Who Is Alan Jackson? Meet Lawyer Who Stepped Down from Nick Reiner Case

Nick Reiner initially hired attorney Alan Jackson to represent him after he was accused of murdering his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

While the case is certainly high-profile, it is not the first time Jackson has found himself involved in cases that have grasped the public’s attention.

Jackson ultimately stepped down as Nick’s attorney ahead of his January 2026 arraignment. Nick’s arraignment was subsequently pushed back another month, where he will be represented by public defender Kimberly Greene.

In light of his latest case, Us Weekly breaks down everything to know about the attorney who has represented Karen Read, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and more.

Who Is Alan Jackson?

Jackson is a partner and attorney at Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP. According to the firm’s website, he “is one of the country’s most sought-after criminal defense attorneys.” Jackson has tried more than 85 cases to jury verdict, while he has a success rate of 96 percent and has been named one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers.

In addition to his work as a trial lawyer, Jackson is a prominent legal analyst and regularly shares his commentary on criminal law with news outlets.

Alan Jackson Has Worked on Many High-Profile Cases

Throughout his career, Jackson has been hired to represent several high-profile clients including Weinstein in his sexual assault trials and Spacey against a sexual assault trial that was eventually dropped.

He recently represented Read during her second trial, which ended in June 2025 when she was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2022 death of her then-boyfriend, police officer John O’Keefe. Read was also found not guilty of leaving the scene of an accident. However, the jury did find her guilty of operating a vehicle under the influence.

Following the verdict, Read was sentenced to serve a one-year probation since it was only her first offense.

“The Karen Read movement, the ‘Free Karen Read’ movement, was so much bigger than this 110-pound girl who got wrongfully accused,” he said during a July 2025 interview with Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney following the legal victory. “I’m very honored to have led the defense team that sort of unveiled or pulled back the curtain to a larger problem.”

Jackson continued, “There’s a lot yet to be done to fix the problems that … sort of germinated this issue. So, stand by.”

Nick Reiner Hired Alan Jackson to Represent Him in Parents’ Murder Case

Nick has hired Jackson to represent him in court after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of his parents.

After Rob and Michele were killed on December 14, Jackson arrived at a Los Angeles court for Nick’s arraignment two days later. Nick was not present at the hearing because he was not “medically cleared” to attend.

Jackson spoke to reporters outside of the court, saying that Nick would potentially appear during the December 17 court hearing. Jackson added that he did not have any official charging document from prosecutors, because one has not yet been filed with the court.

Rob and Michele were found dead inside of their Brentwood mansion with stab wounds. Nick was arrested hours later for his alleged involvement in the killings.

Over the years, Nick has been open about his addiction struggles and experiences with homelessness. His struggles and complicated relationship with his parents even inspired the 2015 movie Being Charlie, which he co-wrote and Rob directed.

Alan Jackson Doesn’t Think Nick Reiner Is ‘Guilty of Murder’

While addressing his departure from the case, Jackson told reporters in January 2026 that he believes Nick is innocent.

“We’re not just convinced, we know that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding Nick’s case,” Jackson said in a press conference. “What we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.”