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Gerry Spence
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Gerry Spence
Gerald Leonard Spence (January 8, 1929 – August 13, 2025) was an American trial lawyer and author. He was a member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and was the founder of the Trial Lawyers College. Spence never lost a criminal trial before a jury, either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, and did not lose a civil trial after 1969, although several verdicts were overturned on appeal. He is considered one of the greatest lawyers of the 20th century, and among the best trial lawyers ever. He has been described by legal scholar Richard Falk as a "lawyer par excellence". The New York Times said that "in the tradition of Perry Mason, he seemed unbeatable."
Spence was recognized for winning nearly every case he ever handled, including a number of high-profile cases, such as Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, the Ed Cantrell murder case, the Karen Silkwood case, and the defense of Geoffrey Fieger. He also defended Brandon Mayfield, and successfully prosecuted Mark Hopkinson as a special prosecutor. One of his most significant cases was the defense of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines and first governor of Metro Manila, in a racketeering/fraud case considered one of the trials of the century, which he won.
Spence won multi-million-dollar lawsuits against corporations, such as $26.5 million in libel damages for 1978 Miss Wyoming Kim Pring against Penthouse in 1981. He also won a $52 million lawsuit against McDonald's in 1984. Spence won more multi-million dollar verdicts without an intervening loss than any lawyer in the United States. Spence acted as a legal consultant for NBC during its coverage of the O. J. Simpson trial and appeared on Larry King Live. He was the author of over a dozen books about politics and law, including The New York Times bestseller How to Argue and Win Every Time (1995), Win Your Case (2005), From Freedom to Slavery (1993), and Police State: How America's Cops Get Away with Murder (2015).
Gerry Spence was born in Laramie, Wyoming, on January 8, 1929. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1949 and from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1952, graduating first in his class.
Spence was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in May 1990. He started his career in Riverton, Wyoming, and later became a successful defense attorney for the insurance industry, winning many cases. Years later, Spence said he "saw the light" and became committed to representing individuals instead of corporations, insurance companies, banks, or "big business."
From 1954 to 1962, he served as prosecuting attorney of Fremont County, Wyoming.
Spence and his second wife divided their time between their homes in Dubois, Wyoming, and Santa Barbara, California. Spence chose the name Imaging for his second wife, who was born LaNelle Hampton Peterson. Despite having residences in two different states, Spence stated that he would "die in Wyoming"; however, he died in California.
Spence gained national attention during the Karen Silkwood case. Karen Silkwood was a worker at the Kerr-McGee plutonium-production plant, where she became a whistleblower and activist concerned with workplace safety. On November 13, 1974, she died in a suspicious one-car crash after allegedly gathering evidence for her union and the New York Times. Spence represented her family, who sued Kerr-McGee for exposing Silkwood to dangerous levels of radiation. Spence won a $10.5 million verdict for the family, but an appeals court reversed the verdict. After the ruling by the appeals court, the two sides later agreed to a settlement of $1.3 million.
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Gerry Spence
Gerald Leonard Spence (January 8, 1929 – August 13, 2025) was an American trial lawyer and author. He was a member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and was the founder of the Trial Lawyers College. Spence never lost a criminal trial before a jury, either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, and did not lose a civil trial after 1969, although several verdicts were overturned on appeal. He is considered one of the greatest lawyers of the 20th century, and among the best trial lawyers ever. He has been described by legal scholar Richard Falk as a "lawyer par excellence". The New York Times said that "in the tradition of Perry Mason, he seemed unbeatable."
Spence was recognized for winning nearly every case he ever handled, including a number of high-profile cases, such as Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, the Ed Cantrell murder case, the Karen Silkwood case, and the defense of Geoffrey Fieger. He also defended Brandon Mayfield, and successfully prosecuted Mark Hopkinson as a special prosecutor. One of his most significant cases was the defense of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines and first governor of Metro Manila, in a racketeering/fraud case considered one of the trials of the century, which he won.
Spence won multi-million-dollar lawsuits against corporations, such as $26.5 million in libel damages for 1978 Miss Wyoming Kim Pring against Penthouse in 1981. He also won a $52 million lawsuit against McDonald's in 1984. Spence won more multi-million dollar verdicts without an intervening loss than any lawyer in the United States. Spence acted as a legal consultant for NBC during its coverage of the O. J. Simpson trial and appeared on Larry King Live. He was the author of over a dozen books about politics and law, including The New York Times bestseller How to Argue and Win Every Time (1995), Win Your Case (2005), From Freedom to Slavery (1993), and Police State: How America's Cops Get Away with Murder (2015).
Gerry Spence was born in Laramie, Wyoming, on January 8, 1929. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1949 and from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1952, graduating first in his class.
Spence was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in May 1990. He started his career in Riverton, Wyoming, and later became a successful defense attorney for the insurance industry, winning many cases. Years later, Spence said he "saw the light" and became committed to representing individuals instead of corporations, insurance companies, banks, or "big business."
From 1954 to 1962, he served as prosecuting attorney of Fremont County, Wyoming.
Spence and his second wife divided their time between their homes in Dubois, Wyoming, and Santa Barbara, California. Spence chose the name Imaging for his second wife, who was born LaNelle Hampton Peterson. Despite having residences in two different states, Spence stated that he would "die in Wyoming"; however, he died in California.
Spence gained national attention during the Karen Silkwood case. Karen Silkwood was a worker at the Kerr-McGee plutonium-production plant, where she became a whistleblower and activist concerned with workplace safety. On November 13, 1974, she died in a suspicious one-car crash after allegedly gathering evidence for her union and the New York Times. Spence represented her family, who sued Kerr-McGee for exposing Silkwood to dangerous levels of radiation. Spence won a $10.5 million verdict for the family, but an appeals court reversed the verdict. After the ruling by the appeals court, the two sides later agreed to a settlement of $1.3 million.
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