PHIL SPECTOR - SPECTOR HIRES NEW LAWYER FOR RETRIAL

PHIL SPECTOR has found a new lawyer to defend him at his retrial for the murder of actress LANA CLARKSON - but the attorney says he may not be ready to go to court until September 2008. Doron Weinberg told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler on Friday (07Dec07) that he needs five months just to review the material from Spector's original trial, which was ruled a mistrial in September (07) when jurors couldn't agree unanimously on a guilty verdict. San Francisco, California-based Weinberg also told the hearing that the only member of the Spector's legal team left after the music producer dismissed his defence is Christopher Ploud - who won't be available until autumn 2008 as he's currently involved in two death penalty cases. Spector still stands accused of murdering Clarkson at his Alhambra, California mansion in 2003. During the trial, Spector's legal team maintained Clarkson was depressed and suicidal and shot herself. The producer used three legal teams during the five-month trial. He fired his first attorney and New York lawyer Bruce Cutler quit as lead counsel after disagreeing with his client.