Richard S. Jaffe ( born February 27 , 1950 ) is an American lawyer , legal analyst , leadership coach , and author of '' Quest for Justice : Defending the Damned '' . Jaffe is considered one of the foremost experts and lecturers on criminal law in America and is frequently called upon to comment on death penalty issues and other areas of criminal law by national television , radio and print media . After his 3rd death penalty exoneration at a jury trial , a Birmingham television station led with the byline “ Birmingham ’s Matlock . ” Jaffe is best known for leading the exonerations of three death row inmates in Alabama , and for representing Centennial Olympic Park bomber Eric Robert Rudolph . Jaffe has successfully defended hundreds of individuals accused of murder , including more than sixty cases where the defendant faced the death penalty . He tried twenty-two of those cases to conclusion to a jury . In Alabama , six people have been exonerated from death row . Mr. Jaffe served as lead lawyer in four of them : James Willie “ Bo ” Cochran , Randal Padgett , Gary Drinkard and Wesley Quick ( on appeal ) . None of Jaffe ’s clients are on death row nor have been executed . In addition , Jaffe served as lead counsel , at the behest of the ACLU , in the case of State of Alabama versus Montez Spradley , who was also on death row . Mr. Jaffe ’s efforts led to Spradley being released from Alabama ’s death row
Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park bombing
Richard S. Jaffe