"Serial" subject Adnan Syed's attorneys, gearing up for a retrial after a judge vacated his conviction last week, have partnered with a major law firm.
A pro-bono team from the firm of Hogan Lovells announced Wednesday that it will join up with Syed's attorneys for the past seven years, C. Justin Brown and Christopher Nieto.
"If the state elects to proceed with a retrial, we intend to tap into our extensive trial experience and many years of handling innocence cases to work to ensure that Adnan receives the best legal defense possible," said Steve Barley, managing partner of Hogan Lovells' Baltimore office.
Brown, who will remain lead counsel, said he reached out to the firm after receiving offers of assistance from other firms.
"This allows us to prepare for anything. We can pursue all the different tracks that the case might take," Brown said in a phone interview. "We can do it all simultaneously."
Retired Baltimore Circuit Judge Martin Welch ordered a new trial for Syed, who since 2000 had been serving a life sentence after being convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Welch agreed last week that Syed had received ineffective assistance from his trial counsel and overturned his conviction.
The state attorney general's office indicated that it is likely to be appeal, a process that could extend the timeline for a retrial by a year.
Brown has said he will likely seek to have Syed, who is being held in a state prison in Western Maryland, freed on bail pending a new trial. He said Wednesday that he is still assessing how to proceed with such an effort.
Syed's case gained wide attention through the "Serial" podcast, which was downloaded millions of times, drawing legions of devoted fans who scrutinized the case online.