Whatever Happened To The Lawyer Of Joe Francis From Girls Gone Wild?

One of the fundamental truisms in the American legal system is this: everyone is entitled to a defense. Regardless of the seriousness of the crime you're accused of, regardless of the evidence stacked against you, the 6th Amendment says you are still allowed to have someone argue on your behalf in court, as Cornell Law School explains. And of course, the converse of this is that there are plenty of attorneys who are willing to represent people accused of heinous crimes.

You may not be immediately familiar with the name Joe Francis, but you're almost certainly familiar with his most famous product. The "Girls Gone Wild" franchise was a series of VHS tapes, and later DVDs, in which young women at Spring Break destinations would be offered a trifle (a hat or a T-shirt, according to Slate) to expose themselves on camera. It was a can't miss business model — produce softcore porn without having to pay models or obey adult-industry regulations — and it made Francis a ton of money.

Unfortunately, Francis and the law had a bit of a shaky relationship, and as Page Six reports, some of those models alleged that they hadn't yet celebrated their 18th birthdays when they were filmed. When Francis was brought into court to answer for that, he was represented by Roy Black, who already had made a name for himself representing high-profile, wealthy individuals accused of crimes.

Although the legal profession is an intensely serious one, it seems that, in at least one case, the industry has bestowed a nickname on one of its members. Roy Black, it seems, is known as "The Professor" in the industry. The nickname goes back at least to the early 1990s when Black was representing a member of the Kennedy family (more on that in a moment). In a Vanity Fair piece from the time, a person obliquely connected with the trial reported saying, "I must tell the Professor [Roy Black] to stop saying 'the Kennedy estate.' It doesn't sound right."

On his website, Black (or perhaps more accurately, whomever he paid to write his bio) says that he got the nickname for his "erudition and dedication to education." Further still, Black actually is a professor — if we define a professor as someone who teaches or has taught classes at a university. According to Attorney at Law Magazine, Black has taught courses at the University of Miami here and there over the course of his 45-plus years in practice.

Hiring a big-name, high-powered (and high-dollar) celebrity attorney to represent you isn't always a guarantee that you're going to beat the charges against you: just ask Joe Francis. However, with a skilled-enough attorney, you may get a sweet plea deal that results in minimal (or even zero) prison time.

Back in 2003, two models who appeared in a "Girls Gone Wild" video, breasts exposed, hadn't celebrated their 18th birthdays when they were filmed at Spring Break in Panama City Beach, Florida (via Fox News). Needless to say, that type of thing is a serious crime, and Florida authorities charged Francis with child abuse and prostitution. Francis, represented by Roy Black, spent over 300 days in jail before ultimately pleading no contest, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was sentenced to probation and time served. As part of the plea deal, "Girls Gone Wild" was forbidden from filming in Bay County, Florida, for the next three years. Francis, for his part, was glad to put the Florida Panhandle in his rearview mirror. "I am happy to be done with Bay County," he told TMZ (per Fox News).

The U.S. may have severed its connections with royalty all the way back in 1776, but as author Diana Lurvey described it, the Kennedys are essentially America's version of the royal family. And like the British royal family, America's "royal family" has had some brushes with the law.

In 1991, as Vanity Fair reported, William Kennedy Smith, nephew of John F. Kennedy (Smith's mother was the sister of the 35th president), was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he had met at a Palm Beach bar. It would be four more years before O.J. Simpson faced murder charges in what was called "the trial of the century," but at the time, Kennedy Smith's trial was likely a contender for the title as it was one of the most-watched events on television. At the end of the day, Smith, who was represented by Black, was acquitted of all charges. Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne called the verdict "a surprise to no one."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

On his law firm's website, an article lists off just a sampling of the names of high-profile clients Roy Black has represented over the years besides Willaim Kennedy Smith and Joe Francis, including sportscaster Marv Albert, actor Kelsey Grammer, and artist Peter Max.

Another big name represented by Black is Justin Bieber, pictured above. Back in 2014, as The Hollywood Reporter reported at the time, the Canadian heartthrob was arrested after allegedly street racing in Miami Beach, and he was charged with DUI, resisting arrest, and having an expired driver's license. Bieber was represented by Black, according to a companion Hollywood Reporter report. In 2014, Bieber took a plea deal in which he copped to careless driving and, as restitution, made a $50,000 donation to a children's organization (via CNN).

As he notes on his website, Black also represented radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who was accused of illegally obtaining prescription medication. Black called the criminal proceedings a "smear campaign." "Normally, people with drug dependencies who acknowledge their problems and seek treatment are lauded for their courage, not prosecuted. So am I wrong to wonder if something is out of whack when the Palm Beach County State Attorney pulls out all the stops in an effort to nail Rush," Black asked.

Not all of Roy Black's clients over the decades have been high-profile celebrities or businesspeople with recognizable names. He has also represented regular people — people who could afford his retainer, that is.

In 2003, as The Palm Beach Post reported, a teenager named Mark Drewes was playing a game, sometimes referred to as "ding-dong ditch," in which the prankster knocks on a door (or rings a doorbell) and then runs away. However, in a mistake that would cost him his life, Drewes knocked on the door of a man named Jay Levin. Levin shot and killed the teen in what he claimed was an act of self-defense. "[This is] the kind of case I have always been attracted to," Black (or a ghostwriter) wrote on Black's website. "They are people living ordinary lives. And because of something that happens, their lives are turned upside down. They go from living an unremarkable life to being public enemy number one."

Before the case went to trial, Levin took a plea deal in which he copped to manslaughter (via Orlando Sentinel). The deal allowed him to serve a year in jail on weekends only, as well as 10 years' probation and community service.