Mesereau’s Fame Doesn’t Alter Focus – LA Times

[b]Mesereau’s Fame Doesn’t Alter Focus[/b] The attorney who won Michael Jackson’s acquittal sees himself as an advocate for the mistreated, especially in the black community. By Carla Hall, [LA] Times Staff Writer It’s hard to miss a 6-foot-2 white man in a black church — especially a man with a shoulder-length mane of white hair. But on a Sunday at West Angeles Church of God in Christ, Thomas A. Mesereau Jr. was doing more than just getting noticed. The criminal defense attorney was causing a bit of a stir. “Let me shake this hand!” said churchgoer Wayne Boylan, reaching out to him. “Thank you for helping Michael!” gushed Valata Williams as she approached. During the five months that Michael Jackson was on trial on child molestation charges, Mesereau was a fixture of daily TV footage, shown walking into and out of the courthouse. He rarely spoke or waved, his big, broad-shouldered frame encased in double-breasted suits, his layered hair flowing in the breeze. Jackson’s acquittal in June catapulted Mesereau from familiar face to legal star, the country’s newest celebrity lawyer. It is a designation he detests. “I have no desire to be Mr. Hollywood,” he says.