Who

Murray Richman—otherwise known as "Don't Worry Murray"—is a Bronx-based defense attorney known for representing high-profile rappers like Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule.

Backstory

Born and raised in the Bronx, Richman says he became interested in the law when he worked as a social worker and saw young offenders being shuttled through the criminal justice system. Feeling an "almost priestly calling," he took night classes at New York Law School and opened a firm in his old neighborhood after graduating, trolling the district's bars and restaurants with his Puerto Rican office manager trying to drum up clients. He carved out a reputation (and started making real money) in the '70s when he defended a string of mobsters. He quickly became one of the most prominent Mob lawyers in town and went on to rep members of all five of the city's families (Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese) during the '70s and '80s. But he represented mobsters of other ethnic backgrounds, too (such as Latino drug lords and Eastern European gangsters) as well as a handful of fallen political leaders including former Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan and Democratic politician Paul Adler. Recently Richman has become more famous for his celebrity defenses: Over the past decade, he's come to the aid of Jay-Z, DMX, Shyne, and D.L. Hughley.

Of note

The gregarious Richman is known for his one-liners ("I love murder—always one less witness to worry about") as well as his courtroom antics. At one trial involving multiple defendants, Richman used the "sleeping defendant routine"—he had his client sleep through the entire trial—a tactic that made the seemingly drowsy defendant come across as an unlikely trigger man. He's also managed to convince a jury that a murder victim "accidentally" fell on his client's knife seven times.

Although he'd been one of New York City's busiest criminal defense lawyers for years (not to mention one of its most expensive), his work with rappers has meant even greater fame. In 1998, he defended DMX on rape charges; in 1999, he was hired by Shyne, who was arrested with Jennifer Lopez and Diddy after a shooting at ClubUSA. But while Puffy (who was defended by Ben Brafman and Johnnie Cochran) ended up walking at the 2001 trial, Shyne, the alleged gunman, was convicted of gun possession and assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Legal file

In August of 1977, he was indicted by Robert Fiske—who was then US Attorney for the Southern District—for conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with a real-estate deal that Richman had helped orchestrate. After a four-week trial, Richman was acquitted.

Personal

Richman's high school sweetheart and wife of 38 years, Andrea, passed away in 2001. He lives in New City, NY and has a two-bedroom duplex penthouse on the Upper East Side. He has two daughters: Stacey, a criminal defense attorney who works with her father and is expected to take over the practice, and a younger daughter named Nicky, who's a social worker.