The Story of My Life

Clarence Darrow (April 18 1857 - March 13 1938) was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union. He was best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert Bobby Franks (1924). Some of his other notable cases included defending Ossian Sweet and John T. Scopes in the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925) in which he opposed William Jennings Bryan (statesman noted orator and three-time presidential candidate). Called a sophisticated country lawyer he remains notable for his wit which marked him as one of the most famous American lawyers and civil libertarians. Today Clarence Darrow is remembered for his reputation as a fierce litigator who in many cases championed the cause of the underdog; because of this he is generally regarded as one of the greatest criminal defense lawyers in American history and therefor has he served as a model for almost every lawyer on film or television.