 Gerald Shargel

Gerald Shargel (born October 5, 1944) is an American defense attorney based in New York City who has been a member of the New York Bar since 1969.He is widely regarded as one of the best lawyers in America - The New Yorker in a 10,000 word profile said he is "...a criminal lawyer considered quite possibly the finest of his generation, a man of elegance in the courtroom, who has said he models his oratory on Martin Luther King, Jr...The most scholarly judges treat him as an equal...He is also one of the best pure trial lawyers in town, known for the exceptional skill of his cross examination and for his physicality..."

He has garnered attention as both a trial and appellate lawyer, representing white-collar clients and ordinary criminal defendants, but is most famous for along with Bruce Cutler, securing the acquittal of Mafia boss John J. Gotti in 1990 on New York State charges that Gotti had ordered the shooting of labor union official John F. O'Connor.