OJ Simpson blames his lawyer for his robbery and kidnap conviction as he seeks a new trial

Former NFL star OJ Simpson is seeking a new trial to overturn the charges of armed robbery and kidnap, for which he is currently in jail

Simpson is blaming his lawyer, Yale Galanter, for the conviction in 2008, claiming he botched the case



Simpson was convicted of leading an armed sports memorabilia heist to reclaim heirlooms and personal mementos he believed had been stolen from him after his famous murder trial

OJ Simpson will return next week to the Las Vegas courthouse where he was convicted of leading an armed sports memorabilia heist to ask a judge for a new trial on the grounds that his lawyer, Yale Galanter, botched his case.



Simpson will take the witness stand to testify that the Florida lawyer who collected nearly $700,000 is to blame for his armed robbery and kidnapping conviction in 2008 and his failed appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court in 2010.



OJ Simpson is seeking a new trial to overturn his 2008 conviction for kidnap and robbery, claiming his lawyer botched the case

Simpson's testimony in open court will offer a first look at the aging 65-year-old former football star since he was handcuffed and sent to prison more than four years ago.



Simpson looks grayer, heavier and is limping a little more from long-ago knee injuries, friends say. He is now Nevada inmate No. 1027820, a far cry from his playing days when Simpson wore jersey No. 32, won the Heisman Trophy, earned the nickname 'The Juice' in the NFL and gained induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.



Simpson is scheduled to be in Clark County District Court beginning Monday for the entire five-day hearing.



He is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence that makes him first eligible for parole at age 70.

If he wins a new trial, prosecutors would have to decide whether to retry him for the incident that happened in September 2007 or offer a plea deal sparing the time and expense of another trial.

OJ Simpson (left) appeared in court in 2008 with his attorney Yale Galanter (right) on charges on kidnap and armed robbery. He was found guilty and is blaming Galanter for the conviction

In a sworn statement outlining his upcoming testimony, Simpson said he told Galanter in advance that he planned to confront two collectibles dealers in Las Vegas and retrieve what he expected would be family photos, heirlooms and personal sports mementos that he believed had been stolen from him after his 'trial of the century' in Los Angeles.



'I fully disclosed my plan to Yale Galanter, and he advised me that I was within my legal rights,' he said.



Simpson said the two even had dinner the night before in Las Vegas, and Galanter told him the plan was OK as long as he didn't trespass on private property or use physical force.



Simpson claims that at trial, Galanter told him he didn't need to testify because prosecutors failed to prove their case, and didn't tell him about a plea offer by prosecutors that would have gotten him a minimum of two years in prison.

'Had I understood that there was an actual chance of conviction, I would have accepted such an offer,' Simpson said.



Galanter, who is expected to testify Friday, declined to comment ahead of his appearance.

Mr Galanter said he felt vindicated by the judge's rejection of Simpson retrial bid

Throwing trial attorneys under the bus on appeals is a common legal tactic for people convicted of crimes, but rarely successful.



Simpson's 94-page petition for a new trial exempts trial co-counsel Gabriel Grasso from the conflict-of-interest question. It says Grasso wasn't made aware of Galanter's pre-incident advice, wasn't privy to private strategy discussions between Galanter and Simpson, and was rebuked when he tried to advise Simpson without Galanter's approval.



Former District Attorney David Roger is due to testify. In an interview, he recalled discussing a possible plea with Galanter during trial, but said discussions didn't yield 'negotiations in the legal sense.'



Galanter said Simpson might be willing to serve 24 months in prison, Roger recalled. Prosecutors countered with 30 months. Galanter later said Simpson wanted no more than 12 months. Roger said he thought Galanter had spoken with Simpson.



'That's where the conversation ended,' the former prosecutor said.



In his petition for a new trial Simpson exempts co-defense attor ney Gabriel Grasso (pictured above to the right Yale Galanter, left) saying he wasn't privy to Galanter advising Simpson that reclaiming the memorabilia was within his rights