Attorney Jose Baez

Miami attorney Jose Baez, who rose to fame successfully defending Casey Anthony against a murder charge in her young daughter's death, is joining the defense team of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein, who faces five criminal counts lodged by two accusers who say he assaulted them in 2006 and 2013, tapped Baez of the Baez Law Firm and Harvard law professor Ronald Sullivan Jr. to join his defense team, the firm said in an email.  

“Mr. Weinstein steadfastly maintains his innocence in this matter, and we are looking forward to assisting Mr. Weinstein in his defense,” Baez said in a statement.

News media reported Pamela Mackey of Denver-based Haddon, Morgan and Foreman and former Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin also are joining Weinstein's defense team.

The announcements come as Weinstein prepares to part ways with prominent criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman, a move that left some in the legal community scratching their heads since he successfully cleared Weinstein of another count from a third accuser who alleged a 2004 assault.

Brafman still needs approval from acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James Burke to officially withdraw from the case.

Baez is best known for securing an acquittal for Casey Anthony, who was accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter in 2008. Prosecutors painted her as a callous partygoer who sought to free herself from the obligations of motherhood.

Following a 2011 trial that attracted widespread attention, Anthony was acquitted after Baez contended the child died in a swimming pool and her rattled parents attempted to hide the body.

Baez and Sullivan have also represented actress Rose McGowan, who has in media statements accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s. Baez represented McGowan in a Virginia cocaine possession case beginning last year. According to the Daily Beast, McGowan called their representation of Weinstein a “major conflict of interest.”  

“This is why my case didn't go to trial — my instinct was my lawyers had been bought off,” McGowan told the Daily Beast.

Additionally, Baez and Sullivan, who previously headed the Brooklyn district attorney's conviction review unit, worked together to secure an acquittal for former NFL player Aaron Hernandez in a double-murder case.

As for Mackey, the Los Angeles-based attorney defended NBA superstar Kobe Bryant when he was accused in 2003 of sexually assaulting a hotel employee. The following year, prosecutors dropped the case after the accuser refused to come forward to testify.

Barbara Barron, a professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University who previously worked for the Manhattan district attorney's office, said the new attorneys' record of success “says it all” in terms of why Weinstein may have picked them for his defense.

Barron also said bringing new attorneys into the case may provide fresh perspectives that could prove advantageous for their client.

Mark Bederow of the Law Office of Mark A. Bederow, a former Manhattan prosecutor, said the out-of-town attorneys have proven track records but might have a learning curve in terms of getting to know Burke, local procedures and potential jurors from Manhattan. He also said he found it odd that Weinstein would break away from Brafman after he was having some success in the case.

“I think it's bizarre given who he is replacing and given how well the defense appeared to be doing,” Bederow said. “But ultimately it's his choice to proceed how he wants, and none of us know the reason why the switch was made.”

Weinstein's faces two counts of predatory sexual assault, first-degree rape, third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act. Burke refused to dismiss the remaining counts in December.

Read more:

Brafman's Withdrawal From Weinstein Case Exposes Tensions That Come With High-Profile Clients

Weinstein Seeks Stay of Federal Civil Suits Pending NY Criminal Trial

Judge Denies Weinstein's Motion to Dismiss Remaining Sexual Assault Charges