Howard Weitzman, Defense Lawyer for the Famous, Dies at 81 A master practitioner of the courthouse-steps news conference, he often made his case in the court of public opinion. He also made lawsuits disappear. Image The lawyer Howard Weitzman, known for his many high-profile clients, speaking at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 2014. The subject of his talk was the trial of O.J. Simpson — whose case he decided to drop before the trial began.Credit...Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images Howard Weitzman, an entertainment lawyer whose client list bristled with the names of some of the nation’s most famous, and infamous, celebrities — including Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber and, for two days, O.J. Simpson — died on Wednesday at his home in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. He was 81.