Who is Alan Jackson? Details examined as Nick Reiner hires a high-profile attorney

Nick Reiner has been charged in the stabbing deaths of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, and the case has moved fast from a shocking discovery to a high-stakes courtroom fight. Days after his arrest, Nick Reiner retained Alan Jackson, a well-known Los Angeles criminal defense attorney whose client list includes other headline names.

This Alan Jackson is not the country music star. He is a veteran trial lawyer and former prosecutor with a long track record in major criminal matters. Jackson’s early public comments have focused on procedure and restraint, while prosecutors have emphasized the seriousness of the allegations and the potential penalties.

Nick Reiner hires Alan Jackson: When he joined the case, what has he said so far?

Alan Jackson’s involvement became clear in the first wave of court updates, when Nick Reiner did not appear as originally expected. As per the ABC News report dated December 18, 2025, while explaining the delay around transport and appearances, Jackson told reporters,

“Every inmate has to be medically cleared before they can be transferred to court, he has not been medically cleared. It’s just a procedural issue,”

That “procedural” framing matters because it signals what Jackson is trying to do early. It slows the public timeline down to the court timeline, and it keeps the first headlines about process rather than motive or evidence. As per the Reuters report dated December 17, 2025, Reuters also reported that Nick Reiner remained held without bail and noted Jackson said his client had not yet been medically cleared for an initial appearance.

When Nick Reiner did appear, and the case moved to the next scheduling step, Jackson’s message shifted from logistics to tone. As per the ABC News report dated December 18, 2025, emphasizing that the defense expected careful review before the court reached the next major checkpoint, Jackson said,

“There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case,”

Jackson also directly asked the public and media to avoid locking in conclusions early. He urged the process to move forward, stating,

“not with the rush to judgment, not with jumping to conclusions, but with restraint and with dignity.”

That kind of language is a familiar defense posture in major cases, where attorneys typically try to protect the jury pool, buy time for discovery, and reduce the pressure of the news cycle before a plea stage is finalized.

The timeline around the hire is also part of why this became a “high-profile attorney” story. ABC also reported Jackson had been in contact with Nick Reiner since the arrest and was speaking publicly as the case developed. In other words, this was not a late-stage switch. It was an early move that effectively set the defense voice for the first week of coverage.

Who is Alan Jackson? The resume behind the “high-profile attorney” label

Alan Jackson is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney with a long public profile in big trials, and his background includes both prosecution and defense. Jackson began his career in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and served as assistant head deputy for the Major Crimes Division.ABC News also notes one of his best-known prosecutions was the Phil Spector murder case, which ended in a conviction after a mistrial.

After leaving government work, Jackson built a private practice that regularly intersects with celebrity and national news. The outlet lists Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein among his notable past clients, and it also notes his more recent work representing Karen Read. That mix of courtroom experience and media attention is a key reason his name reads as a strategic hire in a case like this.

Jackson’s current workload is also part of why he is frequently described as a headline defense lawyer. As per the ABC7 report dated December 17, 2025, ABC7 reported Jackson is also representing Fraser Michael Bohm in the Pepperdine sorority sisters crash case.

What happened in the case so far: Arrest timeline, charges, bail status, and what’s next

Investigators have described the deaths as a homicide investigation from the start, and the early timeline has been publicly detailed through police statements and court filings.

As per the CBS News report dated December 15, 2025, the Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to the Brentwood home at around 3:40 p.m. local time on Sunday, and Nick Reiner was later located and arrested at approximately 9:15 p.m. that night. CBS News also reported that sources familiar with the incident said the couple had multiple stab wounds.

Prosecutors then moved into formal charging. As per the Reuters report dated December 17, 2025, a criminal complaint was filed alleging two counts of first-degree murder, and Reuters reported authorities said a knife was used, while also noting officials had not publicly provided a motive.

As per the Reuters report dated December 17, 2025, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the charges carry a maximum penalty of life without parole or capital punishment, while prosecutors had not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

Bail status quickly became a major search point because early records created mixed signals. As per the CBS News report dated December 15, 2025, CBS reported online records initially showed bail set at $4 million, but police later said he was being held without bail.

Officials have also made public statements that underline both sympathy and prosecution intent. As per the CBS News report dated December 15, 2025, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said,

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the Reiners, a tragic incident,”

Next, the court calendar becomes the clean “what happens now” marker. As per the ABC News report dated December 18, 2025, the arraignment is scheduled for January 7, 2026.

Stay tuned for more updates.