After Pellicano, Christensen up next

Trial to begin July 15

By JANET SHPRINTZ

Christensen

With the win against Pellicano and his co-defendants under their belts, the government will roll into its trial against entertainment lawyer Terry Christensen, as well as further wiretapping charges against Pellicano, on July 15. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer will preside, as she did at the first trial.

Prosecutors may find Christensen's defense a little more challenging than Pellicano's. He is represented by his partner Patty Glaser, one of the most formidable litigators in Hollywood, as well as Terree Bowers, a former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. Glaser, despite her years of trial experience, is not a criminal lawyer.

"We're asking for a July 1 trial date," said Glaser earlier in the day. "We are anxious to get this done; we want to go to trial."

Christensen was indicted in 2006 for allegedly arranging for Pellicano to wiretap Lisa Kerkorian, the ex-wife of billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian. The Kerkorians were involved in a highly publicized child-support dispute over her daughter, whose paternity was in dispute. Christensen, Kirk Kerkorian's longtime lawyer, allegedly paid Pellicano $100,000 to listen to Lisa Kerkorian's phone calls with her attorneys.

Christensen won two tactical victories before trial when Fischer agreed to try him separately from the main Pellicano case and when she denied the government's request to call Glaser as a witness, clearing the way for her to act as his attorney.

Christensen is a partner at Christensen, Glaser, Fink Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro, a 100-lawyer general practice firm in Century City. In addition to Christensen and Glaser, it is also the home of Robert Shapiro, a member of the O.J. Simpson defense team.