Leslie Abramson must be an extremely familiar name to anyone who has followed the Menendez brothers’ case or watched the latest Netflix spectacle, ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.’ Known for her intense style in the courtroom, aggressively challenging witnesses, and tirelessly advocating for her clients, Abramson was Erik Menendez’s lead defense attorney during their high-profile trial in the early 1990s that turned into a national sensation.
Abramson was heavily invested in their defense, arguing that the brothers were the real victims. She claimed Erik and Lyle had suffered years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in their home, which led them to take the drastic action of killing their parents.
Are Leslie Abramson and the Menendez Brothers Still in Contact?
Leslie Abramson, renowned for her fierce, no-nonsense style, seemed to form a close bond with Erik Menendez during the infamous 1993 trial. Her affectionate relationship with Erik made her sympathetic toward him, especially when he was getting torn apart by everyone else. She often described him as not just her client, but also a traumatized young boy who needed help and protection. You could notice her maternal instinct kicking in during the trial when she vehemently dedicated herself to her client. To many, the way she went above and beyond to defend Erik was admirable.
Abramson’s role as Erik’s attorney officially ended after the trial in 1996 when the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole. Once they had run out of legal options, her responsibility to them was finished. It was like a chapter had finally ended and she had to let go reluctantly.
Since she retired from law in the mid-2000s, there are no public records or official reports on whether she is still in contact with the Menendez brothers. The most likely scenario is they’ve gone their separate ways. While it’s not uncommon to see some lawyers prefer to keep in touch with their former clients, Leslie Abramson has mostly stayed out of the spotlight and distanced herself from the Menendez brothers since the trial wrapped up.
In recent years, Abramson, now 80, has barely been in the public eye. Ever since she called it a day from practicing law, Leslie seems to be choosing to focus on her personal life, where she has been married twice and has two children. Therefore, it seems extremely unlikely that she could be in regular contact with the Menendez brothers. Moreover, when people asked her about Menendez-related stuff, like the 2017 ‘Law & Order’ miniseries, Abramson was quick to distance herself, basically saying she’s moved on from that part of her life.
The Menendez brothers are currently in prison and have been for nearly three decades. They now have new legal teams handling their appeals, with no sign of Abramson’s involvement in any shape or form in their recent legal stuff.
It’s clear by now that there’s no public proof that Leslie Abramson has talked to the Menendez brothers since their imprisonment, but we can’t rule out the possibility that there might have been private messages that could still be under wraps. Given how protective she was of the brothers during the trial, it’s safe to assume she might still feel sympathy for Erik and Lyle, even if she hasn’t shown it publicly.
Overall, Abramson has shown minimal to no interest in revisiting the case or talking about the brothers. Her hesitation to discuss this topic makes it seem like she probably isn’t in contact with them anymore.
More Than Just a Lawyer: The Life, Legacy, and Impact of Leslie Abramson
Born in Queens, New York, on October 6, 1943, Leslie Abramson went to Queens College and UCLA Law School. She kickstarted her legal career in 1970, spending six years at the LA County Public Defender’s office before moving to private practice. She quickly became a well-known defense attorney focusing on death row cases, earning a “take-no-prisoners” reputation.
The LA Times once called her a “4ft11, fire-eating, mud-slinging, nuclear-strength pain in the legal butt.” Vanity Fair labeled her the “most brilliant Los Angeles defense lawyer for death-row cases” back in 1990. Notably, she was recognized as Trial Lawyer of the Year twice by the L.A. Criminal Courts Bar Association.
Abramson took on Erik Menendez’s case six months after he and his brother were charged with murdering their parents. She argued that the brothers weren’t cold-blooded killers but victims of a horrific home environment. After two hung juries, the Menendez brothers received life without parole in 1996. Abramson was understandably upset about the verdict, insisting that years of emotional and sexual abuse from their parents pushed them over the edge to commit the killings.
Amidst the Menendez legal drama, Leslie Abramson faced her own challenges when she was investigated by the California State Bar after allegations that she asked a psychiatrist to change his notes during the trial. The investigation closed in 1999 due to insufficient evidence.
Before the Menendez case, Leslie Abramson defended Dr. Khalid Parwez, a gynecologist accused of killing his son, and Arnel Salvatierra, a teenager charged with murdering his father. In both instances, she focused on defenses that included claims of abuse.
In 2004, Abramson briefly represented music producer Phil Spector in his murder trial, but she stepped down after a dispute with him during a press conference. She was later replaced by another high-profile attorney.
Now retired, Leslie Abramson still occasionally speaks at legal events. In 2015, she gave the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lecture at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she talked about how important it is to understand human relationships in legal defense.
Actress Ari Graynor plays Leslie Abramson in the latest Netflix production of ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.’ Previously, in 2017, actress Edie Falco portrayed her in ‘Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders,’ dramatizing the Menendez trial and earning Falco an Emmy nomination. The retired attorney didn’t take part in the show’s production and showed little interest in her on-screen depiction, giving a short reply when contacted by The Wrap: “I have nothing to say. Absolutely nothing. Goodbye.”
Outside the courtroom, Abramson wrote a memoir called ‘The Defense Is Ready: Life in the Trenches of Criminal Law’ in 1997, where she shared insights into her experiences with the justice system and some of her most high-profile cases.
In her personal life, Leslie Abramson lived in a Craftsman-style home near Los Angeles with her husband, journalist Tim Rutten, and their son. She adopted her son during the Menendez trial and has a daughter from a previous marriage. Rutten passed away in 2022.
