Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. was an American lawyer perhaps best known for his leadership in the legal defense of O. J. Simpson, charged with murder of his former wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Cochran also represented Sean Combs , Michael Jackson, actor Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown, rappers Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, and Reginald Oliver Denny, the trucker beaten by a mob during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Cochran was known for his skill in the courtroom and his prominence as an early advocate for victims of alleged police abuse.