he told reporters after Simpson’s bail hearing on Wednesday. "You fight for your client in front of a judge and jury, and that's what we're going to do."

Galanter is well-suited for the limelight, according to Miami defense lawyer Milton Hirsch.

"He's a good-looking guy who likes to see himself in the paper," Hirsch told AP. "He likes to associate himself with cases that get press attention, and the one client who has consistently provided that for him is O.J."

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