Lawyer and family friend take over Jacko’s estate

MICHAEL JACKSON’S long-time lawyer and a family friend were given permission to take over running the singer’s estate by a judge last night.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff backed lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain, who were designated in Jackson’s 2002 will. The singer’s mother, Katherine Jackson, had applied to oversee her son’s estate, but that was before the will surfaced naming Branca and McClain.

Katherine Jackson did not appear at the hearing but her lawyer, Burt Levitch, expressed concerns about the men’s financial leadership.