PCP - Oscar Goodman
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What insights does Oscar Goodman share about Las Vegas?
We'll be in Las Vegas. Welcome to Vegas.
Las Vegas functions on a 24-hour-a-day schedule. Who's the casino? Big volcano out in front. That's the Eiffel Tower. Mirage. Riviera. The Mirage. Flamingo. Sahara. The MGM Grand. This isn't the real Caesars Palace, is it? on a gamble they always put the machines that pay off the most right in the front good luck the strip is just the most amazing stretch of road i think probably anywhere in the world kicking ass in vegas vegas baby vegas baby welcome to las vegas i don't know what i think about oscar goodman
I want to say I respect what he does, and if I needed help, I hope my advocate is half the lawyer he is.
How does Oscar Goodman describe his legal career and ethical dilemmas?
At the same time, what he's done and who he's defended troubles me, makes me uncomfortable, ethically, even if I'm not sure it should. When Oscar speaks about his clients, he does so very deliberately, as if to make sure he doesn't say something that would get him in trouble. He claims there's no such thing as the mob, even though history has proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt, but that might just be his well-polished shtick. Oscar will tell you that he's really just naive, but it's hard to accept because he's clearly very intelligent. He considers his greatest accomplishment to be his family, and he loves his wife very much. It's clear he passionately enjoys what he does, and what he does is defend rights.
He's also incredibly likable, although he's one hell of a ball buster. Oscar is the kind of guy that you want to like you, even if you're not sure you like him. Oscar Goodman was born July 26, 1939 in the working class neighborhood of West Philadelphia. His last name and stereotypical Jewish features made him a target for bullies and bigots. But Oscar wouldn't back down from a fight, even if he often lost them. He had difficulty taking his education seriously despite his family's emphasis on it. Despite being more of a quick wit, Oscar eventually became a top student. He got into Haverford College more because of his tenacity and charm than his grades. He graduated in 1961, then attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
What personal experiences shaped Oscar Goodman's views on law and justice?
During a summer break, Oscar and a friend visited Las Vegas, specifically Dunes. Oscar loved to gamble and drink. He earned a reputation as a ladies' man. That was until he met Carolyn Goldmark. The two dated throughout college, but when they decided they wanted to get married, her parents were disappointed that she fell in love with a Jewish boy. Despite being Jewish themselves, her family was only technically Jewish, never practicing their faith. When Oscar asked Carolyn's father if he could marry his daughter, the couple were talked into waiting a year until Oscar finished his first year of law school. Oscar barely passed. Despite being in law school, Oscar considered multiple career options, including an artist.
It wasn't until he took a full-time job as the assistant district attorney that Oscar fell in love with law. But he still hated law school. It was Carolyn that inspired him to aspire to more than class clown. Oscar would tell you that he got into law to help people, not make money, irregardless of the fact that he made a lot of it. Coming out of law school, he decided to write a bunch of district attorneys around the country looking for work. He got a response from Las Vegas.
How did Oscar Goodman transition from prosecution to defense attorney?
So in the fall of 1964, the couple moved to Vegas. The Rat Pack was performing at the Sands, and Caesar's Palace was under construction. When they arrived, the city's population was 75,000 people, fewer than some neighborhoods in Philadelphia. It had a flat landscape that transformed into a neon jungle at night. Oscar fell in love with the city instantly, but it was a cultural shock to Carolyn. He would only last 18 months working for the prosecution, complaining that the system was too weighted in their favor, taking advantage of those too poor or uneducated to defend themselves properly. He decided he wanted to be a criminal defense attorney. Friend and fellow lawyer Harry Claiborne tried to discourage him from it, saying there was no money in criminal law.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What insights does Oscar Goodman share about Las Vegas?
0:06–1:04
2
How does Oscar Goodman describe his legal career and ethical dilemmas?
1:04–2:34
3
What personal experiences shaped Oscar Goodman's views on law and justice?
2:34–3:44
4
How did Oscar Goodman transition from prosecution to defense attorney?
3:44–5:00
5
What challenges did Oscar Goodman face in his early criminal defense cases?
5:00–6:29
6
What was the significance of Oscar Goodman's case with Meyer Lansky?
6:29–7:39
7
How did Oscar Goodman become known as a 'mob lawyer'?
7:39–9:40