Born in New York City in 1948, Jock Michael Smith earned his bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee University in Alabama and his Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame School of Law. He then worked as a legal advisor for the NAACP’s Civil Rights Project in Broome County, NY. He later returned to Tuskegee and became the assistant AG for Montgomery, AL. He opened his law firm in Tuskegee in 1977 and represented clients for 21 years until 1998 before founding The Cochran Firm with Johnnie Cochran, Keith Givens and Samuel Cherry.

In 2004 Jock secured a $1.6 billion verdict on behalf of his client who was a victim of an insurance scheme, the largest verdict awarded to an African American attorney. When Johnnie passed in 2005 Jock became the first President of The Cochran Firm and continued Mr. Cochran’s work of finding new partners across the country. He received numerous legal awards for his work and was given the keys to New Orleans, Louisiana, Memphis, Tennessee and Flint, MI. He was inducted to the President’s Advisory Council of the National Wildlife Federation becoming the first African American to serve on the board. In 2002 Jock published his autobiography, “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder: A Trial Lawyer’s Journey in Behalf of the ‘Least of These’.”

An avid fan of New York sports, Jock began collecting memorabilia in 1984 after his wife, Yvette, gifted him a small bust of Hank Aaron. Jock grew his collection to over 10,000 pieces ranging from a custom ring made for Muhammad Ali to the cleats that Jesse Owens wore during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin where he won four gold medals. 

In 1996, Jock met Johnnie Cochran in Montgomery, Alabama, forming a lifelong friendship. In 1997, the pair formed Cochran Sports Management, a sports agency company that represented professional athletes in contract negotiations. In 1998, the partnership led to the founding of the national law firm of Cochran, Cherry, Givens and Smith. 

After Jock’s passing in 2012, his daughter curated and cataloged Jock’s collection. In 2016 she loaned and donated several of Jock’s items to the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. where they will remain until 2026. With more than 40 items from Jock’s collection currently housed at the museum, including Satchel Paige’s Cleveland Indians jersey, Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers jersey and bat, and Joe Louis’ boxing gloves, the collection celebrates those who shaped culture far beyond the game.