COCHRAN MAKES A CHANGE : SIMPSON ATTORNEY HEADS TO NEW YORK FOR TV JOB.

Byline: Dennis Love and Keith Marder Daily News Staff Writers

The impeccably tailored Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., by all appearances the real winner of the Trial of the Century, sat in the rear dining room of the Sunset Strip's famed Spago restaurant on a recent cold and rainy evening, getting accustomed to the idea of leaving Los Angeles.

``I'm trying to move on,'' Cochran said as he gazed about the rapidly filling room, rented for the night by Court TV, the cable network that has signed Cochran to a three-year contract to co-anchor a four-times-weekly legal talk show in New York.

``This is an opportunity to go beyond the Simpson trial,'' Cochran said, ``to talk about bigger and larger issues . . . to bring some light instead of a lot of heat.''

And so, it would seem, the reinvention of Johnnie Cochran has begun.

The man both demonized and idolized as the point man for the successful ``dream team'' defense in O.J. Simpson's murder trial is leaving the city he has, in many respects, virtually owned since the 1960s, when he first began to make his name in high-profile cases that often morphed into civil rights crusades.

Cochran intends to maintain his Los Angeles residence and law practice, but his new job signals a symbolic departure - not only from L.A., but from his longstanding role as lightning-rod lawyer to that of comparatively detached commentator.

And while the 59-year-old Cochran surely understands that his name and reputation, for good or ill, will forever be intertwined with Simpson's, he appeared eager to distance himself from the media quicksand of all things Simpson and to refute his ``race card'' legacy that grew out of the criminal trial.

``It was not a fair rap,'' Cochran said. ``The whole idea of a `race card' is preposterous. I do not back off from anything. That's why if I had to do it all over again, I'd do exactly the same thing.''

Cochran said he recently visited Harvard University where he learned of an emerging literature, including an article by author Toni Morrison, dealing with race and the Simpson trial.

``You'll find it very, very, very interesting,'' he said. ``There are going to be a lot of treatments of that. People who really look at my closing argument will say this (race card argument) is so preposterous. The things that people said really had no basis in fact.''

``I must say that I think, as an African-American citizen, the verdict didn't create the divide,'' Cochran said. ``It exposed the divide that was already there. . . . I was just doing my job.''

His one regret, he said, is his reference to Hitler and the Holocaust in his closing argument, which prompted an angry reaction from Fred Goldman, father of murder victim Ronald Goldman, and many others.

``Some of my best friends are Jewish, and some of them were in the courtroom that day, and it was not offensive to them,'' Cochran said. ``But there was so much emotion in that courtroom that day. . . . That's the one thing I would do differently in the whole trial.

``It wasn't necessary. I used it to make a point, but I didn't need to make that point because it caused some division that was totally unnecessary and it did hurt. I have this long tradition, you know. I've been to Israel twice. I know more about Israel than a lot of the Jewish kids. I've been all over. I've been to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem). I've been on a kibbutz.''

Aside from that, Cochran - armed now with more than a year of hindsight - seemed at ease with his performance in the sensational criminal trial.

He has been forced to deal with some hits to his image - a longtime mistress came forward during the trial, allegations of spousal abuse were raised - yet he seems to have survived the Simpson spotlight relatively unscathed, as his impending media career would suggest.

Not so for many other players in the Simpson saga.

Books about the trial have castigated prosecutors Christopher Darden and Marcia Clark. Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti won a brutal re-election campaign by a mere hair. ``Dream team'' co-counsel F. Lee Bailey spent time in a Florida jail. Kato Kaelin's brief run at celebrity went nowhere. The Brown and Goldman families continue their public ordeals. Simpson remains embroiled in legal battles for his children and his money.

Cochran, meanwhile, skates merrily along - and, along the way, taking a subtle detour from the Simpson circus.

For example, regarding the TV show - ``Cochran & Grace,'' with noted Atlanta prosecutor Nancy Grace as co-anchor - Cochran said he is inclined to keep quiet when the talk turns to the ongoing Simpson civil trial.

``I won't be saying much,'' Cochran said. ``That's a real tough issue for me. I have a real concern about it. I think our viewers need to know - not that I have to remind them - that I was Simpson's lawyer, that whatever I say is probably going to be biased and it's going to be my commentary because I'm an advocate in this regard. So I'm going try to avoid talking about it.''

``I'm going to take a back seat. Maybe (Simpson book co-author) Larry Schiller can come by,'' he said, smiling. ``Maybe Bob Kardashian can come by.'' He paused a beat. ``No, Bob would be in hiding.''

(A good-natured jab at Simpson's confidant who last week was in New York to avoid, some say, testifying in the civil trial. Kardashian has said he is in the city because of business commitments.)

Cochran did offer, however, that the civil trial may not be going as poorly for Simpson as is generally believed. ``I think you've got to wait and see,'' he said. ``(Lead Simpson attorney Robert) Baker's a very smart guy, and I don't think people should underestimate him. He's like a junkyard dog, and he's going to be tough and there will be no sparing anybody.''

Cochran said he will have to adjust his mind-set - not to mention his wardrobe - as he heads for New York.

``This weather tonight notwithstanding, I'm an L.A. guy,'' he said. ``I haven't had a chance to really reflect about New York. Three years ago, I didn't think that I would be in New York hosting a show with Nancy Grace. That I would even contemplate living in New York was far beyond my imagination.''

Predictably, the dapper Cochran is concerned about clothes. ``(I don't have) enough (suits) now,'' he said. ``I don't want to pack every time I go to New York. That's a real problem. We've got to get a clothing allowance. I've got to get a place in New York, and I've got to get some clothes, because the ones I have aren't very heavy.''

``Cochran & Grace,'' which premieres Jan. 13, wasn't Cochran's only new opportunity. He had numerous offers to become a network commentator. He said he has been offered cameos and dramatic roles in movies and, once, a regular role as a judge in a TV sitcom. Meanwhile, he's been parodied to death on shows such as ``Saturday Night Live'' and ``Seinfeld.''

``I like to laugh, so I just kind of take it,'' Cochran said. ``I guess it's a form of flattery.''

On this night at Spago, Cochran looked as though he was handling his notoriety exceedingly well.

Wearing a dark designer suit, immaculately accessorized, sipping champagne, he held court at his table with guests such as Court TV reporter Dan Abrams, then mingled throughout the room, posing for photographs with the likes of Grace, Court TV founder Steve Brill and superstar chef Wolfgang Puck.

Cochran's bicoastal future was duly noted at the Court TV reception by way of his cuff links - miniature clocks, actually, one set on Los Angeles time, the other on New York time.

Someone asked Cochran if his legend - such as it is - will grow even more if Simpson loses his civil trial.

``That's a heck of a question,'' he replied, laughing. ``I hope not. I hope not. I hadn't thought about that. I certainly don't want anything to happen to him that would benefit me. Oh, boy, that's something! I can just see that coming.''

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Photo: (color) Johnnie Cochran

Will co-host cable show