What happened to OJ Simpson's 'dream team' lawyers? The key players in the 'trial of the century' and where they are now

The former American football star and actor OJ Simpson, who yesterday died aged 76 from cancer, made history for his role at the center of the 'trial of the century'.

 The June 12, 1994, killings of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman grabbed the attention of people worldwide, as viewers closely watched the chaotic trial unravel.

But backed by his 'dream team' of lawyers, the icon, who had been accused of double murder in 1994 emerged triumphant when the grueling case came to a dramatic end the following year.

On October 3, 1995, nearly 150million people watched live the verdict as Simpson was found not guilty of the double murder, but the case still casts a long shadow. 

Simpson's death has brought renewed attention to the case and the incredible cast of lawyers he had at his side throughout the ordeal.

MailOnline has taken a look at where they are now.

F. Lee Bailey 

During the trial, Bailey was recognized as the most famous for his cross-examination of the LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman - who was called to testify regarding his discovery of a bloody glove recovered at Simpson's estate.

In a press conference leading up to his cross-examination of Fuhrman, Bailey said, 'Any lawyer in his right mind who would not be looking forward to cross-examining Mark Fuhrman is an idiot.' 

During the cross-examination, Bailey was able to get Fuhrman to plead the Fifth in response to key aspects of the case, including planting evidence, which resulted in the undermining of Fuhrman's credibility as a witness. 

This cross-examination is believed by many to be one of the keys to Simpson's acquittal.

When he joined the iconic defense team, Bailey was already well-known for his role in some of the most high-profile cases of the 20th century, including Patricia Hearst - an heiress-turned-bank-robber.  

Bailey was disbarred in Massachusetts and Florida in the early 2000s for misconduct in handling a client's case and later died on June 3, 2021, at the age of 87.

Robert Shapiro 

Shapiro joined Simpson's defense team one week after the beginning of the trial, when Howard Weitzman stepped back from the case.

His role was 'defense chair', meaning he was the backbone for building what came to be globally known as the 'dream team'.

After handing down his position to Johnnie Cochran he remained a careful observer of the trial as it unfolded and captured the ins-and-outs in his 2016 book: The Search for Justice: A Defense Attorney's Brief on the O.J. Simpson Case.

He went on to represent high-profile celebrity figures including Eva Longoria and Rob Kardashian.

Shapiro then founded LegalZoom - an application that helps clients create legal documents, as well as ShoeDazzle - a fashion subscription service he co-founded with Kim Kardashian in 2009. 

The ex-lawyer is also the co-founder of RightCounsel.com and is a senior partner in the Los Angeles-based law firm Glaser Weil Fink Jacobs Howard Avchen & Shapiro, LLP.

Steering away from the company start-ups, the former 'dream teamer' member wrote an anti-drugs children's book called Somo the Sober Monkey. 

Johnnie Cochran

After representing Michael Jackson against molestation allegations and Tupac Shakur on weapons charges, Cochran joined the Simpson defense team before taking over its chair from Robert Shapiro and becoming Simpson's lead attorney.

In his closing arguments, the former LA prosecutor famously uttered the phrase, 'If it doesn't fit, you must acquit,' alluding to the fact that the glove the prosecutors alleged Simpson wore during the murder did not fit Simpson's hand. 

After the trial, the line became a national catchphrase. 

In the years following the trial, Cochran expanded his law firm to 15 states and made frequent cameos on television.

He appeared on several sitcoms, including Martin, Family Matters, and JAG.

Tragically, in 2004, the celebrity lawyer was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he died the following year aged 67.

Cedars-Sinai Hospital, in Los Angeles, later opened the Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Brain Tumor Center in his memory.

Robert Kardashian

A close friend of Simpson, Kardashian infamously housed the former football star in his home so he could avoid the media while investigations took place.

He had reactivated his legal license when Simpson was arrested so that he could help defend his friend.

When Simpson fled authorities in a white Ford Bronco on June 17, 1994, Kardashian read a letter written by Simpson to reporters who had gathered outside his front door.

Kardashian and Simpson later had a falling out following the lawyer's 1996 book American Tragedy, which Simpson claimed violated attorney-client privileges.

He later began publicly claiming he had speculations regarding Simpson's innocence, telling ABC that same year: 'I have doubts. The blood evidence is the biggest thorn in my side; that causes me the greatest problems. So I struggle with the blood evidence.'

The lawyer died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at age 59, but he is remembered by his ex-wife Kris, and children Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob, thanks to their popular reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Alan Dershowitz

Dershowitz, a lawyer and Harvard professor, was a lead lawyer in the OJ Simpson case and helped the American star get an acquittal.

He also consulted on the scientific aspects of the case as it progressed.

Famous even before the Simpson trial for getting Claus von Bulow acquitted of murder, Dershowitz emerged as another celebrity super-lawyer.

He taught at Harvard Law until 2013 and has advised several high-profile clients including Julian Assange, and Harvey Weinstein.

Now 85, the lawyer is still sweeping headlines - especially for is role in advising President Donald Trump throughout his notorious impeachment trial.

Dershowitz has written multiple books about law and politics including Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case, and The Case for Peace.

Barry Scheck

Within the OJ Simpson trial, Scheck is recognised for his controversial stance that the DNA collected during investigations was either invalid by contamination, or planted by the police.

Scheck was responsible for initially introducing DNA to jurors before undermining the prosecution's forensic evidence by slamming the collection methods.

He and a fellow 'dream team' member, Peter Neufeld, co-founded The Innocence Project in 1992 - which uses DNA evidence to exonerate people who are wrongly convicted prisoners.

The project has reportedly helped overturn 300 convictions, including John Restivo, Dennis Halstead, and John Kogut who spent 18 years in prison for the rape and murder of Theresa Fusco in 1985.

Now aged 74, Scheck can be found teaching at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, in New York.

Peter Neufeld

Neufeld played a key role in the Simpson defense team after discrediting the credibility of the blood trail between Nicole Brown Simpson's body and OJ Simpson's car.

Following the end of the trial, Neufeld was appointed to serve on the New York State Commission on Forensic Science by then-Governor George Pataki, in 1995.

Later, in 2014, he was appointed by the US Department of Justice to the National Commission on Forensic Science.

As of 2016, the former lawyer continues to serve on both commissions and also chaired the Medical Committee of the Board of Trustees for the Montefiore Medical Center from 1995 to 2015.

As well as this, Neufeld is a co-founder of the Innocence Project, and is currently a partner at Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, LLP in New York.

Gerald F. Uelmen

During the OJ Simpson murder case, Uelmen says he came up with the famous line used by Johnnie Cochran in the closing argument - 'If it doesn't fit, you must acquit'.

He is currently a criminal law professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law where he served as Dean from 1986 to 1994. 

Continuing his career in law, he served as defense counsel in the trials of Daniel Ellsberg and Christian Brando. 

In 2006, Uelmen was appointed Executive Director for the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, created by the California State Senate to examine the causes of wrongful convictions and propose reforms of the California criminal justice system.

Robert Blasier

A student of Alan Dershowitz, Blasier graduated from Harvard Law School in 1970 and worked as Deputy District Attorney in Martinez from 1971 to 1978.

In addition to the Simpson criminal case, he has been on the defense in the OJ civil case, US v. Ted Kaczynski, People v. Phil Spector, and Schmierer v. Free Love Ministries, among others.

Carl E. Douglas

Douglas is best known for being the managing attorney at the law office of Johnnie Cochran Jr., before leaving to establish The Douglas Law Group in 1998.

He has also represented several other notable clients including popstar Michael Jackson, actors Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah, and former NFL safety Darren Sharper.

He now has a law office in Beverley Hills, California.

Shawn Holley

The only woman in the 'dream team', Holley worked for Cochran during the Simpson trial.

She is now a partner at the firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP, practicing in various areas of litigation.

Having joined the firm in 2006, it was renamed to include her name in 2021.

Following the Simpson case, Holley went on to represent a number of celebrity clients including Kim Kardashian, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsey Lohan, and Trevor Bauer, among others.

Additionally Holley is a visiting faculty lecturer at Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School at Yeshiva University in New York City.

The character 'Jax' in the 2022 TV series Reasonable Doubt is loosely based on the experiences of Shawn Holley, who is also a producer for the show.