SMITH: Tree, as Ogletree was called, was also a zealous advocate for a long list of both indigent and A-list clients.ĬHARLES OGLETREE: Anita Hill's character and credibility has been assailed from the beginning. And that's, I think, the mark of a true friend. OBAMA: He's always given me a pat on the back, especially when I'm not doing well. SMITH: Former President Barack Obama has called Ogletree his professor, mentor, campaign adviser and friend. TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: He was known as a brilliant legal mind and a champion for racial equality and social justice in the classroom and the courtroom.īARACK OBAMA: He helps lift up voices that have been forgotten and have been lost, and that's been his life's work.

NPR's Tovia Smith looks back at his life and career. He also fought in court for reparations for survivors of the Tulsa race massacre.

As an attorney, he represented public figures Anita Hill and Tupac Shakur. He's died nearly a decade after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We remember now an extraordinary defense attorney and a beloved Harvard Law School professor, Charles Ogletree.

Survivors the quest start computer