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oo PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: - ° a candid conv i ss “The mad genius of the San Francisco bar”... “a°court jester”... “a publicity- mad: pettifogger” . . . “the S. Hurok cof. the legal.” profession”—these are “among the kinder things said about San “Francisco attorney Melvin Mouron' Belli i(pronounced “bell-cye”). That he ts wn- guestionably among the greatest living “lerial lawyers, however, is conceded cin _ by Bellis legion of enemies, including 10 2. few as formidable in stature as the aicré- -can Bar Association, the -Imerican Medt- {. firns, Jj. Edgar Hoover, lubert Kennedy. Richard Nixon .and, perhaps most re- rently, the cily of Dallas, Texas, ever since was sentenced to death there for the nurder of Lee Harvey Oswald. = An eminent attorney long before the Ruby trial, “Belli has had more cfjest in the law in the past len years thas uy 0 lawyers in the last ce a isibly overenthusiastic opinion of a col. ‘league. Indeed, many of his cases neve "established, ar carried forward, wiajor < precedents in America’s croil and crim: ‘inal law. Defending Uiose accused of rape. robbery, assault, arson, murder, fread, - pimping, incone-tax coasion, forgery and _,even overlime parking, he has von lit- * erally hundreds of criminal cases. Bui he “Ns best known as “The King “of Torts’ — ‘a litle he cordially dislikes—for his vte- Ltories in more than 100 personal-injury ‘and medical-malpractice suits, in which rned for clients awards rang- NP Ow OD WAU We ww we : , : BR EMO pate se cal Association, most major insurance Jack Ruby—with Belli as his counsel—-. fe TT ae Pen ae NEL Sree oe s . inz from $100,000 to a record-setting $675,000." He has «also pioneered the use of “demonstrative evidence” before juvies—eraphic, and sometimes grisly, © courtroom displays uf artificial limbs, au- topsy photograpls, skeletons, manne- quins, X rays, witnesses on stretchers— inspiring William Prosser, farmer dean of the University of California Law School, to.call hin “a Hollywood pro- ducer,” and his triais “epics of the swper- colossal.” So potent is the Belli unage, however, thal defendant insurance com- panies have sometines mace substantial selebemaiys when mere mention was wthde that Belli aehi be hired. in international law practice, plus a prodigious schedule of writing, lecturing and teaching, takes Belli around the world, usually folaecd by a iake of controversy. But no cuse has carned fim as many headlines av the one le lost 13 Sarhere le vaised a rouriyoour sensalis ry deaping Up ajier the announcement oj the verdict, rears mm his eyes, (0 denounce the dealt sen- fence jor Jack Ruby ay “the shotgan jus: lice uf a kangaroo court.” It ivas to explore the issues and the aftermath of this historic ivial, as well as the other unpopular caress he leas es- poused during his 32-year Carecr, thai we went to San Francisco early this spring for an exclusive interview with the cue battled 57-year-old attorney. He ureeled us in the three-story Belli Building, monlits ago in D: which he had bought from*ten Chinese nT tT a A TION ¢° TAINED Ca ane Ne ae weed Die eee ee ate tee vsation with the embattled, outspoken attorney -who defended : Fioring te. rice; thal H owners and spent $150,004 such turn-of-the-century it has been formally * desi iied (Stale Landmark Number 408 by Fife Califor: nia Historical Association. ‘He locdl Sax Francisco Gray Line towggguclitae a glimpse from the strect Urged the pic ture window of his ornate ce, where Belli himself may be seen afgis vintage fesk consulting with clic and: col. leagues amid a spect-cular igghoriank m?* lange of hearty crystal chand rs, delve’ chairs, leather couches, ak quill, pens, oil paintings, Belli’s forensic tviumphs. legal and medicu! book... aM apothecary jars, + vera deat cs skeletons a and @ 23-foot-long dar, Wo: a snall ~ conmiunicatious aeieork ee ihre and speaker sy yy Bet tuted uth TS bucyers an their secretaries, piticte 1 te. sundry other spor’: ands Gygtg + j array vest eh, ouste CUNUS been of clents by ihe doze huzed by Bells magic neme a a! lofty courtrcom Galling woes ~ [na casual display of ox pus ciousness, millionaire Dells flo sted toa tie 206 the keys to itis Rullsitayer Ss Cloud, for our use duveig Ure cist ane ke wined and dined sx regally in vhisy $280,000 Twin Peaks home. During our? 3, weeklong sevies of conversations, we uw _ 2 companied him to speaking ¢ neagemunts ; &: and joined him at his tatiue's for ups fitting of three new suits clad ou.ou- first morning in town, we cocn helped: ———— oc eewwapseweseees + Se entree? pbhind qeverduns 4 a Fass ag hes pre: hee ogden by hong ah began