The Denver Postkobe bryant case
Mackey could be case's biggest winner
Friday, September 03, 2004 -
No less an authority than Johnnie Cochran acknowledged Thursday that his title as the nation's premier celebrity criminal defense guru may now be shared with Pamela Mackey.
"She'll be able to pick and choose the ones she wants to handle," said Cochran, who rose to fame as a lawyer for O.J. Simpson. "It (the Kobe Bryant case) really puts her reputation around the United States and around the world." Mackey, 48, was the more public figure on the Bryant defense team that included co-counsel Hal Haddon. Together they helped provide the legal pressure that may have partly persuaded the alleged victim to back out of the high-profile case against the NBA star. Now listed among celebrities on websites, Mackey scoffs at the idea that the Bryant case has elevated her to one of the most prominent lawyers in America. "I'm not a rock star," the Denver lawyer said Thursday, laughing. "I don't even listen to music." She then became more serious. "I had the privilege to represent Kobe Bryant," Mackey said. "I was very fortunate. This isn't about me." Yet from the start, Mackey's aggressive handling of the case - from suggesting in a preliminary hearing that the alleged victim had sex with "three men in three days," to repeatedly using the young woman's name in court, to disputing the term "victim" for her - galvanized the media, the public and legal analysts. It also helped win her client a dismissal, her peers said. "That flap about the preliminary hearing - put that in context of this whole case, and it doesn't even count as a blip," said Guss Guarino, executive director of the Criminal Defense Bar in Denver. Mackey had a stellar reputation before the Bryant case, Guarino said. "She really is one of our best in Colorado, hands down," he said. "This tells the world she is a top-notch attorney who can handle a high-profile case with grace, poise, skill and professionalism." Karen Steinhauser, a visiting professor at the University of Denver College of Law, agreed. "I think she's always been considered a top lawyer," said Steinhauser, who worked in the Denver District Attorney's Office years ago when Mackey was a public defender. "This will only expand her national prominence." Steinhauser said she ran into Mackey, who is married and has two children, about six months ago at a law function. The Bryant case, she said, didn't come up. "We talked about how the kids were doing and whether they would get to go on a vacation," Steinhauser said. Her devotion to her family will keep her grounded, her friends say, despite her flash of fame. "We used to describe her as the Martha Stewart of lawyers - before, of course, Martha was charged," said Lisa Wayne, a Denver criminal defense lawyer who has known Mackey some 15 years. "She always had it together." Yet as far as celebrity goes, not everyone thinks Mackey will be bankable. Maureen Brooks, president of Brooks International, a speakers/entertainment bureau based in Denver who represents clients such as Barbara Bush and Lance Armstrong, said that because of the controversial way she approached the alleged victim in the case, Mackey would not be in demand for public appearances. "She has kind of steamrolled," Brooks said. "I'm sure she's awesome at what she does, and if you get into trouble, you'd want her on your team - but as a celebrity, she'll burn out very quickly." Yet Cochran, whose firm has regional offices in 11 states, said he predicts Mackey's reputation from the Bryant case will enable her to open offices around the country. As far as handling any potential crush of clients, Cochran offered Mackey this advice: "Stay like she is now," he said. "She has a great attitude. She's very thorough and works very hard and has a lot of courage." Staff writer Amy Herdy can be reached at 303-820-1752 or aherdy@denverpost.com .
|