Attorney Leslie Abramson to Pen the Story of Her Life

Defense attorney Leslie Abramson, of Menendez brothers’ trial fame, has agreed to write her memoirs for a reported $500,000.

Officials at Simon & Schuster confirmed Friday that Abramson has signed on but would not release the financial terms. The figure seems likely, however, since several top publishers bid for the memoirs at a New York City auction last month, according to Publishers Weekly.

The book will be edited by Alice Mayhew, who has guided several successful authors, including journalist Bob Woodward. Abramson, who did not return calls to her office, will also have the aid of Miami writer Richard Flatse. A publication date has not been set.

Abramson, 51, defended Erik Menendez in his first trial, which concluded with a hung jury last January. She will defend the younger of the two brothers again in a second trial set to begin next spring.

A feisty, frizzled blond known for her tart tongue, Abramson was widely praised for her performance in the Menendez trial. She successfully persuaded a majority of jurors to view “the boys” as victims of parental abuse and deserving of sympathy for the 1989 shooting deaths of their parents, Jose and Kitty.

It’s uncertain, however, how much of the Menendez saga will find its way into the book.

“The book is about her life. The book is not, principally, about the Menendez trial,” said a Simon & Schuster representative.

The book will detail Abramson’s life growing up poor in Queens, her years slugging it out as a public defender and her efforts to save individuals from murder convictions. In 1988, for example, she defended 17-year-old Arnel Salvatierra, who was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter--down from first-degree murder--in the death of his father. Abramson claimed the youth was a victim of his father’s physical and psychological abuse.