When attorney Johnny Cochran passed away on March 30, 2005, the African-American community lost its patriarch. Next to the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Cochran was the best know African-American lawyer in the 20th century. He left us with a challenge through his example here on earth.

The first time I heard the name of Johnny Cochran was during his defense of child TV star, Todd Bridges. However Cochran became a household name due his brilliance in the OJ Simpson Case. Back in the fall of 1995, my freshman year in college, I was captivated by his ability to move those in a courtroom. It was as if he was the reverend in the pulpit, and everybody needed to follow him. He also defended Reginald Denny, a Caucasian man who was beat up by African-Americans during the Los Angles Riots in 1992, and also pop star Michael Jackson.

Cochran's defense in the OJ Simpson Case motivated me to attend law school. (I failed out.) Nevertheless, Cochran will continue to inspire us all, despite his absence in death. He was more than a great African-American lawyer, but a considered one of the best this country ever produced, regardless of the color of their skin. The man who said, "if the gloves don't fit, you must acquit," will be truly missed.

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