The Premier's son Kevin Brown has dismissed his celebrity lawyer as he bids to clear himself of 33 felony sex counts.

Brown appeared at a pretrial hearing in Los Angeles yesterday morning without Blair Berk, the Hollywood attorney he hired last year, best known for defending starlets Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears against drunk driving charges.

Berk's celebrity reputation is such that she is on a "shortlist of lawyers to call for Hollywood types who find themselves in hot water", according to the Wall Street Journal.

It is not known why Brown and Ms Berk, described as a "miracle worker" in the California press, parted ways.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Rouman Ebrahim told The Royal Gazette that Brown's new attorney cannot be named as she has not been officially retained.

Yesterday's pretrial hearing was short-lived, according to Mr. Ebrahim.

The next pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 16, by which time the identity of Brown's new lawyer will be made public.

"The court realistically doesn't expect this to be done until the end of the year," Mr. Ebrahim said of the case, which has been ongoing since Brown was charged with sexually molesting 12 patients last year.

His alleged victims include an undercover police officer and a 15-year-old.

If convicted, Brown faces life in prison.

Ms Berk did not return a call for comment yesterday.