One of the most recognized Criminal Defense Attorneys in the media, Mark Geragos has represented multiple actors, athletes and musicians. Geragos graduated from Marymount University Law School and was admitted to the California Bar Association in 1983. Since that time, he has worked in the area of Criminal Law and is a partner at the firm of Geragos and Geragos.
Known for his excellent rapport with the media, Geragos has been a winner of numerous awards for his trial skills; including being named 2006 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year – Litigation. He has also been featured in Who’s Who in America (2004-2006), Who’s Who in American Law (2005-2006) and Who’s Who in the World (2005-2006). Other notable awards include the 2001 Humanitarian of the Year Award and being named a finalist in the 2005 Consumer Attorney of the Year Award.
Geragos has defended many well-known celebrities. In 2002, he represented actress Winona Ryder during her trial where she was accused of shoplifting merchandise from a clothing store. After Ryder, Geragos was thrust into the spotlight during the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. During the trial, Jackson had concerns Geragos was representing other clients and due to the severity of the charges, felt he needed an attorney who could devote more time to his defense. In 2004, Jackson decided to replace Geragos with another attorney; however Geragos was still actively in the media as Criminal Defense Attorney to Scott Peterson. Peterson was charged with the murder of his wife, Laci and their unborn son, Connor and was eventually found guilty of murder.
After the Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson trials, Geragos became involved in the infamous baseball scandal involving steroid use accusations against former player, Barry Bonds. Geragos represented Barry Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson against Contempt of Court charges because he refused to testify against Bonds during a Federal Grand Jury investigation. Geragos made it clear his client was not going to testify and since then, back and forth incarcerations for Anderson have stemmed from his refusal.
In 2009, singer Chris Brown sought legal representation from Geragos stemming from his assault charge against another singer and one-time girlfriend, Rhianna. Geragos arranged for the surrender of Brown and assisted him through legal proceedings. Brown pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation and was required to perform six months of community service.
When not representing clients, Geragos works as a guest commentator regarding legal issues on numerous television news programs including Good Morning America, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren and 60 Minutes.
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