10 Questions For Johnnie Cochran

By Jeffrey Ressner

In 40 years of practicing law, Johnnie Cochran has defended high-profile clients ranging from Michael Jackson to P. Diddy. But he's still best known for winning O.J. Simpson's acquittal of murder charges in 1995. Now a legal analyst for NBC News, Cochran talked with TIME's Jeffrey Ressner about some celebrity cases in the news and his most famous murder defendant.

THERE ARE SO MANY CELEBRITY CASES GOING ON NOW. DO FAMOUS PEOPLE GET SINGLED OUT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT? You have to look at each case. I don't think Robert Blake was singled out. He has a unique case, and he claims he's innocent. We'll have to see. But I think Martha Stewart has been singled out for prosecution. They really dug pretty deep to bring charges against her, and I'd be surprised if she wasn't acquitted.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR KOBE BRYANT? It's going to be a big battle, and it's a tough area up there where he's trying the case. He's got to get the background of his accuser before the jury, and if he can do that, he's going to prevail. He's got great lawyers, and I think he'll be ultimately acquitted.

YOU'VE COUNSELED MICHAEL JACKSON IN THE PAST. ANY ADVICE FOR HIM THIS TIME AROUND? I'm his former lawyer and a friend. He calls me on occasion, but I'm not going to represent him. He's got to be very serious about this whole thing. This is not some demonstration or theatrical thing. It's a very serious case. I think he understands that.

THERE'S A STORY IN THE NEW VANITY FAIR THAT PAINTS JACKSON AS A CHILD ABUSER WHO HAS BEEN ADDICTED TO DEMEROL AND MORPHINE. WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? I don't know about all that craziness. But I do know this: Michael Jackson loves kids. He's dedicated his life to kids. It would be hard for me to think of him ever molesting a child.

FEW OF THESE CELEBRITY TRIALS ARE BEING TELEVISED. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM? They have some real benefits. They bring out the best in people, and both the prosecution and the defense tend to be on their better behavior. I understand that, depending on the facts of a case, some people don't want to have them.

YOU'VE DONE A RADIO AD SUPPORTING AL SHARPTON FOR PRESIDENT. IS THERE ANY GREATER LOST CAUSE THAN THAT? I don't know that he expects to win. But he's an articulate spokesman, and he's bringing out issues other candidates aren't. We should be hearing from him. If you ask me what candidate I would support more than anybody else, it's probably John Edwards.

THIS JUNE MARKS THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE O.J. SIMPSON CASE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CASE MEANS A DECADE LATER? Here's one celebrity who went on trial with adequate counsel against a prosecution that spent about $10 million to convict him. It points out that if a defendant has adequate resources, he can fight a battle on the presumption of innocence.

DO YOU STILL SPEAK REGULARLY TO O.J.? I've spoken to him a couple of times this year. We talk about what he's doing down there in Florida. We talk about his kids and how they're doing. He's been a very good father, and they turned out to be very good kids. And he still maintains his innocence.

ANY NEWS ON HIS SEARCH FOR THE REAL KILLER? I don't know. There's been a lot of questions about that. I know he's tried. But it seems to me the L.A.P.D. made a decision in this case that once they decided on him, they didn't want to look for anybody else. Everything else, they thought, was poppycock. And once they lost, it seems to me they never looked at anybody else.

YOU'VE GIVEN UP MUCH OF YOUR CRIMINAL PRACTICE TO CONCENTRATE ON YOUR COMMENTATING DUTIES FOR NBC. WHAT ELSE ARE YOU UP TO THESE DAYS? I'll probably do a children's book over the next year or so. It will be about how we can inspire kids to be the best that they can be. I want to tell them how to really grow up and make a difference in society. I think it's important.