Non-Top-Tier Law School Graduate of the Day: Benjamin Brafman
Following in the footsteps of Sullivan & Cromwell partner Eric Krautheimer, today’s Non-Top-Tier Law School Graduate of the Day also has a law degree from a Tier 4 law school, supplemented by an LLM from NYU. And just like Eric Krautheimer, his tremendously successful career provides support for the proposition that it’s not where you got your legal education, but what you do with it, that counts.
Name: Benjamin Brafman
Law School: Ohio Northern University, J.D., with distinction, 1974
Current Position: Partner, Brafman & Associates, P.C.
Why He’s Our Winner: Brafman is one of New York’s top criminal defense attorneys, with a long list of celebrity clients (including, for a time, Michael Jackson). Our tipster sums it up nicely: “He represented Diddy! He probably met J.Lo! How can you beat that?”
Brafman & Associates, P.C. [Lawyers.com]
Benjamin Brafman [Wikipedia]
Little Big Man [New York Magazine]
(19) Comments
Comments
first rt
I want a wiki page about me
I love how these "tier 2" people all have NYU LLMs.
Also, Lat, interview a real life tier 2 law school dean!
Lat: New topic suggestion: LLM degrees!
Brafman & Associates to Relevancy!
Wow, a successful NYU grad! This changes everything.
Who gives a shit about an LLM--he's a criminal defense lawyer.
I think this may be the one and only time I see my school's name grace the pages of ATL.
This exactly proves my point - this guy is the exception that proves the rule...Show me one successful Tier 4 grad, and I will show you 10,000 failures..
Another criminal defense lawyer to celebrities, Robert Morvillo, looks as sloppy as a TTT grad (but actually went to Columbia).
I wouldn't be so quick to knock this practice area. If you are one of the true believers in criminal defense in order to stomach it, this is a cake practice area. Most cases are flat fees (i.e. no, that's zero, billable hours) and like civil cases, over 90% plea. These guys charge $3-4k for a DUI that takes up about 45 minutes of their time.
I know several successful criminal defense attorneys and I can tell you how often they are at the office past 5 o'clock....Never!! If you had to translate the amount of work these guys put in to billable hours, I would guess 500-750. It may not be glamorous, but making $500-700k working essentially part time ain't bad...if you can stomach it.
Billy Martin, Reid Weingarten, Ian Comisky...all top-notch criminal defense attorneys.
he's also representing Melvyn Weiss.
"Wow, a successful NYU grad! This changes everything."
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Umm, yeah. Apparently you've never heard of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Krantz...
I'm not 3:41, but I'm pretty sure that was sarcastic.
But an LLM from NYU is not the same thing as a JD from NYU. Brafman is still a fourth-tier grad.
dear knock it off,
it is amazing that you so gracefully demonstrate that you have no idea what criminal practice entails, what your friends really do for a living, the stresses that go with that, the all nighters in preparation for trials, the lies that are repeatedly told by prosecutors and cops, and the inane ramblings of a mere bag carrier to a green 5th year litigator who has never even gone so far in court to argue a motion on their own to warrant any note, I agree with you, knock it off. Defense attorneys work a whole lot more on real trials than you can ever dream of doing as a guy who just rides the pine.
poo-poo on NYU for diluting the strengh of its degrees by selling LLMs to non top-tier students.
An NYU LLM in tax means someting, not sure about the rest.
ONU has some great profs and a great program.