Why did Nick Reiner’s lawyer withdraw from the murder case? Lawyers speak out

Nick Reinerthe lawyer Alan Jackson shockingly, he resigned from his role as representative during his parents’ trial Rob Reiner And Michele Singer Reiner– and lawyers are wondering why this could have happened.

During Nick’s court appearance on Wednesday, January 7, Jackson revealed that he had withdrawn from the case. Due to the change in counsel, Nick did not enter his plea as planned and his arraignment was delayed until Monday, February 23. represented by a public defender Kimberly Greene.

Shortly after making this announcement, Jackson spoke to journalists outside the courthouse, but did not elaborate on the reasoning behind the decision.

“Circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick’s control, have meant that, unfortunately, it has been impossible for us to continue to represent Nick,” Jackson said. “I am legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why, I know this is an issue that everyone is concerned about.”

Although Jackson did not offer an explanation, the criminal defense attorney RJ Dreiling and entertainment lawyer Tre Lovell provided some insight into why this might be happening.

Keep scrolling to find out why Jackson may have resigned as Nick’s lawyer:

Why was Nick Reiner arrested?

Nick Reiner was arrested in December 2025, a day after his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home with apparent stab wounds. The couple died at ages 78 and 70, respectively.

Nick was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Jackson, who represented Karen Read, was hired to defend Nick. During Nick’s first court appearance, Jackson was by his side. Nick did not plead guilty and his arraignment was delayed until January 7.

Nick and Jackson appeared in court again in January, where the lawyer announced he had decided to withdraw. A public defender has been appointed to Nick’s case. Nick ultimately did not plead guilty and his arraignment was pushed forward.

He remains held without bail. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty.

Why Alan Jackson may have resigned

Tre Lovell, who runs The Lovell Firm, admitted that Alan Jackson’s “removal was a bit of a surprise”.

“Conventionally, attorneys may choose to withdraw from criminal defense cases for a variety of reasons, which may include financial concerns or hesitation to become involved based on the evidence and likelihood of success,” Lovell told Us Weekly. “Furthermore, in cases where the defendant is mentally deficient or impaired, which often occurs in cases involving an insanity defense, there may be an inherent difficulty in the defendant being able to participate in his or her defense and/or assist in his or her case.”

Lovell added that in some situations, a defense attorney might have “issues with the client” that could lead to withdrawing from the case.

RJ Dreiling – who represented Milton Andersen, the Menendez brothers’ uncle – added that Jackson is a highly regarded attorney in the legal community.

“Alan is a great lawyer, not only because of what he does in court, but also because of how he handles a case. I wouldn’t discount anything he says,” Dreilling told Us. “That being said, the prosecutors handling the case are part of an elite division of the most prestigious prosecutors in the country, so I don’t doubt for a second that they are doing their due diligence.”

Should Nick Reiner keep his public defender?

Although Kimberly Greene has been assigned to handle Nick Reiner’s case, he could hire a new lawyer if he wanted.

“Every defendant has the right to a public defender,” said RJ Dreiling. “This does not mean that Reiner cannot, at some point, retain private counsel.”

What could happen next for Nick Reiner?

RJ Dreiling speculated that Nick Reiner could “plead not guilty by reason of insanity” as a potential defense.

“His attorney will want to preserve that defense. Sometimes if that plea isn’t entered up front, it may be difficult to change it later,” he said. “But there is no difficulty in abandoning the insanity defense and challenging the evidence in the case if the evidence warrants it.”

Dreiling added that the prosecution could “raise the possibility of a death penalty.” (Capital punishment, which includes the death penalty, is legal in California, but executions have been halted due to a 2019 governor’s moratorium.)

“One of the reasons they’re doing this, regardless of the governor’s moratorium, is to get leverage on a plea deal,” the attorney explained. “On the other hand, pleading insanity gives the defense leverage, because it is a complete defense that can lead to acquittal.”

Lovell added that if the prosecution is to convince the jury that the defendant committed a crime, the defendant’s team must prove the case of insanity with a “preponderance of the evidence.”

“That means they actually have to call witnesses, provide documentation about the medications and provide evidence to support their claim,” Lovell explained. “This can include medical reports, psychiatric reports and even lay witnesses speaking about the person’s behavior.”

For Nick’s case, Lovell speculated that both sides would “interview witnesses from the Conan O’BrienWe went to see what they observed about Nick’s behavior. (Nick attended the comedian’s Christmas party with his parents the day before their deaths. A source said We exclusively at the time when Nick was behaving in a “creepy” manner at the event, while other media outlets reported that Nick had various altercations with his father and actor. Bill Hader.)