About
Gerald Leonard Spence (January 8, 1929 – August 13, 2025) was an American trial lawyer and author. He was a member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and was the founder of the Trial Lawyers College. Spence never lost a criminal trial before a jury, either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, and did not lose a civil trial after 1969, although several verdicts were overturned on appeal. He is considered one of the greatest lawyers of the 20th century, and among the best trial lawyers ever. He has been described by legal scholar Richard Falk as a "lawyer par excellence". The New York Times said that "in the tradition of Perry Mason, he seemed unbeatable."