Harland Braun
Encyclopedia
Harland W. Braun is a Los Angeles
, California
criminal defense attorney. His cases have included successfully defending John Landis
and his co-defendant George Folsey, Jr.
in the Twilight Zone
manslaughter
trial, defending Rep. Bobbi Fiedler
against bribery
charges, successfully defending one of the officers charged in the Rodney King
beating, and defending several officers in the Rampart scandal
. Braun recused himself from representing Robert Blake
at his murder
trial when Blake gave a television interview against his advice. Other celebrity clients have included Roseanne Barr
, Gary Busey
, Chris Farley
, Lane Garrison
, and Dennis Rodman
.
Braun attended UCLA and UCLA Law School, and worked in the district attorney's office before becoming a solo practitioner in 1973.
Braun is known for outspoken and flippant remarks in defense of his clients, such as calling the heavy boot an officer wore while kicking King a "ballet slipper." "Any high-profile client is going to be tried in the press," Braun says. "You can only neutralize the prosecution in the press. To say you're not going to try it in the press is like saying you're not going to show up the first day of trial, because the trial starts the first day the prosecution starts leaking evidence."
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
criminal defense attorney. His cases have included successfully defending John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
and his co-defendant George Folsey, Jr.
George Folsey, Jr.
George J. Folsey, Jr. is an American film producer, editor, assistant director and cinematographer who frequently worked with director John Landis in the 1980s. He also edited the movie, "Hot Tub Time Machine" Folsey was acquitted in a manslaughter case brought over the deaths of actor Vic Morrow...
in the Twilight Zone
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 science fiction horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1959 and '60s TV series created by Rod Serling. Those starring in the film are: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers,...
manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
trial, defending Rep. Bobbi Fiedler
Bobbi Fiedler
Bobbi Fiedler is a former U.S. Representative from California who made a name for herself as a strong opponent of forced busing.-Biography:...
against bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
charges, successfully defending one of the officers charged in the Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
beating, and defending several officers in the Rampart scandal
Rampart Scandal
The Rampart scandal refers to widespread corruption in the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles Police Department Rampart Division in the late 1990s. More than 70 police officers in the CRASH unit were implicated in misconduct, making it one of the most...
. Braun recused himself from representing Robert Blake
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
at his murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
trial when Blake gave a television interview against his advice. Other celebrity clients have included Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
, Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
, Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, Lane Garrison
Lane Garrison
Lane Edward Garrison is an American actor best known for the role of David "Tweener" Apolskis on the television series Prison Break.-Early life:Garrison was born in Dallas, Texas on May 23, 1980 and raised in Richardson, Texas...
, and Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
.
Braun attended UCLA and UCLA Law School, and worked in the district attorney's office before becoming a solo practitioner in 1973.
Braun is known for outspoken and flippant remarks in defense of his clients, such as calling the heavy boot an officer wore while kicking King a "ballet slipper." "Any high-profile client is going to be tried in the press," Braun says. "You can only neutralize the prosecution in the press. To say you're not going to try it in the press is like saying you're not going to show up the first day of trial, because the trial starts the first day the prosecution starts leaking evidence."