Lawyers have historically been key figures within many of our nation’s most defining moments. Here’s a list of some of the most famous criminal defense attorneys in U.S. history whose legal acumen and oral arguments have earned them public acclaim and historical prominence. 

Thomas Jefferson

A founding father and 3rd U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson’s legal profession greatly influenced his political philosophies as he played a critical role in America’s early development. Jefferson was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1765 and soon became an expert in estate law. His interests and ideologies were immersed in reforming law as evidenced within his leadership in the American Revolution. As the draftsman for the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson pulled inspiration from esteemed philosophers and scholars of the time to compose its most famous line: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Thomas Jefferson is about as famous as a criminal defense attorney in America can get. He even has a monument erected in Washington, D.C. in his honor.

Abraham Lincoln

Before serving as the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln had a successful legal career. While it was common at the time for individuals to become lawyers through an apprenticeship, Lincoln was self-taught and a self-proclaimed ‘prairie lawyer’—managing a wide range of cases in rural Illinois. He went on to receive a license to practice law in all Illinois state courts in 1836 and in 1837 was named on a list of lawyers in the Illinois Supreme Court office. He had several law partners during his career and was counsel of record in approximately 175 cases before Illinois’ highest court. In 1849, the day he was admitted to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, he argued in the Lewis vs. Lewis case regarding the statute of limitations and a contested land deed. Known for his integrity and pragmatism, Lincoln’s extensive experience in law served him well during his presidency.  

Clarence Darrow

Clarence Darrow began practicing law in 1878 and became well-known as a labor and criminal lawyer in high-profile cases. In the 1920s, he was the most famous trial attorney in the United States—earning up to a quarter of a million dollars per case. One of his most notable cases was the trial of John T. Scopes, a high school teacher charged with violating state law by teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Bringing the theory of evolution to the nation’s forefront of public discourse, the Scopes trial was one of the most sensational cases in the 20th century, and secured Darrow’s place in legal history.

Thurgood Marshall

Rejected entry to the University of Maryland Law School due to his race, Thurgood Marshall earned his law degree from Howard University Law School in 1933. He became a prominent American civil rights attorney, activist, and in 1967 became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Shortly after beginning his law practice, he won a case against the University of Maryland, Murray v. Pearson (1935), in which the University of Maryland was accused of violating the 14th amendments’ guarantee of equal protection under the law by denying an African American applicant admission to its law school on the basis of race. Thurgood later became a lead lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In his career, he won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and served as the lead in the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954),—which declared racial segregation unconstitutional in American public schools.

Alan Dershowitz

Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and author, and current Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School. While a graduate of Yale Law School, he joined Harvard’s faculty in 1964 and became the youngest law professor to be granted tenure in the university’s history. Called “one of the most prominent and consistent defenders of civil liberties in America” by Politico, Dershowitz has worked on many well-known cases and his notable client list has included Leona Hemsley, Jim Bakker, O.J. Simpson, Julian Assange, Jeffrey Epstein, and Donald Trump. As an author, he has published more than 1,000 articles and written 30 fiction and non-fiction works—including seven bestsellers. 

Johnnie Cochran

Internationally famous for his role in representing O.J. Simpson, Johnnie Cochran graduated from Loyola Law School in 1962 and began his career as a deputy criminal prosecutor before entering private practice. He quickly gained a reputation for confronting racial injustice, pursuing cases involving civil rights violations, racial profiling, and police brutality. Along with O.J. Simpson, his celebrity clients included Michael Jackson, Tupac Shaker, Jim Brown, and Sean Combs. Today, the Cochran Firm is one of the largest plaintiff’s law firms in the United States.

Jonnie Chochran might be the most famous criminal defense attorney of the 20th century.

Robert Shapiro

Serving alongside Johnnie Cochran on O.J. Simpson’s defense team was internationally renowned litigator, Robert Shapiro. Named one of the 100 most influential attorneys in America by the National Law Journal in 2013, Shapiro represents many high-profile corporations and a long-list of celebrities including Oscar de la Hoya, Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen, and Paris Hilton. He received his business degree in finance from the University of California in 1965 and earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in 1968. Shapiro is a co-founder of RightCounsel.com and LegalZoom, and a senior partner at Glaser Weil. 

William ‘Billy’ Martin

Known for being a top defense attorney and one of the most recognized African American lawyers in the country, William ‘Billy’ Martin has represented notable clients such as NBA stars Allen Iverson and Jayson Williams, Monica Lewinsky’s mother, and Chandra Levy’s parents. He’s a partner at the Barnes & Thornburg office in Washington, D.C.—among the 100 largest law firms in the U.S.—and according to The National Law Review, “represents corporations in complex civil and white collar criminal matters in state and federal courts and in administrative hearings and arbitrations.” Martin earned his bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1973 and obtained his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1976. He counts Johnnie Cochran as one of his career mentors. 

Dick DeGuerin

Criminal defense attorney, Dick DeGuerin, is known for taking on complex cases garnering national attention. His past clients include U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, cult leader David Koresh, New York real estate heir, Robert Durst, and Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton. In 2004, he was a recipient of the Hall of Fame Award from the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and in 2010 named one of the 25 greatest Texas lawyers of the past quarter-century by Texas Lawyer. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas  School of Law in 1965 and now shares his experience with young law students as one of UT Law’s adjunct professors. 

Lee Bailey (Francis Lee Bailey, Jr.)

Lee Bailey attended Harvard University before dropping out to join the military where he received his naval aviator wings and served as a jet fighter pilot. After his military service, Bailey returned to Harvard and then obtained his law degree from Boston University Law School in 1960. During his criminal defense career, Bailey represented some of the most widely publicized criminal trials of the 20th century. He predominantly practiced in Florida and Massachusetts and had an infamous roster of clients including Sam Sheppard, Albert DeSalvo, U.S. Army Captain Ernest L. Medina, and Patty Hearst. He was also a member of O.J. Simpson’s defense, known as the ‘Dream Team.’

Many people credit F. Lee Bailey with being the real driving force behind the O.J. Simpson defense team. Most famous criminal defense lawyers in American history? You have to include Bailey.

Gerry Spence (Gerald Leonard Spence)

Gerry Spence is famously known to have never lost a criminal case before a jury—while as a prosecutor or a defense attorney—and boasts a 41-year winning streak of civil cases from 1969 to 2010. He is a 2009 inductee into The Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame, founder of Wyoming’s Trial Lawyers College, and founder of Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming—a pro bono law firm representing the indigent. Legal scholar, Richard Falk, has described Spence as a “lawyer par excellence.” His most high-profile clients and cases include the defense of Imelda Marcos, Randy Weaver of Ruby Ridge, Kim Pring, Brandon Mayfield, Ed Cantrell, and the Karen Silkwood case. Spence is also the author of 18 nationally published books.

Gerry Spence is one of the most famous defense attorneys from the latter part of the 20th Century.