Gerald F. Uelmen (born October 8, 1940) is an American attorney, writer, civil servant, and academic. He was part of O. J. Simpson's defense team during the

O. J. Simpson murder case ''The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson'' was a criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court starting in 1994, in which O. J. Simpson, a former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster and actor, was ...

, dubbed the "

Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...

." Uelmen says he devised the memorable line used by Johnnie Cochran 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. The Jesuit ...

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

Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (born April 7, 1931) is an American political activist, and former United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, Ellsberg precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the ''Pent ...

and

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

. 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, Cal ...

to examine the causes of

wrongful convictions A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly 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. Inno ...

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