Law FirmThe Cochran Firm
100 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2600, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
Johnnie Cochran's National Civil Rights Legacy
The Cochran Firm is one of the most recognized civil rights and personal injury law firms in the United States, built on the legendary legacy of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., whose career defined a generation of civil rights litigation against police departments and government entities. Founded in Los Angeles and expanded into a national network of offices, the firm has continued Cochran's mission of holding law enforcement accountable for excessive force, wrongful death, false arrest, and systemic civil rights violations. The firm's attorneys have represented thousands of families across the country who have suffered at the hands of abusive or negligent government actors, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements.
The firm is particularly well known for its aggressive pursuit of police misconduct cases at every level — from local police departments to county sheriffs and federal agencies. Its attorneys have litigated landmark cases involving officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, racial profiling, and unconstitutional searches and seizures. The Cochran Firm operates with a philosophy that mirrors its founder's belief that no individual — regardless of race, income, or background — should be denied justice when their civil rights are violated by those in positions of authority.
With offices spanning more than a dozen states, The Cochran Firm functions as a national network of civil rights litigators who collaborate on complex, high-stakes cases while maintaining deep roots in their local communities. The firm has been repeatedly recognized by legal publications and civil rights organizations for its impact on police accountability law and its ability to achieve significant outcomes in cases that other firms decline to take. Its national reach, combined with decades of institutional knowledge in civil rights litigation, makes it one of the most formidable forces in police misconduct law in the country.
Notable Results
- Secured a $4.9 million settlement for the family of a man killed by police in a wrongful death and excessive force case
- Obtained multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in numerous police shooting cases across multiple states
- Recovered significant settlements in cases involving in-custody deaths and unconstitutional use of force by law enforcement
- Secured a $15 million settlement on behalf of the family of a man shot and killed by police in a wrongful death and excessive force case
- Obtained a multi-million dollar verdict against a major metropolitan police department in an excessive force and civil rights case
- Recovered substantial seven-figure settlements in numerous in-custody death cases brought against county jail facilities and municipal police departments
- Johnnie Cochran personally secured a $2.5 million settlement for Reginald Denny, beaten during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and litigated multiple high-profile LAPD misconduct cases
- The firm's attorneys have collectively recovered over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements across civil rights and personal injury matters since the firm's founding
Key Characteristics
- Operates a national network of offices in more than 30 states, providing civil rights representation to clients across the United States against law enforcement and government entities.
- Founded on the legacy of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who built his career on confronting police misconduct and civil rights violations, particularly in landmark cases involving the Los Angeles Police Department.
- The firm's attorneys have collectively recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of victims of police brutality, wrongful death, excessive force, and constitutional violations.
- Maintains a dedicated civil rights division that handles high-profile police shooting cases, in-custody deaths, and racial discrimination claims against law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Collaborates with national civil rights organizations and advocacy groups to pursue both individual client justice and broader systemic reform of law enforcement practices.
- Founded by Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., one of the most celebrated civil rights and criminal defense attorneys in American history, whose work redefined police accountability litigation
- Operates as a national network of civil rights attorneys with offices in more than a dozen states, enabling collaboration on complex multi-jurisdictional police misconduct cases
- Has represented thousands of families in civil rights and police misconduct matters, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in collective recoveries against law enforcement
- The firm's attorneys are deeply embedded in local communities while drawing on national resources and institutional knowledge built over decades of civil rights litigation
- Recognized by civil rights organizations and legal publications as one of the most impactful plaintiff-side civil rights firms in the United States
- Maintains a strong commitment to representing clients regardless of financial means, consistent with Johnnie Cochran's founding philosophy of equal access to justice
- Experienced in litigating Section 1983 federal civil rights claims, Monell liability against municipalities, and state tort claims arising from law enforcement misconduct
- Known for taking on high-risk, high-profile cases that other firms decline, particularly those involving systemic police department misconduct and racially motivated use of force