Leslie Abramson defended Erik Menendez after he murdered his mother and father with his brother Lyle in 1989

Leslie Abramson had a “take no prisoners” mentality.

Over the course of her decades-long career, the lawyer defended several high-profile clients, including Erik Menendez in both of his murder trials. Her likeness and strategies during the trials were represented in two fictionalized series: Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders and Netflix’s 2024 Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

In a 1990 article titled “Nightmare on Elm Drive,” Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne noted Abramson’s reputation as the “most brilliant Los Angeles defense lawyer for death-row cases” and said she was both “fearless and tough” in and out of the courtroom.

“She loves to intimidate people,” Dunne said he heard from a source. “She thrives on it. She knows when she has you. She can twist and turn a witness’s memory like no one else can.”

Here’s everything to know about Leslie Abramson, including her relationship with the Menendez brothers and where she is today.

When did Leslie Abramson become a lawyer? 

Leslie Abramson.AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Abramson, who was born in 1943 in Queens, N.Y., attended law school at UCLA and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1970. She spent six years working as a public defender before opening her private practice.

In 1996, the Los Angeles Times wrote: “She spent her working life building a reputation as a 4-foot-11, fire-eating, mud-slinging, nuclear-strength pain in the legal butt.”

Abramson seemingly agreed with this sentiment, telling The Washington Post in 1996, “My role model is Joan of Arc, and anyone else who’s been burned at the stake.”

What high-profile clients did Leslie Abramson defend? 

Leslie Abramson and music producer Phil Spector in 2004.AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Prior to representing the Menendez brothers, Abramson was involved in several high-profile cases.

In 1988, she was 17-year-old Arnel Salvatierra’s defense lawyer. Salvatierra was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter (reduced from the original first-degree murder charge) after shooting his father three times in the face. Thanks to Abramson, who claimed her defendant’s father abused him, Salvatierra was eventually acquitted in 1989 and given five years probation, per UPI.

She also represented Dr. Khalid Parwez — a Pakistani-born gynecologist who was arrested in 1987 for allegedly strangling and dismembering his 11-year-old son amid an alleged custody battle. The jury found him not guilty in 1990, per UPI.

After the Menendez trials, Abramson returned to the courtroom in 2004 to represent music producer Phil Spector, who was accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson. She later resigned from the case for “ethical reasons,” according to CBS News, and Spector was convicted of murder in 2009.

What defense strategy did Leslie Abramson use during the Menendez trials? 

Leslie Abramson and Erik Menendez in 1993.AP Photo/Nick Ut

After successfully representing Salvatierra, it’s no surprise that Abramson took on the strikingly similar Menendez case.

In 1989, Erik and Lyle were arrested for murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, after allegedly being mentally, physically and sexually abused throughout their lives.

During the first trial, which began in 1993, the Menendez brothers were tried together but had separate juries. Abramson took the lead in defending Erik, while defense attorney Jill Lansing represented Lyle using the same strategy.

Both Lansing and Abramson argued imperfect self-defense — claiming that the brothers truly believed that if they didn’t kill José and Kitty then their parents would eventually kill them. The trial resulted in a hung jury.

The second trial began in 1995. By that time, the Menendez brothers’ estate had run out of money, so Abramson agreed to represent Erik pro bono, and a public defender, Charles Gessler, was assigned to Lyle. The brothers were tried together in front of a single jury, who eventually convicted both Lyle and Erik on two counts of first-degree murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.

Abramson allegedly grew very close to the brothers, especially Erik, while serving on their defense team. Dunne even quoted her saying that the brothers were “adorable” and the “very best clients I’ve ever had.”

Abramson also told The Washington Post, “I’ve represented people charged with murder for 27 years, and these guys just don’t measure up to anybody else I’ve ever represented. These are not murderers. These are troubled kids in a very difficult and grotesque home environment, and they cracked.”

On the day of their sentencing, Lyle married Anna Eriksson and Abramson took part in the ceremony.

She was outraged when Lyle and Erik were convicted of murder, especially after she learned that the brothers would be housed in separate prisons. She called it “exceedingly cruel and heartless,” according to The Standard-Times.

Who was Leslie Abramson’s husband? 

Leslie Abramson. Kim Kulish/Sygma via Getty

Abramson was married to a pharmacist, whom she divorced in 1969, before marrying Los Angeles Times reporter Tim Rutten.

According to court documents, she filed for divorce from Rutten in 2007.

Does Leslie Abramson have children? 

Leslie Abramson and Erik Menendez in 1996.AP Photo/Phil McCarten

The defense attorney had one child, a daughter named Laine, with her first husband. Then, in the midst of the first Menendez trial, Abramson and Rutten adopted a son.

“My ability to feel maternal about all sorts of people, to want to take care of them, I think has partly made me successful in court. I think if you don’t care, the jury knows it,” she told Barbara Walters in 1994.

Where is Leslie Abramson now? 

Leslie Abramson.Kim Kulish/Sygma via Getty

Following the Menendez trial, Abramson was investigated by the California State Bar after she allegedly asked witness and psychiatrist Dr. William Vicary to “alter” his notes regarding Erik. Misconduct charges were not pursued due to insufficient evidence, per The New York Times.

The allegations did mean that Abramson was “gagged” and not allowed to deliver a closing argument in the Menendez brothers’ case.

“This case was incredibly stressful the first time around, and was monstrous the second time,” she told The Washington Post. “Certainly this will be my last capital case for a while. I need a breather from this. But by the same token, I’m not ready to do nothing.”

Abramson defended more than 50 people accused of murder and published a book titled The Defense Is Ready: Life In The Trenches Of Criminal Law before retiring. According to the State Bar of California, Abramson’s legal license was active until 2023 — with a brief pause in 2013.