Legendary attorney Anthony Brooklier honored on L.A.'s Criminal Justice Wall of Fame
11/03/2017 11:00 am PDT
We want to pay tribute to a dear member of the Crime Watch Daily family. It's been nearly a year since we lost prominent attorney Anthony Brooklier.
"Tony" to his friends, he was the son of a mob boss, and made a name for himself representing countless celebrities, including Rick James, "Suge" Knight and "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss.
He was a true game-changer when it came to criminal defense lawyers. To honor his amazing legacy, Tony's name was just added to the Criminal Justice Wall of Fame in Los Angeles.
"Tony was one of the best trial lawyers to ever draw a breath," said trial lawyer Mark Geragos.
"Most importantly, he knew people and he knew them through a personality that conveyed decency, integrity, passion and compassion," said criminal defense attorney Tom Mesereau.
Tony's other passion outside the courtroom was his family. His wife is someone whose hard work you see all the time on our show: Crime Watch Daily Managing Editor Pat LaLama. And Pat, along with one of Tony's sons, Chris, was on hand to remember the lawyer who spent as much time giving back to the community as he did defending his clients.
"My dad was definitely a role model. My hero. Some of my biggest lessons are from him: loyalty, hard work, and above all treating everyone how they should be treated, from the valet guy to the district attorney," said Chris Brooklier.
A valuable lesson from one of the good guys, and a well-deserved honor.