Robert Shapiro’s net worth in 2024 comes from his dealings with some seriously notorious figures in pop culture history.
He’s back in headlines thanks to Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, having represented Erik Menéndez briefly and coordinating his surrender to police after the brothers murdered their parents Kitty and José Menéndez, but it’s not the only time he’s appeared in a Murphy series. He was also a fixture (played by John Travolta, no less) in American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, which focused in part on O.J. Simpson‘s “Dream Team” of lawyers in his criminal trial for the brutal murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Shapiro has racked up quite a fortune not just with famous criminal defendants, but also in civil litigation and entrepreneurship. Find out how much he’s made so far.
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How did Robert Shapiro become famous?
Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on Sept. 2, 1942, Shapiro moved with his family to Los Angeles at a young age. After high school, he enrolled in University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance. In 1968, he graduated from Loyola Law School. He was admitted to the California State Bar a year later.
Shapiro achieved notoriety initially from working with a slew of professional athletes, including Simpson, Darryl Strawberry and José Canseco, eventually expanding his roster to include major corporations and other celebrities, including the Kardashians—but his most well-known case ever was Simpson’s “Trial of the Century.”
He is licensed and practices as both a criminal and civil attorney as a name partner of the firm Glaser, Weil, Fink, Howard, Avchen & Shapiro LLP.
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What is Robert Shapiro’s net worth in 2024?
Robert Shapiro’s net worth in 2024 is estimated at a whopping $120 million, according to Lawyers Monthly.
How much did Robert Shapiro make?
Shapiro has raked in at least $120 million throughout his career. Part of that is from defending rich, high-profile clients in court, while Lawyers Monthly reports that another large share of his fortune is thanks to his co-founding LegalZoom.
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How much does Robert Shapiro charge per hour?
The Orlando Sentinel reported that during the O.J. Simpson trial, the NFL icon’s legal team charged upwards of $300 per hour in 1994 and 1995. Adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly $650 in 2024—and thanks to the fame the trial gave him, there’s a strong chance his fee is even higher than that.
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Does Robert Shapiro own LegalZoom?
Shapiro doesn’t own LegalZoom, but he did co-found the website. He’s also cofounder of RightCounsel.com and, interestingly enough, ShoeDazzle.
What does Robert Shapiro do now?
Shapiro is still a practicing civil litigator and criminal defense attorney and co-founder of ShoeDazzle, LegalZoom and RightCounsel.com. He also created the Brent Shapiro Foundation, which raises awareness of substance abuse and addiction, in honor of his late son, who died from a drug overdose.
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Who all did Robert Shapiro represent?
Shapiro’s most famous clientele for various litigation includes:
- F. Lee Bailey (before he became another of Simpson’s “Dream Team” attorneys)
- Christian Brando (son of Oscar winner Marlon Brando)
- José Canseco
- Johnny Carson
- Vince Coleman
- Oscar De La Hoya
- Diamond Resorts International
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Conrad Hilton
- Paris Hilton
- Rob Kardashian
- Eva Longoria
- Linda Lovelace
- Erik Menéndez
- William C. Rader
- Rockstar Energy Drinks
- O.J. Simpson
- Phil Spector
- Darryl Strawberry
- Steve Wynn
- Wynn Resorts
What did Robert Shapiro say about OJ?
In a 2016 interview with Megyn Kelly (via PEOPLE), Shapiro opened up about the Simpson trial.
“There’s two types of justice that we deal with in America: There’s moral justice and there’s legal justice. If you look at it from a moral point of view, a lot of people would say he absolutely did it. I deal in legal justice, as you did as a lawyer, and that’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt. And there’s no question in my mind that any fair juror who saw that case from the beginning to the end would conclude there was reasonable doubt.”
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Did Robert Shapiro believe OJ?
Shapiro won’t say one way or the other whether he believed in Simpson’s innocence, but does note that it wasn’t his job to make that call.
“As far as moral justice, I haven’t discussed it with anyone, including my wife,” he told Kelly, adding, “We hope and pray that innocent people are never convicted, and the price we pay is that sometimes guilty people can and do go free.”
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