Legendary Attorney Johnnie Cochran Was a Brother of Kappa Alpha Psi

Did you know that one of the most famous attorneys in American history was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.? His name was Johnnie Cochran, and he became a legend in the courtroom and a champion for civil rights.

Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. was born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and moved with his family to Los Angeles as a boy. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and went on to earn his law degree from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles. He was a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and crossed through the Upsilon Chapter on the same line as Whitman Mayo, who played Grady on Sanford and Son, in the spring of 1956.

Cochran began his legal career as a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles before building a private practice that made him one of the most sought-after lawyers in the country. Long before his name became famous, he took on the cases that mattered most to Black communities, representing victims of police brutality and fighting for civil rights in a city where justice was too often denied.

His talent made him the go-to attorney for some of the biggest names in the world. He represented clients including Michael Jackson and Sean Combs, but he became a household name in 1995 as the lead defense attorney for O.J. Simpson. As Britannica documents, it was Cochran who delivered the trial’s most famous line, telling the jury, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” in a case watched by millions around the world.

Even at the height of his fame, Cochran never abandoned the fight for the everyday people whose cases first drew him to the law. He continued to take on police misconduct and civil rights cases, and his name lives on through The Cochran Firm, which carries forward his mission of justice.

Johnnie Cochran died on March 29, 2005, in Los Angeles. From the streets of Los Angeles to the most watched courtroom in the world, Kappa Alpha Psi’s Johnnie Cochran used the law as a weapon in the fight for justice.