CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Gerry Spence, the fringe jacket-wearing trial lawyer from Wyoming known for a string of major court wins ...

Calling himself America’s best trial lawyer, he won justice for Karen Silkwood and successfully defended Imelda Marcos. He also wrote best sellers.

By the late 1960s, he shifted exclusively to representing plaintiffs and criminal defendants, aligning his practice with his conscience. His law firm moved from Casper to Jackson in 1978 and continues ...