Robert Shapiro
Born 1942 · Age 83
American attorney and entrepreneur; member of O.J. Simpson's 'Dream Team'; co-founder of LegalZoom and ShoeDazzle; founder of the Brent Shapiro Foundation.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Plainfield, New Jersey
Robert Leslie Shapiro born to a Jewish family in Plainfield, NJ.
Graduated Hamilton High School, Los Angeles
Completed secondary education at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles.
Graduated UCLA with B.S. in Finance
Earned Bachelor of Science (Finance) from UCLA Anderson School of Business.
Pledged Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at UCLA
Joined the Jewish fraternity Zeta Beta Tau (pledged with friend Roger Cossack).
Received Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School
Graduated from Loyola Law School; won two American Jurisprudence awards and the Scott Moot Court Competition; served as Chief Justice of the Moot Court.
Clerked at Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
Clerked during last year of law school, then joined as a public prosecutor.
Admitted to the State Bar of California
Officially admitted to practice law in California.
Started work as a public prosecutor
First job after law school was as a prosecutor in the L.A. County DA's office; served nearly three years.
Married Linell Thomas
Married Linell Thomas; later fathered two sons, Brent and Grant.
Opened own law practice
Left the DA's office and started his own practice/firm in Los Angeles.
Defended Linda Lovelace in Las Vegas narcotics case
Early high-profile defense: represented Linda Lovelace on charges of possession of cocaine and amphetamines (early 1974).
Birth of son Brent Shapiro
Son Brent was born (later died in 2005).
Represented F. Lee Bailey and/or Johnny Carson (drunk driving arrest matter)
Handled celebrity clients involved in high-profile DUI incidents reported in 1982.
Arranged surrender of Erik Menéndez
Arranged Erik Menéndez's surrender to LAPD after Lyle's arrest; represented Erik at his initial arraignment (1990), before Leslie Abramson took over defense.
Led O. J. Simpson defense team (initial lead of 'Dream Team')
Served as a lead member of the 'Dream Team' defending O. J. Simpson on double-murder charges; later ceded lead to Johnnie Cochran during trial.
Present at Robert Kardashian press conference; assisted Simpson surrender
Was present at press conference; publicly urged O. J. Simpson to surrender; assisted with his surrender following the low-speed Bronco chase.
O. J. Simpson acquitted
Jury found O. J. Simpson not guilty (October 1995); widely regarded as career-defining trial for Shapiro.
Published 'The Search for Justice' (first edition/co-authored)
Authored The Search for Justice: A Defense Attorney's Brief on the O.J. Simpson Case (first co-authored edition cited 1996).
Transitioned practice from criminal defense to civil litigation
Shortly after the Simpson trial Shapiro steered his practice toward civil litigation and business litigation work.
Appeared as himself in 'An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn'
Credited appearance in the 1997 film.
Published 'The Search for Justice' (Warner Books edition)
A Warner Books edition of The Search for Justice appeared in 1998.
Sued Darryl Strawberry over unpaid legal fees
Filed suit against former client Darryl Strawberry for unpaid fees; later settled out of court.
Authored children's book 'Somo Says No' (date not specified)
Created the character Somo the Sober Monkey and the anti-drug children's book made available free to schools via Brent Shapiro Foundation.
Co-founded RightCounsel.com and BizCounsel.com (approx.)
Glaser Weil lists Shapiro as co-founder of RightCounsel.com and BizCounsel.com (dates not specified in provided sources; placed as approximate early-2000s entrepreneurial activity).
Co-founded LegalZoom (founding year estimate)
Shapiro is a co-founder of LegalZoom, an online legal services platform (founding year commonly cited as 2001).
Appeared in film 'Havoc' (cameo)
Appeared as himself (or lawyer-like role) in the film Havoc.
Death of son Brent Shapiro (drug overdose)
His son Brent died from a drug overdose in 2005, age ~25; prompted philanthropic work.
Founded the Brent Shapiro Foundation
Established nonprofit to raise drug and alcohol awareness and run Brent's Club after son's death; serves as chairman.
California Court of Appeal published opinion (duffel bags case)
Opinion involved allegations he forwarded a request to remove 12 duffel bags, each containing $500,000, prior to a judge's freezing order; court held his law firm could be held liable.
Named Pro-Bono Lawyer of the Year (Nevada)
Received Pro-Bono Lawyer of the Year award by the State of Nevada.
Court enforced settlement for PCO case (payment satisfied)
Court documents state PCO judgment against Shapiro in amount of $450,000 was satisfied (March 6, 2008).
Settled PCO case — judgment enforcing settlement for $450,000
Judgment enforcing settlement required Shapiro to pay $450,000; settlement satisfied.
Co-founded ShoeDazzle (founding year estimate)
Shapiro is listed as a co-founder of ShoeDazzle; company later raised large financing including a reported $40M round in 2011.
Phil Spector lawsuit settled
Phil Spector sued Shapiro over a retainer dispute; Spector ultimately settled (settlement amount undisclosed; media referenced settlement March 4, 2011).
ShoeDazzle financing reported in press
Media reported a $40M financing round for ShoeDazzle (May 2011); Shapiro, as co-founder, associated with company growth/exit activities.
ShoeDazzle receives $40M financing
LA Business Journal reported 'Kim Kardashian’s ShoeDazzle gets $40 million financing' — Shapiro is a co-founder of ShoeDazzle.
Represented Wynn in litigation (judge rules for Wynn)
Represented Steve Wynn/Wynn Resorts in investor dispute; judge ruled for Wynn in ousted investor's challenge (reported 2.2.2012).
Named one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America
The National Law Journal named Shapiro on its list of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America (2013).
Portrayed by John Travolta in 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' (American Crime Story)
John Travolta portrayed Shapiro in FX's American Crime Story (2016); Travolta was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor (lost) and won as a producer when the series won Outstanding Limited Series.
Represented Rob Kardashian in 2017 revenge-porn matter
Represented Rob Kardashian in the 2017 legal proceedings brought by Blac Chyna (revenge-porn allegations).
Named to multiple litigation and trial lawyer honors
Continuing recognition: Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers listings, and other honors across years (Glaser Weil lists multiple recognitions through 2018 onward).
Elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
Glaser Weil reported Shapiro was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (8.7.2020).
Speaker at GLSNI Conference 2022
Spoke on 'A reflection on highlights throughout his career' at the Government Legal Service of Northern Ireland (GLSNI) Conference (Nov 17, 2022).
Included in Lawdragon '500 Leading Lawyers in America' and Lawdragon Hall of Fame
Glaser Weil and Lawdragon recognition: inclusion in the Lawdragon 500 and selection for the Lawdragon Hall of Fame (2023).
Interviewed by Fox Business concerning high-profile trials
Glaser Weil noted several media appearances in 2023, including Fox Business interviews about the Bankman-Fried trial (11.2.2023) and other high-profile matters.
Portrayed in Netflix 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' (2024)
Salvator Xuereb portrayed Shapiro in an episode of the 2024 Netflix limited series about the Menendez case.
Key Achievement Ages
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