Attorney Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr. is one of the most celebrated trial lawyers in America.  He specializes in criminal defense (state and federal court) and civil trials.  Mr. Mesereau defends corporations and individuals accused of white collar crimes; individuals charged with violent crimes; and professionals, including medical doctors and lawyers, faced with various allegations in the civil, administrative and criminal courts.  He also advises companies and individuals regarding regulatory compliance and litigates a wide variety of complex business disputes.

Mr. Mesereau is a partner with the firm of Mesereau & Yu, LLP in Los Angeles.  Tom was educated at Harvard University, The London School of Economics and The University of California’s Hastings College of Law.

Tom Mesereau is best known for having acquitted music legend Michael Jackson of all counts in a highly publicized trial in Santa Maria, California.  Following a five-month jury trial, Mr. Jackson was found not guilty of 10 felony counts and 4 lesser-included misdemeanors.  It was considered unwinnable.  This case was covered by more media outlets around the world than any other case in history.

Since the Michael Jackson trial, Mr. Mesereau has defended 4 clients charged with capital murder and facing the death penalty.  None were convicted of capital murder or sentenced to death.

Mr. Mesereau’s reputation as a trial lawyer is unparalleled.  For example, in a one-year period, Mr. Mesereau obtained seven (7) acquittals and two (2) hung juries.  He has won many high-stakes criminal, civil and administrative trials before judges and juries involving a wide-range of claims, including securities fraud, complex business disputes, murder, sexual assault and the death penalty.

Barbara Walters named him one of the year’s “Ten Most Fascinating People,”for his trial excellence and commitment to representing the underprivileged.  GQ Magazine named him one of its “Men of the Year,” due to his determined effort, in the face of substantial obstacles, in the Michael Jackson case.  He has been labeled one of America’s best trial lawyers and is continually asked to speak before various groups about trial strategies and the legal profession. He lectures at numerous law schools, including Harvard, U.C.L.A., University of Southern California, Loyola, Southwestern, Chapman, and Thomas Jefferson and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

When he is not representing high-paying clients, Mr. Mesereau devotes a percentage of his life and practice to assisting the poor and neglected.  Following the Michael Jackson victory, he started a free legal clinic for the poor in South Central Los Angeles.  The clinic is named the “Mesereau – Ephriam – Villaraigosa Free Legal Clinic” of Brookins African Methodist Episcopal Church and is located at 1900 W. 48th Street, Los Angeles, California 90062.  Judges, lawyers, law students, and college students donate their time with Mr. Mesereau to advise and assist the needy. Mr. Mesereau lectures high school students in an effort to reduce interracial violence at schools and periodically defends a death penalty case in the Deep South pro bono.

Mr. Mesereau has been selected by his peers as one of “The Best Lawyers in America.” Tom Mesereau has been listed as one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Attorneys in California”by the Los Angeles Daily Journal.  He has received the “Jerry Giesler Memorial Award” from the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Los Angeles “. . . in recognition of his outstanding skill, perseverance and achievement in representing his clients in trial.”  In his book, Journey to Justice (1996), the late Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. described this award as “That honor is the highest award a Los Angeles criminal lawyer can receive.  Given the size and skill of our local defense bar, it’s an honor every recipient cherishes.  I am no exception.” (p. 150.)

Tom was also named the “Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year” by the Century City Bar Association, Los Angeles, when he freed actor Robert Blake from jail in a murder with special circumstances case – a feat legal experts called “impossible.”
California Lawyer Magazine has awarded Tom its highest award for excellence in criminal law. Tom’s alma mater, the University of California’s Hastings College of Law, has named him the “Alumnus of the Year”.

Mr. Mesereau has received numerous awards and commendations from bar associations, law schools, the city of Los Angeles, the county of Los Angeles, churches, secondary schools, colleges, business and civil rights organizations, et al. for his excellence as a trial lawyer and devotion to equal justice for all.

Sample cases defended by Mr. Mesereau include:

• Mr. Mesereau defended a man facing capital murder charges and the death penalty whom the prosecution claimed intentionally shot someone from behind.  On the day the jury was to be chosen, the prosecution dismissed the entire case.  This resulted in a newspaper editorial condemning false charges.
• Thomas Mesereau defended music legend Michael Jackson against conspiracy and child molestation charges.  During the trial, Professor Laurie Levenson of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles called Mr. Mesereau “the best cross-examiner” she had ever seen.
• Tom Mesereau defended a prominent Hollywood Television Director who was charged with criminal assault.  The client was acquitted of all charges before a Los Angeles jury.
• Mr. Mesereau defended actor Robert Blake against charges that Mr. Blake murdered his wife.  He was successful in obtaining bail for Mr. Blake in a “murder with special circumstances” case – a result legal experts called impossible.  Following the televised preliminary hearing, Court TV commentator Rikki Klieman called Thomas Mesereau “. . . if not the best, one of the best cross-examiners I have ever seen.”  Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash, who presided at the Blake preliminary hearing, called Mr. Mesereau “One of the finest lawyers I have ever seen.”  Tom also obtained a dismissal of the “conspiracy to murder” charge prior to trial. 
• Following the successful preliminary hearing in the Robert Blake case, Mr. Mesereau acquitted a man who had spent six years on Alabama’s death row for a double homicide in Alabama v. Wesley Quick.  Mr. Quick had been convicted while represented by another lawyer.  This case was tried before a jury in Birmingham, Alabama after a successful appeal.
• Tom Mesereau acquitted a medical doctor who was facing health-care fraud charges before a jury in Los Angeles.  This physician had been secretly recorded by undercover agents.
• Mr. Mesereau obtained 14 acquittals for a hospital manager accused of immigration law violations in the United States District Court, Los Angeles.
• Mr. Mesereau defended a man charged with capital murder who was alleged to be part of a criminal conspiracy engaged in drug-related homicides.  He was facing the death penalty.  On the day the trial was to start, the defendant was permitted to plead guilty to a marijuana charge and go home! This was a remarkable result in a death penalty case. 
• Thomas Mesereau has won numerous acquittals in sexual assault cases.  Examples include the following:
• Firefighter/paramedic charged with sexually assaulting twowomen in the ambulance during a twenty-hour shift: acquitted.
• Husband/father charged with sexually assaulting daughter’s sixteen-year old girlfriend in home: acquitted.
• Swimming instructor at YMCA charged with molesting child/student: acquitted.
• Husband/father charged with molesting child in his garage.  The child lived across the street and claimed four acts of molestation: acquitted.
• Three hundred and fifteen pound football player charged with raping a college student in her apartment: acquitted.

• Mr. Mesereau was local counsel to boxer Mike Tyson and his legal team was successful in persuading the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office not to file rape and sexual assault charges against Mr. Tyson.
• Mr. Mesereau represented former CBS news anchorman, local celebrity, and currently KFWB broadcaster Larry Carroll who had been falsely indicted by a San Bernardino Grand Jury for securities fraud.  After eleven (11) weeks in a jury trial in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the trial judge dismissed the case against Mr. Carroll “in the interest of justice,” resulting in a complete acquittal for Mr. Carroll.           
• A few weeks after Carroll victory, Mr. Mesereau defended a woman from San Bernardino, California who was charged with traveling to Los Angeles and murdering her ex-husband.  The verdict was not guilty.
• Mr. Mesereau defended local comedian and film actor A.J. Johnson who was charged with various felonies, including, kidnapping and assault with knife and firearm.  Towards the end of the trial, the prosecutors agreed to allow Mr. Johnson to suffer no jail timeand probation.
• Mr. Mesereau defended a Los Angeles man charged with committing murder behind a nightclub in Gardena, California.  The claim was self-defense.  The jury verdict was not guilty.
• Mr. Mesereau traveled to Bessemer, Alabama to defend a 24 year-old mother charged with murdering her 22-month old infant daughter.  She was facing the death penalty in a very high-profile case.  Mr. Mesereau’s client was found not guilty of murder and convicted on a lesser charge of manslaughter.
• In a three-strikes case that received media attention, Mr. Mesereau defended a former Los Angeles gang member who was facing a 25-year to life sentence for drug possession.  The case went to a jury trial in Torrance, California and the verdict was not guilty.
• Mr. Mesereau traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to defend a homeless black man who was facing the death penalty for allegedly shooting a beautiful, 21-year old white woman to death during a robbery.  This case was the lead story on the evening news in Alabama throughout the trial.  Mr. Mesereau was asked by two local white lawyers to assist in this case because they needed help and were receiving death threats.  Mr. Mesereau cross-examined all of the witnesses who had identified his client as the killer and, for the first time in Alabama history, Mr. Mesereau called an eyewitness identification expert to testify about the problems of cross-racial identification.  Mr. Mesereau’s client was acquitted of all counts.  This case continues to generate controversy.
• Mr. Mesereau defended an alleged Los Angeles gang member, allegedly known as “Little Hit-Man,” who was charged with murdering a rival in broad daylight at a major intersection. Three eyewitnesses identified the defendant as the killer. The verdict was not guilty.
• He defended a former choir member at the First A.M.E. Church, who was charged with murdering her mother, a First A.M.E. Trustee.  The prosecution claimed that the murder weapon, a handgun, was located in the dresser drawer of the defendant’s bedroom and that she had repeatedly lied about the facts on a 911 call and to police officers.  The first trial resulted in a hung jury.  In a re-trial, the defendant was acquitted of first and second-degree murder.  She was convicted on a lesser charge of manslaughter. 

Thomas Mesereau has received many awards for his contributions to the criminal justice system and to minority communities.  Once a year, Mr. Mesereau travels to Alabama to defend a death penalty trial without charging any legal fees.  He has represented an indigent defendant in a death penalty case in Mississippi (pro bono) that resulted in a successful plea bargain on the eve of trial.

Mr. Mesereau has received a Special Honor Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement for his civil rights work by St. Gregory’s College, Lagos, Nigeria.

Tom Mesereau, along with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, received the “President’s Award” from U.S. Dream Academy, Washington D.C. for his work with inner-city children whose parents are incarcerated.  Mr. Mesereau actively sponsors and participates in various free legal clinics throughout Los Angeles.  At these clinics, lawyers donate their time for the purpose of advising and directing impoverished and underprivileged citizens who need legal assistance.  No fees are charged.  These clinics are administered through various churches in Los Angeles.  For example, Tom participates in the Save Our Sons organization at Crenshaw United Methodist Church, Los Angeles.  This organization is run by mothers whose sons are incarcerated and who need advice on various legal issues.  Mr. Mesereau serves on the advisory board and donates his time to n-Action, a non-profit organization devoted to assisting women and their children with making a positive re-entry into society following incarceration.

Thomas Mesereau has marched with and supports the Mothers of Watts, Los Angeles and their children in opposition to gang violence and crime.  He also assists and supports various organizations who seek to reform our laws so that they will be more equitable.

Mr. Mesereau has received a “Community Service Award” from the Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa, the Mayor of Los Angeles, for his years of contributions to the City.  Mayor Villaraigosa specifically noted Mr. Mesereau’s willingness to represent unpopular defendants and his commitment to the poor citizens of Los Angeles.  This ceremony occurred at the Brookins Community African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, where Mr. Mesereau also received a “Service Award” from Dr. Frederick Ormonde Murph, Senior Minister, for his civil rights accomplishments. When he received these awards, the County of Los Angeles formally announced the celebration of “Attorney Thomas Mesereau Day.”

Mr. Mesereau was previously awarded a “Certificate of Appreciation” from Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke due to his dedicated service to the citizens of Los Angeles County.   Mr. Mesereau has received an award from the Reverend Cecil Murray, formerly Senior Minister of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church for the many hours of volunteer time he had devoted to the church’s free legal clinic. Mr. Mesereau also has received the “Sarah Allen Women’s Missionary Society of First A.M.E. Church, Los Angeles Award” for his contributions to the African-American and other minority communities.

He has also received a formal commendation from the “Compton Seventh-Day Adventist Church” for the time and effort he has given to pro-bono legal services in Los Angeles.  Mr. Mesereau has received a “Certificate of Appreciation from the African-American Community Empowerment Organization”, a Los Angeles-based group devoted to assisting “at-risk” youth and developing their skills and goals. He previously received the Compton, California School Board President’s Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Children of the Compton Unified School District.”  He has also received an award from The State Bar of California Board of Governors for providing pro bono legal services to low income Californians.  Collier Image Studios, Los Angeles, has presented Mr. Mesereau with its annual “Civil Rights Award”.

Mr. Mesereau has received the “Humanitarian Award” from The National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ), “In Recognition Of Your Ongoing Commitment To Justice for All.” Mr. Mesereau has conducted seminars for NABCJ on various aspects of the criminal justice system.  The Criminal Courts Bar Association of Los Angeles has previously presented Mr. Mesereau with the “Morton Herbert Service Award” for “his generous and noble service in furtherance of social justice.”  He has also received the “Annual Service Award” from n-Action Family Network for his efforts on behalf of women in recovery.  Mr. Mesereau serves on n-Action Family Network’s Advisory Board and, each year, the organization presents its Thomas Mesereau Humanitarian Award to a individual who has made significant contributions to the underprivileged.  Tom Mesereau serves on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army of Compton, California.

Sample articles authored by Mr. Mesereau:

1. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. “Johnnie Cochran's Humility Moved Mountains” Los Angeles Daily Journal 29 Mar. 2006.
2. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. “Address Racial Prejudice Immediately to Help Jurors Rise Above It.”  Los Angeles Daily Journal 21 Sept. 2006.
3. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. “Defender Legendary for Second Sight, Sixth Sense.”  Los Angeles Daily Journal 5 Dec. 2006.
4. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. “Look at Me.” Los Angeles Daily Journal 12 Jan. 2007.
5. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. “Random Thoughts on Trial Practice.” American Journal of Trial Advocacy 31:1 (Summer 2007): 115-135.
6. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. Foreword. Michael Jackson Conspiracy. By Aphrodite Jones. Nebraska: Aphrodite Jones Books, 2007. xv-xix.
7. Mesereau, Thomas A. Jr. “The Power of Persuasion.” Los Angeles Daily Journal 3 Jan. 2008.