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Who is A$AP Rocky’s controversial lawyer Joe Tacopina – who he and Rihanna want to name their next child after: ‘the most hated lawyer in New York’ has also worked with Donald Trump and Sean Hannity

Joe Tacopina has repeatedly referred to client A$AP Rocky as his “dear friend” in Instagram posts – and just secured an acquittal for the rapper. Photos: @tacopinalaw/Instagram
Joe Tacopina has repeatedly referred to client A$AP Rocky as his “dear friend” in Instagram posts – and just secured an acquittal for the rapper. Photos: @tacopinalaw/Instagram
Law

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have joked they want to name their next baby after the lawyer who led the rapper to a non-guilty verdict in his felony shooting trial on Tuesday – so who is Joe Tacopina?

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have joked that they want to name their next baby after Joe Tacopina, the lawyer who successfully led the rapper to a non-guilty verdict in his felony shooting trial on Tuesday, as reported by Billboard.

Joe Tacopina has called A$AP Rocky “a great person”. Photo: @tacopinalaw/Instagram
Joe Tacopina has called A$AP Rocky “a great person”. Photo: @tacopinalaw/Instagram

“Rihanna and Rocky said to me in the courtroom yesterday, they grabbed me and they said, ‘Listen, our next baby is A$AP Joe,’” Tacopina told Extra in an interview after the legal proceedings came to a close in Los Angeles.

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Joe Tacopina in the Tacopina Law Box at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, in September 2024. Photo: @tacopinalaw/Instagram
Joe Tacopina in the Tacopina Law Box at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, in September 2024. Photo: @tacopinalaw/Instagram

Currently A$AP Rocky (real name Rakim Mayers), 36, and Riri, 37, share two sons, RZA, two, and Riot, one. A$AP had been accused of firing a gun at a former friend and would have faced up to 24 years in prison if found guilty, per the BBC. The Grammy-nominated rapper pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations.

Here’s what we know about A$AP Rocky’s powerhouse lawyer.

Joe Tacopina’s background

Joe Tacopina teaching at Harvard Law School in January. Photo: @tacopinalaw/Instagram
Joe Tacopina teaching at Harvard Law School in January. Photo: @tacopinalaw/Instagram

Tacopina was born in Brooklyn on April 14, 1966.

Joe Tacopina arrives for the third day of a civil trial against Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Court in April 2023, in New York. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Joe Tacopina arrives for the third day of a civil trial against Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Court in April 2023, in New York. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

He studied at Skidmore College in New York before getting his law degree at the Quinnipiac University School of Law in Connecticut. He began his career as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, and is now a senior partner and lead trial attorney at Tacopina Seigel & DeOreo in New York.

Away from his law career, he also dabbles in football. In August 2021, he acquired the Italian Serie B football club Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (SPAL), per The Independent. Forbes called him the “most experienced American owner” in Italian football.

Who are some of Joe Tacopina’s most famous clients?

Faye Bradley
Faye Bradley is a Hong Kong-based contributing online editor for Style by SCMP, where she covers topics in luxury, pop culture, celebrity, influencer, entertainment, travel, trending news, food and drinks, and lifestyle. As a freelance writer, her work has been featured in CNN Style, Business Insider, Michelin Guide, Travel + Leisure Asia, China Daily, Design Anthology, BurdaLuxury, Skyscanner, and Hong Kong Tourism Board. With a BA (Hons) in art and design from the University of Leeds, she is the co-founder of Paradigm Haus, a print publication that covers artists, creatives and entrepreneurs the world over, and the founder of CSP Times, a digital luxury lifestyle website. She is also an editor for luxury wellness travel publication Compare Retreats.