Gerry Spence, born, reared and educated in Wyoming, is recognized nationwide for his powerful courtroom victories. He graduated cum laude from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1952. He has spent his lifetime representing the poor, the injured, the forgotten and the damned against what he calls "the new slave master" -- a combination of mammoth corporations and gargantuan government. He has tried and won many nationally known cases including the Karen Silkwood case, (a movie was made of the case with Meryl Streep and Cher,) the defense of Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, the defense of Imelda Marcos, the case against "Penthouse Magazine" for Miss Wyoming, and the murder defenses of Ed Cantrell and Sandy Jones.
Spence has never lost a criminal case either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney. He has not lost a civil case since 1969. He has had more multi-million dollar verdicts without an intervening loss than any lawyer in America. As a man who has really never retired, in his late 70s Spence represented Brandon Mayfield, a modest Oregon attorney, against the United States federal government in which Spence was instrumental in obtaining a federal court decision to hold the Patriot Act unconstitutional. In 2008, in a politically charged case brought by the U.S. Justice Department against attorney Geoffrey Fieger, Spence won complete acquittals for his client on a ten-count indictment alleging federal campaign contribution violations, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Spence is the founder of the nationally acclaimed Trial Lawyers College which has established a revolutionary method for training lawyers for the people. He believes that what he has learned in a career should be shared with those who will continue to strive for justice on behalf of ordinary citizens. At the College, he and his pro bono staff teach important skills and methods to trial lawyers for the people as well as to lawyers who have dedicated their professional lives to defeat the death penalty. He is the founder of Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming, also a pro bono law firm representing the indigent.
Spence has received numerous awards in his lifetime including an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Wyoming, the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Consumer Attorneys of California (formerly California Trial Lawyers Association), and many honors by the American Academy of Achievement. In 2009, he was inducted into the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame, which includes John Adams and Clarence Darrow.
Spence is the author of sixteen nationally published books, including the massive best-seller How to Argue and Win Every Time. His books include From Freedom to Slavery; O.J: the Last Word; The Making of a Country Lawyer; Murder and Madness; A Boy's Summer; With Justice for None; Give Me Liberty!; Gunning for Justice; Trial by Fire; Win Your Case; Bloodthirsty Bitches and the Pious Pimps of Power; Gerry Spence's Wyoming; Smoking Gun; and his widely acclaimed novel, Half-Moon and Empty Stars.
Throughout his career, Spence was a frequent commentator on television. He served as legal consultant for NBC television covering the O.J. Simpson trial, and he has frequently appeared on Larry King Live and the Rivera Show, as well as numerous other national television shows.
He lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with his wife of forty years, Imaging. They have six children and thirteen grandchildren.