Passing

At this point in my life, I'd like to think there are precious few things in the world around me that can out-and-out shock me, but for some reason, the passing of Johnny Cochran does just that.

I don't know what it is... the fact that he certainly didn't look his sixty-seven years, or the thought that someone so strong, so powerful (regardless of what you thought of his rather ridiculous and high-flying public persona) could just fade away and die that quickly.

I've been way too aware of mortality -- my own and others' -- these days (how could I not, with Terri Schiavo plastered all over the news?) to not be affected by the passing of a seemingly strong public figure like Mr. Cochran.  And don't get me wrong;  I've always had the vague feeling that he was some kind of high-priced shyster - an expensive, slightly unseemly mouthpiece who didn't do anyone one (least of all Justice with an uppercase "J") any service by getting OJ Simpson off (a viewpoint, it's not lost on me, that may reveal a sublimated  prejudice on my part).

I can't help but feel there's some sort of ending... perhaps the passing of an Age of Legends of sort that comes with the passing of Johnny Cochran.  It's not as though the lawyers who're representing Michael Jackson have the sort of name recognition that Johnny Cochran had.  Can you name them?  Can you name the people who represented Kobe Bryant?  The people representing Michael Jackson?

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, or any sort of thing specifically at all, but maybe the age of the Lawyer as Celebrity is passing?