Our Second Acts feature is proof that it’s never too late to find success in entirely new ventures. These stories celebrate individuals who discovered purpose and fulfillment in the later chapters of life.
Anne Bremner successfully defended Amanda Knox. She successfully defended the Des Moines Police Department in a lawsuit filed by the family of Vili Fualaau, who was first Mary Kay Letourneau’s student, then lover, and then husband. Most recently, she successfully defended one of the Tacoma police officers involved in the controversial death of Manny Ellis, a Black man who died in custody during his arrest in 2020.
The celebrity attorney also convinced a jury to acquit Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer of two gross misdemeanors stemming from a confrontation. She persuaded a jury to reinstate the full $98.5 million award in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Susan Cox Powell’s parents on behalf of her sons.
We’re just getting started.
Bremner is also a frequent TV commentator on numerous high-profile cases that generated massive headlines at the time, including those involving Scott Peterson for the murder of his wife, Lacy; the state of California’s criminal trial against Michael Jackson, who was charged with molesting a 13-year- old boy; the O.J. Simpson case; Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of murdering her young daughter; and the defamation trial between formerly married actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
Bremner, who holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Seattle University School of Law, began her career as a prosecuting attorney with the criminal division of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, specializing in sex crimes. She came into contact with the infamous Wah Mee massacre trials, the deadliest mass murder in Washington state history.
She went into private practice until 2012, representing law enforcement and judges in civil and criminal cases. “I’m a police lawyer,” she says. Bremner is the co-author, along with her brother, Doug, a psychiatrist, researcher, and professor at Emory University in Atlanta, of a book published in late 2022, Justice in the Age of Judgment: From Amanda Knox to Kyle Rittenhouse and the Battle for Due Process in the Digital Age. The book, published by Skyhorse Publishing, was the No. 1 bestseller in the media and law category on Amazon.com.
Did you always want to be an attorney?
I wanted to be an actress, so I’m close, right? I took a lot of drama, and I actually wanted to be a writer. I enjoyed that aspect of working with people and victims, but I also like trials.
Why did you write Justice in the Age of Judgment?
It was going to be a book about Amanda Knox only. And then it turned into looking at a lot of cases I’ve covered as an analyst, and also cases I’ve handled myself, because it seemed the theme from Amanda’s case was the first international social media murder case. This is a whole new world with the media and social media and the Internet. It’s not like back in the day, where it would just be a newspaper.
I think because both are in on the cutting edge of so many in our society, a lot of the problematic things. and people want to blame journalists. they want to blame lawyers.
Was there ever a time in the Knox case where you thought things weren’t going well?
Before I even got involved, I thought that she had no chance. And it’s in the book. I’d gone on a radio show and said that she had no chance, that she confessed that she didn’t have an alibi, that the circumstantial evidence implicated her, and that also there was physical evidence that she acted so inappropriately. It looked very bad.
When did it change?
Once I became involved, I saw all the tapes. I saw all the evidence. I released all that evidence to NBC. I felt like Daniel Ellsberg releasing the Pentagon Papers, right? It kind of went all around the world in terms of becoming viral because the crime scene was so poorly handled.
How did your friendship with the late Mary Kay Letourneau develop?
This seems like a really odd friendship, I know. Really weird. I guess lawsuits make strange bedfellows, right? I would go see her in prison and she gave me a lot of information, and then I stayed in touch with her after the trial. I have so many texts on my phone from Mary Kay Letourneau, like her cats. We both love cats, you know, things like that. And I liked her.
That’s fascinating. How do you think history will remember this?
Probably because it is complicated and disturbing, I think she’ll always be remembered as complicated. Every time I talk about her, I get someone that writes me a note, calling me a pedophile lover, you know? There’s that whole side (about being with an underage boy), which is true, but she ended up with him, and she didn’t have other victims. Usually with pedophilia, you see a number of different victims, but you didn’t see that with Mary Kay Letourneau. I always thought I should have done a thesis on comparative analysis of Michael Jackson and Mary Kay Letourneau in terms of arrested development.
How did you become such a noted commentator on TV?
Well, thank you for saying that. I don’t know if I’m well-known or respected, but I do it, anyway. When I was trying the Mary Kay Letourneau case, it was covered by Court TV. And they said, “Why don’t you, when you’re in New York, why don’t you come see us and go on Court TV?” I was so nervous. I walked into a car right in the middle of Manhattan, just bang. They put me on the air. And after that MSNBC called, CNN, places like that. And that’s how it started.
How do you prepare to talk with knowledge about trials that you’re not intimately involved with?
You have to spend a lot of time. I’m excused to watch the Johnny Depp trial for that reason, but I kind of live on what’s happening in Reuters, and The New York Times and different outlets. All of these cases are pending so I can talk about them intelligently. If I don’t know all the parameters of an issue, I don’t want to go on and talk about it because I get so insecure. So, I need to make sure that I’m prepared.
What was your involvement in the O.J. Simpson case, and why did you write about it in your book?
I still think it was the crime, or trial, of the century. I was the O.J. girl on KOMO. It was just updating the O.J. Simpson case here in Seattle.
Has there ever been an outcome of a trial that you were commenting on that surprised you?
Casey Anthony. Big time. Another analyst and I (were on) MSNBC, and as the verdict was coming in, we were on live. I tried not to make a huge face when it came back that she was found not guilty. But that was unbelievable that she was acquitted of killing her child. That was a stunner.
Can anybody truly get a fair trial now with social media being a major influencer in our legal system?
I think it’s really, really hard in a big case. I think Amber Heard was just vilified.
Your ex-husband, defense attorney John Henry Browne, defended the serial killer, Ted Bundy. Can you share any insight on that case?
I think I was in high school when that all started. He helped Ted for a long time. Did he believe in his innocence No.
What have you learned about the media by being part of it, and how does that influence anything you might do as a lawyer?
I guess I recognize my own bias going into things. I guess it’s just fascinating to me to see how all of it works. It’s just human nature and experience that would dictate somebody’s understanding of the proceedings.
Why do lawyers and journalists have such negative reputations?
I think because both are in on the cutting edge of so many in our society, a lot of the problematic things. And people want to blame journalists. They want to blame lawyers. Look at Donald Trump, how mad he gets at journalists, lawyers, and judges, anybody who doesn’t agree with him. I think that’s where it is. I think that that’s a badge of honor for both professions because those are the jobs that we’re meant for. I think that’s the most important thing you can do for society as a journalist or as a lawyer.
Is it common for you to turn down cases?
No. But I’m not as good about returning phone calls.
“Justice in the Age of Judgment” book cover.
How do you vet all the controversial cases you’ve been involved with?
I’m not very good at vetting, and maybe that’s why I’ve had the controversial cases. But I’ve practiced 40 years now. I look back on my career and I’m proud of what I’ve done.
Is retirement something in your near future?
I’d love to do that. Maybe do another book. I’d like to do some philanthropy. I’d like to do more mentoring. I’d like to help younger women lawyers, girls in high school. I’m blessed to have had a great career, and great clients, and great cases. Maybe it’s time to kind of pivot.
Additional reporting by Linda Lowry
Want to hear more? Listen to our podcast with Bremner as she talks more about her high-profile cases and legal career.
