Reports suggest that Hotshot lawyer Alan Jackson likely quit Nick Reiner’s murder case as the defendant doesn’t have the money to foot the bill for the pricey attorney, as per NY Post.
Lawyer of Nick Reiner leaves
The 32-year-old son of beloved movie director Rob Reiner was recently in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday as Jackson announced he and his firm would be withdrawing as Nick Reiner’s defense lawyer after just three weeks on the case.
Jackson, who notably helped Karen Read clinch an acquittal on charges of murdering her cop boyfriend stated that he couldn’t disclose why, but experts said it’s most likely a financial decision.
“In the business, we say Mr. Green didn’t show up,” said Neama Rahmani, a former California federal prosecutor who has repped celebs in civil cases, including model and actress Carmen Electra and former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel.
“Alan Jackson is one of the best,” Rahmani said. “But for a case like this, he’s going to charge at least a seven-figure retainer.”
“Nick Reiner doesn’t have the money, if he did, he wouldn’t be living in his parents’ guesthouse. And under the California Slayer Statute, you kill your parents — you’re disinherited,” Rahmani said.
Rahmani stated that the three main reasons a lawyer would leave a case are: the client can’t afford to pay the lawyer; the client and the lawyer have fundamental disagreement about how to defend the case; or the lawyer has a conflict of interest.
Seth Zuckerman, a defense lawyer who represented actor Jonathan Majors in a domestic violence case and disgraced screenwriter Paul Haggis in a s*xual assault case, agreed that Jackson probably withdrew for financial reasons, since a public defender rather than another private attorney was quickly appointed in his place on Wednesday.
“If they had the financial resources, they would go hire another private attorney,” Zuckerman said.
Criminal defense attorney Mark Bederow, who was once poised to join Read’s criminal defense team alongside Jackson, said his friend Jackson probably didn’t want to leave the case.
“It’s clear [Jackson] didn’t want to,” Bederow said. “And I can’t imagine that the client wouldn’t want a lawyer of Alan’s skillset and capability to go. I’m purely speculating — informed speculation.
“A representation like this could cost an extraordinary sum of money,” Bederow added. “Probably the money is not there.
“I don’t know who is controlling the family assets but I would imagine that whatever hope there had been from the client or the family, that it’s just not there and the defense costs so much.”
