Last updated: 23 October 2026. This profile is based on court records and published reporting. It is not legal advice.
Short answer: Thomas Mesereau is a Los Angeles trial lawyer, born in 1950, who won Michael Jackson’s acquittal on all 14 counts in 2005. He has also represented Mike Tyson, Robert Blake, Bill Cosby and Danny Masterson. His net worth is not public; celebrity-wealth sites estimate about $25 million, but that figure is unverified. He is also known for pro bono work, including defending one capital murder case a year in the US South.
Key takeaways
- Mesereau studied at Harvard (BA), the London School of Economics (MSc) and UC Hastings College of the Law (JD).
- His defining case was the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson in Santa Maria, California, which ended with acquittals on every count.
- He represented Bill Cosby at his 2018 retrial, which ended in conviction; Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court overturned that conviction in 2021, after Cosby had changed lawyers.
- He has faced court sanctions, including in the Robert Blake case and in Danny Masterson’s case.
- In 2026 he has been publicly defending Jackson’s legacy in interviews.
Who is Thomas Mesereau?
Thomas Arthur Mesereau Jr. was born on 1 July 1950 in West Point, New York. He attended Phillips Academy, graduated cum laude from Harvard, earned a master’s degree at the London School of Economics and his law degree at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He practises in Los Angeles through Mesereau Law Group.
He is primarily a criminal trial lawyer. Unlike many celebrity lawyers, he has kept a long-running commitment to free legal work: he has run a legal clinic in Los Angeles and has said he takes on one capital murder case each year in the Deep South for a defendant who cannot afford a lawyer.
How did Mesereau win the Michael Jackson case?
In 2003 Michael Jackson was charged in Santa Barbara County with child molestation and related offences. Jackson replaced his earlier lawyers with Mesereau in 2004. The trial ran from January to June 2005 and drew worldwide coverage.
Mesereau’s strategy was to put the accuser’s family’s credibility at the centre of the case, and to promise the jury in his opening that Jackson’s side of the story would come through the evidence. On 13 June 2005 the jury acquitted Jackson on all 14 counts. The verdict made Mesereau one of the best-known trial lawyers in the US. After the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, he returned to defend Jackson’s reputation publicly, and he has continued doing so in interviews in 2026.
What other famous clients has he represented?
Mike Tyson (2001)
Mesereau represented Tyson during a rape investigation by the San Bernardino County District Attorney. No charges were filed.
Robert Blake (2003 to 2004)
He was the second lawyer to defend the actor, who was accused of murdering his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. He secured bail for Blake after ten months in custody, then resigned from the case. He was also fined for conduct at a deposition. Blake was later acquitted at trial with a different lawyer.
Bill Cosby (2017 to 2018)
Mesereau led Cosby’s defence at the 2018 retrial on sexual assault charges. The jury convicted Cosby in April 2018 and Cosby replaced his legal team that June. In June 2021 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction on the grounds that a prosecutor’s earlier promise not to charge him should have been honoured.
Danny Masterson (2023)
He represented the actor at trial. Masterson was convicted of two counts of rape in 2023. Mesereau was sanctioned during the case for sharing sensitive trial information, including accusers’ addresses, with civil lawyers.
What is Thomas Mesereau’s net worth?
Mesereau has never disclosed it. The figure most often quoted, around $25 million, comes from celebrity-wealth websites and is the estimate used in Legal Desire’s richest lawyers ranking. It should be read as an estimate. Fees for celebrity criminal trials can be very large, but Mesereau also spends a meaningful share of his time on unpaid work.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Michael Jackson’s lawyer in 2005?
Thomas Mesereau was Michael Jackson’s lead trial lawyer in 2005. The jury acquitted Jackson on all 14 counts on 13 June 2005.
What is Thomas Mesereau’s net worth?
It is not public. Online estimates put it at about $25 million, but no financial publication has verified that number.
Did Thomas Mesereau represent Bill Cosby?
Yes. He led Cosby’s defence at his 2018 retrial, which ended in conviction. The conviction was later overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021.
Where did Thomas Mesereau go to law school?
He earned his JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, after degrees from Harvard and the London School of Economics.
Does Thomas Mesereau do pro bono work?
Yes. He has run a free legal clinic in Los Angeles and says he takes on one capital murder case a year in the US South for a defendant who cannot pay.
Related: Jose Baez: net worth and famous cases and Brian Steel: the lawyer behind Young Thug and Lil Durk.
Featured image: Thomas Mesereau, 2007. Photo: Luke Ford via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5, adapted with a blurred background.
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