As an attorney, legal analyst and commentator, Opri has provided insight and analysis on celebrity cases involving civil and criminal allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as a profile of current and celebrity events and issues requiring legal analysis.
Opri’s emphasis on the importance of the “media perspective” as part of a client's case or cause provides a unique approach to both her practice and her media analysis.
A longtime Californian, Opri still considers herself an East Coast native, having spent her early years in New Jersey and New York. Her origins take root in a focused scholastic education directed towards film and television training in front of,and behind, the camera, also studying at the Lee Strasbourg Institute in New York. While a student at New York University (NYU) Opri became interested in the law and the media's impact on high profile cases.
Relocating to Los Angeles, Opri began collecting experience and credentials in the film and television industry, simultaneously laying the foundation for a legal career, eventually earning her J.D. degree in 1987.
Since then , Ms. Opri has pursued both a television and legal career with an emphasis on combining the media and legal training to best serve what would eventually lead to a law practice focused on client representation needing the expertise of the media.
Today, Opri is licensed to practice law in California, New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. Opri continues to believe that legal representation must include a savvy and candid awareness of the media and its potential assistance in bringing legal and current issues to a mass audience’s attention.
Debra Opri represents clients from all walks of life. Her reasoning is that “to stay connected to the regular guy is to understand what is important in life and in the courtroom when talking to the jury.” Her down-to- earth qualities and her genuine candor in dealing with issues and people have been a winning combination both in and out of the courtroom.
Media Cases:
In 2001-2002, Ms. Opri successfully defended the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, in a sexual assault/harassment case in Los Angeles. Her effective legal strategies included bringing to the attention of the jury the “differences” of her famous client’s actual persona ... what was the media image and what was the personal side of James Brown, a humble, older performer and southern gentleman who was trying to provide economic assistance to his race. Simultaneous with her client’s positive image conveyed throughout this case and in the courtroom, Ms. Opri also challenged the credibility of the woman who accused Brown of sexual improprieties, relying upon witnesses and material evidence, as well as the woman’s own testimony in successfully challenging the allegations of sexual misconduct.
In 2003-2005, Ms. Opri was retained by Joe and Katharine Jackson, the parents of Michael Jackson, to represent their interests concerning their son's criminal case in Santa Barbara County. Her clear representation of facts and law addressed the media's campaign to convict Michael Jackson before the case even went to a jury. Ms. Opri was
one of the few in the media to predict
that Michael Jackson would be acquitted of all charges.
In 2006-2007, Opri championed the cause of Larry Birkhead in his
high profile
paternity action seeking to establish,
fight for
and protect a
father's rights over his child. She has successfully forced a DNA test in both California and the Bahamas in furtherence of a father's rights.
In 2007, Opri represented Pamela Hasslehoff in her divorce proceeding with David Hasslehoff.
Recently, Opri agreed to represent Bill Ash, the personal assistant and potential key witness to what many consider the suspicious death of Seth Tobias, a financial analyst and hedge fund guru.
Opri's other cases have included the shooting death of Tyrone Brooks, an unarmed 19-year-old, who was shot to death by San Bernardino police officers; the case of a 14-year-old student who was sexually assaulted by her teacher in Chicago; the wrongful death of two foster care children when their mother threw them over the ninth floor balcony of the Los Angeles Superior Court building. [Citing the negligence of the county social worker in not properly overseeing the blatant issues of the mother’s own mental instability and of the need to have the children removed from the home, the case focused public attention on the County’s inability to properly train and supervise social workers an overburdened and overwhelmed foster care system.]
Opri also took on the largest foster care agency in the State of California, the International Foster Family Agency, representing seven employees who were whistleblowers against a systematic abuse of foster care funds from the state and county amassing millions yearly in what would become a circumvention of these funds for personal use, and an obvious and egregious misuse of funds earmarked for foster children and parents.
Opri continues to represent high profile and everyday clients, choosing the message the case will send to the public, in deciding whether to accept the case or the client.
Opri & Associates, continues to be a full service organization relying upon the expertise of legal specialists for each area of practice, with an emphasis on providing an outlet for the message each case brings.
