Thursday, April 25, 1996
By Gil Hopenstand
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Attorney Robert Shapiro carried a bag of different suits and
different ties. O.J. Simpson’s lead defense attorney had several
interviews that day and he didn’t want to be seen wearing the same
clothes twice.
Although he has defended many high-profile clients in his
career, including Johnny Carson and Christian Brando, Shapiro said
his life changed forever after defending Simpson during his famed
double-murder trial.
"My life was the trial. I didn’t take any other case. I didn’t
appear with any other client. My entire staff was devoted to this
case and this case only," Shapiro said.
Six months after Simpson’s acquittal, the public still has a
hunger for the details of the "trial of the century." Shapiro and
attorneys Alan Dershowitz and Christopher Darden are feeding that
urge by writing Simpson-related books  and seeking increased
fame in the process.
To promote his newly-published book "The Search for Justice: A
Defense Attorney’s Brief on the O.J. Simpson Case," the media-savvy
Shapiro began a nationwide, 22-city promotional tour. At 7:30
tonight, he will conduct a satellite interview from Miami, which
will be televised on 30 campuses. UCLA students can view Shapiro on
closed-circuit TV at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse.
But before Shapiro left Los Angeles for his tour, he described
the difficulties associated with extensive touring.
"Today I’ll do seven interviews, plus a book signing and a
speech," he said recently, on the day he was also interviewed on
KABC radio, KCAL TV and the Greg Kinnear Show. "It is beyond
hectic. They have not arranged any time for me to eat, and
certainly not enough time to box."
In "The Search for Justice," Shapiro recounted how he convinced
the jury to render a "not guilty" verdict for Simpson, who was
charged with murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald
Goldman in June 1994.
Leading Simpson’s "Dream Team" of lawyers, Shapiro was the only
attorney to be on the case for its entire duration.
"Marcia Clark and myself were the only two lawyers there from
the beginning," he said. "(Taking the case) wasn’t the type of
situation that required any decision whatsoever. I was called in by
the client, I became engaged immediately to work on the case, and I
talked to witnesses on the case the same day."
He defended the book as "not exploitative" of either the murder
victims or their families, adding that "to profit from a tragedy is
really questionable."
"(I wanted) to write a book … to explain what the life of a
trial lawyer is, and to focus on important issues that were raised
as a result of this case," he said, adding that he wants to "set
the record straight" on several issues.
He covered several topics of interest to die-hard Simpson trial
viewers, such as the "mystery envelope," the famous slow-speed
freeway chase and the media’s coverage of the trial.
"There were some people who were highly professional, who were
in the courtroom every day, who wrote very fair and insightful
pieces. The tabloids went to the opposite extreme," he
commented.
As a result of witnessing firsthand the media circus surrounding
the trial, Shapiro explained that he is concerned about the
prospect of eliminating cameras from the courtroom.
"The opinions of people would be based on second hand
experiences from the reporters of others, rather than first hand
experience of actually seeing and hearing the witnesses’
testimonies," he argued.
"The general public’s tremendous interest in this case was due
in some part to live coverage," he admitted. "It was like any other
public event  people see it and they talk more about it. But
that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have cameras in the Congress as to
stop debate."
But after he recounted details of the case, many of which true
trial watchers already know, Shapiro reminisced about UCLA, his
undergraduate alma mater.
"I was a member of the Kelps, the first interracial,
multi-ethnic group on campus of men, and there were just no bounds.
We could say or do anything to each other. We were brothers in
heart and soul. We could make fun of our upbringing, our background
 nothing was out of bounds," he said.
The Kelps were later disbanded in the 1970s as a result of their
pranks. But Shapiro, who attended UCLA from 1960-65, said his
fondest memory of the group was a prank they played during one of
UCLA’s football games against the Air Force.
"Somehow, we were able to get the announcer to announce on
national television that the Air Force marching band was coming out
in unison," he said with a smile. "Sixty Kelp brothers came out in
trench coats and World War I skull caps with kazoos playing ‘Here
we go into the wild blue yonder,’ with one of our brothers dressed
up as a drum majorette."
Since then, Shapiro claimed he has remained a "Bruin through and
through." His family occasionally attends sporting events and Mardi
Gras, and his two sons often frequent the Ackerman Union
arcade.
And tonight, Shapiro’s likeness will be transmitted to campus
for a satellite interview.
Although the televised event will not be live at UCLA, students
will still get to hear him talk and answer questions about the case
and his life.
"It’s a name that would definitely draw people who are
interested in him and the case," predicted Julie Tollefson,
director of Campus Events Commission. "People have unanswered
questions."
"It was such a large part of our lives for a year that there is
still interest in it now," agreed Justin Barrios, a second-year
undeclared student.
But other students said they’ve simply had enough of the Simpson
case.
"There may be some interest on campus, but I have no interest
myself," said Charlene Joachim, a second-year psychology
student.
Shapiro explained that the reason he is targeting college
campuses is because "they are the future."
"I think that clearly, the need for understanding what took
place in this case, for our basic understanding of our system of
justice and for solutions to better race relations lie in college
students," he said.
At the end of the tour, Shapiro said he plans on returning to
law. These career changes were made simpler by the fact that
writing and law are similar, he said.
"(Writing is) a free form of expression, it’s creative, just
like a trial lawyer. You have to try to hold the reader’s interest,
in law you have to hold the jury’s interest. You have to speak
clearly, you have to write clearly," he said. "Both are very
disciplined."
For those students interested in pursuing careers in law,
Shapiro had this advice: "Study hard. Really take your professional
responsibilities seriously.
"It’s a fascinating profession. Trial law is probably one of the
most exciting things someone can do," he said. "(It’s) very
difficult but exceedingly challenging and exciting … young
lawyers have to be prepared to really work."
Shapiro will speak at 7:30 p.m. tonight via satellite from Miami
University. Television monitors have been set up in the Freud
Playhouse.
In his new book on the O.J. Simpson trial, attorney Robert
Shapiro is sharing his …