Gerry Spence (b. January 8, 1929, Laramie, Wyoming) is one of the most renowned trial lawyers in the United States, and has had more multi-million dollar verdicts without an intervening loss than any other lawyer in America. is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County in the U.S. state of Wyoming. ... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ...

Background

Spence graduated from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1952. The University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in May 1990. Spence started his career as a prosecutor and later became a successful defense attorney for the insurance industry. The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyomings high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet (2194 m), between the the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. ... Doctor of Laws (Latin: Legum Doctor, LL.D) is a doctorate-level academic degree in law. ... The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries adopting the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Years later, Spence said he "saw the light" and became committed to representing people, instead of corporations, insurance companies, banks, or Big Business.^[1] For other uses, see Corporation (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... Big Business or big business is a term used to describe large corporations, individually or collectively. ...

Karen Silkwood

Spence first gained national attention and is most well known for the Karen Silkwood case.^[1] Karen Silkwood was a chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonium production plant, where she became an activist and vocal critic of plant safety, what would now be known as a whistleblower. On November 13, 1974, Silkwood died in a fatal one-car crash under mysterious circumstances, after reportedly gathering evidence for her union. Spence represented Silkwood's father and children, who charged that Kerr-McGee was responsible for exposing Silkwood to dangerous levels of radiation. Spence won a $10.5 million verdict for the family. Karen Silkwood (February 19, 1946 – November 13, 1974) was an American labor union activist and chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plant near Crescent, Oklahoma, United States. ... The Kerr-McGee Corporation (NYSE: KMG) is an energy company involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas resources, as well as the manufacture of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment. ... This article is about the radioactive element. ... Poster in support of whistleblower legislation A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization, especially a business or government agency, who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power and presumed willingness to take corrective action. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... The Lawrence textile strike (1912), with soldiers surrounding peaceful demonstrators A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions, forming a cartel of labour. ... For other uses, see Radiation (disambiguation). ...

In 1984, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the family's right to sue under state law for punitive damages from a federally regulated industry.^[2] The Silkwood case achieved international fame and was the subject of many books, magazine and newspaper articles, and even a major motion picture. The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS[1]) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. ... Silkwood is a 1983, Oscar-nominated film which dramatizes the story of Karen Silkwood, who died under suspicious circumstances while investigating alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked. ...

High Profile Cases

After Silkwood, Spence tried a number of high profile cases. He has not lost a jury trial since 1969, and has never lost a criminal case, although he has had several of his more prominent civil verdicts overturned on appeal and lost a 1985 manslaughter case at trial, later prevailing on appeal. Spence successfully defended Randy Weaver on murder, assault, conspiracy, and gun charges in the Ruby Ridge, Idaho federal standoff case, by successfully impugning the conduct of the FBI and its crime lab. He also successfully defended Ed Cantrell in the Rock Springs, Wyoming murder case, and won the acquittal of former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos in New York City on federal racketeering charges. In law, an appeal is a process for making a formal challenge to an official decision. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between natural persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement. ... Gun law refers to a law that pertains to firearms. ... Ruby Ridge refers to a violent confrontation and siege involving Randy Weaver, his family, Weavers friend Kevin Harris, federal agents from the United States Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ... For other uses, see Idaho (disambiguation). ... F.B.I. and FBI redirect here. ... Ed Cantrell was a police officer in Rock Springs, Wyoming who shot dead one of his men in 1978. ... Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. ... In criminal law, an acquittal is the legal result of a verdict of not guilty, or some similar end of the proceeding that terminates it with prejudice without a verdict of guilty being entered against the accused. ... This article is about the use of the term first lady internationally. ... Imelda Trinidad Romuáldez-Marcos (born July 2, 1929 in Manila) is a former First Lady and influential political figure in the Philippines. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

In civil litigation, Spence won a $52 million verdict against McDonald's Corporation on behalf of a small, family-owned ice cream company. A medical malpractice verdict of over $4 million established a new standard for nursing care in Utah. Spence also earned a $33.5 million verdict for emotional and punitive damages for his quadriplegic client, after a major insurance company refused to pay on the $50,000 policy. Spence continues to actively practice law, maintaining his longtime law office, now known as the Spence Law Firm, located in Jackson, Wyoming. McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants, primarily selling hamburgers, chicken, french fries, milkshakes and soft drinks. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... Medical malpractice is an act or omission by a health care provider which deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and which causes injury to the patient. ... Patient care is part of a nurses role in implementing a care plan. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis of all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis. ... Jackson is a town located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming. ...

Spence & Tort Reform

During the election season of 2004, Spence, a vocal opponent of tort reform, crisscrossed his native Wyoming spearheading a series of self-funded town hall style meeting to inform voters of an upcoming ballot measure, Constitutional Amendment D, which would have limited Wyoming citizens' ability to recover compensation if injured by medical malpractice. The ballot measure failed with a 50.3% "No" vote.

Books

Gerry Spence is the author of sixteen books, fifteen of which remain in print, including Gunning for Justice, Of Murder and Madness, Trial By Fire, With Justice for None, From Freedom to Slavery: The Rebirth of Tyranny in America, How to Argue and Win Every Time, The Making of a Country Lawyer, O.J.: The Last Word, Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power, The Smoking Gun, ^[3] and Give Me Liberty.^{[4] [5]} Trial by Fire is a book written by Gerry Spence, which recounts the events surrounding the infamous libel lawsuit brought by former Miss Wyoming Kim Pring against Penthouse Magazine in 1980. ...

Miscellaneous

For many years, Spence has lectured at law schools and conducted seminars at various legal organizations around the country. He is the founder and director of the non-profit Trial Lawyers College, where lawyers learn to try cases on behalf of the people. A lecture on linear algebra at the Helsinki University of Technology A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. ... // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ... A seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at a university or offered by a commercial or professional organization. ... A non-profit organization (abbreviated NPO, or non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes, without concern for monetary profit. ...

In 1986, Spence defended Lee Harvey Oswald in a 21-day television trial sponsored by London Weekend Television in the United Kingdom. The trial involved an actual U.S. judge, a jury of U.S. citizens, and actual witnesses to the events leading up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The unscripted trial, and the preparation for it, inspired Vincent Bugliosi's book Reclaiming History. Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was, according to four United States government investigations, the assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. ... LWT redirects here. ... Vincent Bugliosi (born August 18, 1934 in Hibbing, Minnesota) is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. ...

He is also the founder of Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming, a non-profit, public interest law firm. Spence served as legal consultant for NBC television covering the O.J. Simpson trial and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, and Geraldo. He briefly had his own talk show on MSNBC, which he hosted from his home in Wyoming. Public interest is a term used to denote political movements and organizations that are in the public interest—supporting general public and civic causes, in opposition of private and corporate ones (particularistic goals). ... A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. ... This article is about the television network. ... Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), commonly known as O. J. Simpson and also just by his initials O.J. and his nickname The Juice, is a retired American football player who achieved stardom at the collegiate and professional levels. ... The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah) is a United States syndicated talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. ... Larry King Live is a nightly CNN interview program hosted by broadcaster and writer Larry King. ... Geraldo redirects here. ... For the news website, see msnbc. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ...

Gerry Spence and his second wife, LaNell "Imaging" Spence, share their time between homes near Jackson, Wyoming and Santa Barbara, California. Jackson is a town located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming. ... Nickname: Location in Santa Barbara County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Barbara Government  - Mayor Marty Blum Area  - Total 41. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Gerry Spence Biography at speakers' bureau site.
2. ^ Silkwood Case Laid To Rest, August 30, 1986, Science News.
3. ^ The Smoking Gun
4. ^ Give Me Liberty at BookReporter.
5. ^ Gerry Spence Biography at Trial Lawyers College.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Gerry Spence

• Gerry Spence's official site
• SpenceLawyers.com
• Essays
• Trial Lawyers College
• Gerry Spence and Sun Tzu's Art of War
• The Jailhouse Lawyer's Tribute to Gerry Spence
• Gerry Spence Quotes
• Spence: $2M settlement underscores loss of freedom