Gerald F. Uelmen (born October 8, 1940) is an American attorney, writer, civil servant, and academic. He was part of

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname "the Juice", was an American professional American football, football player, actor, and media personality who played in the National Football League (NFL) ...

's defense team during his trial, dubbed the " Dream Team." Uelmen says he devised the memorable line used by

Johnnie Cochran Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr.Adam Bernstei ''The Washington Post'', March 30, 2005; retrieved April 17, 2006. ( ; October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American attorney from California who was involved in numerous civil rights and Police b ...

in the closing argument, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Uelmen is currently a professor at the

Santa Clara University School of Law The Santa Clara University School of Law (Santa Clara Law) is the law school of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States, in the Silicon Valley region. The School of Law was founded in 1911. Santa Cla ...

, where he served as dean from 1986 to 1994. He served as defense counsel in the trials of

Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (April 7, 1931June 16, 2023) was an American political activist, economist, and United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, he precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released th ...

and

Christian Brando Christian Devi Brando (May 11, 1958January 26, 2008) was an American actor who was one of the eleven acknowledged children of actor Marlon Brando, and the only one Brando had with his first wife, former actress Anna Kashfi. On May 16, 1990, B ...

. In 2006, he was appointed executive director for the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, created by the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

to examine the causes of

wrongful convictions A miscarriage of justice occurs when an unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Innocent p ...

and propose reforms of the California criminal justice system.

Bibliography

* ''Supreme Folly'' (1993) (with Rodney R Jones) * ''Lessons from the Trial: The People V. O.J. Simpson'' (1996) * ''California Evidence: A Wizard's Guide'' (2014) * ''If It Doesn't Fit'' (2016)

References

External links

Gerald Uelmen's Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uelman, Gerald Santa Clara University faculty Living people Loyola Law School faculty American anti–death penalty activists Loyola Marymount University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni 1940 births People from Greendale, Wisconsin Activists from California O. J. Simpson murder case