Lawyer lands punches in, out of court

Sandra Sanchez

07/05/1994

USA Today

FINAL

Page 04A

Three mornings a week, defense lawyer Robert Shapiro lands punches before he

enters court - on a set of punching bags, or with sparring partners, in the garage

of his Beverly Hills, Calif., home, under the watchful eye of a trainer. "I've

always admired boxers because they're so agile," Shapiro, 51, told People

magazine. "That's the way I want to be." Another favorite sport is bungee

jumping, which he's photographed doing at Lake Tahoe in the July 11 issue. The

New Jersey-born celebrity lawyer who favors $2,000 Giorgio Armani suits,

enjoys carrot-beet juice, and is sensitive about a balding spot, describes himself

as meticulous and disciplined, especially when working on a celebrity case. "The

public perception is that a celebrity can get off easier. . . . It's absolutely not

true," he said. "Two cases being equal, one involving a celebrity and the other

not, the ordinary citizen has a much better chance of getting a better result."

Although he spends long hours preparing for cases, "he'll drop anything for the

kids," says wife Linell, 46. Example: the first week of the O.J. Simpson case, he

took sons, Brent, 13, and Grant, 10, to the USA vs. Colombia World Cup match.

NIGHT READING: Simpson's management agency has asked Random House to

send Simpson the books, All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing by Cormac

McCarthy, Newsweek reports. Prison rules require books to be sent from

publishers. And if prison officials don't consider the material appropriate, the

agency has asked Random House for "any variety of books you might be able to

send." Horses, is the first in a planned trilogy, and won the 1992 National Book

Critics Circle Award for fiction. It centers on two teens who run away on

horseback from their Texas homes and end up working on a Mexican ranch. One

boy falls in love with the daughter of the ranch owner. The boys then are arrested

on murder and horse thievery charges. The Crossing also is about two youths

who leave their New Mexican homes.

DEFENSE BREAK: Simpson's defense team appeared to be in a celebratory

mood Saturday. Shapiro, leading a group of about 20 that included F. Lee Bailey

and Alan Dershowitz, showed up at Nicky Blair's restaurant on Sunset Boulevard

and traded embraces with a procession of visitors. Shapiro described the past two

weeks as grueling and said the outing was a way to unwind. The party broke up

around 11 p.m., and the crowd left for dessert at Shapiro's home. Simpson's

friend, Robert Kardashian, said he's "just trying to hold things together."

RE-ELECTED: A week before Simpson was charged with killing Nicole Brown

Simpson, and Ronald Goldman, he was re-elected to the board of The Forschner

Group, a Connecticut-based Swiss Army knives distributor, The Detroit News

reports. To oust him, shareholders would have to hold a special meeting or wait

until his term expires. He gets a $10,000 stipend and $1,000 a meeting.

TRADING CARDS: Collectors at a sports memorabilia show in Anaheim, Calif.,

this weekend bought thousands of cards of Simpson, Nicole Simpson and

Goldman. Going price: $8 to $10 each. Featured in the 10-pack from Interlink

News Services: Simpson's police mug shot, court photos, a white Ford Bronco

with Simpson inside being chased by police, Nicole Simpson's driver's license

photo, and modeling photos of Goldman.

Contributing: Jonathan T. Lovitt and Noreen Seebacher

PHOTO,b/w,Douglas C. Pizac,Agence France-Presse