Mitch Schuster is one of the most important figures on the celebrity entertainment scene… but it’s a
fair bet you’ve never heard of him. And that’s exactly the point.
A partner at Meister, Seelig and Fein, a law firm based in New York, Shuster specializes in “crisis management”—something he sums up as “making problems go away”—for a select, and closely guarded clientele of athletes, entertainers, and high net worth individuals.
“My skills revolve around anonymity and quiet professionalism and keeping things under the radar when possible,” he told Grazia Gazette: Los Angeles. “That’s why agents call me when their client is in trouble, and that’s why CEOs and company presidents call me when they’re in trouble. Those folks think, Hey this is the guy I need, this is the guy I should have in my phone for these types of situations.”
Call him they do. In the three decades that he has been practicing law, Schuster has built up a reputation in the industry for being the go-to guy when you’re in the kind of predicament that you’d really rather keep under the radar. The fact that Schuster is not a household name himself is a testament to just how good he is at managing other peoples’ crises.
“My motivation is always, before anything, doing what’s best for the client,” he says. “My ego comes second. There are things I could have publicized that I haven’t.”
Most often, doing what’s best for the client means making sure nobody ever knows there’s a crisis that needs managing at all. Even as we talk, his phone buzzes: A client he only identifies as “an athlete” has been arrested. The rest of Schuster’s day will be spent ensuring we don’t find out who, or why.
“Some things do become public, but I would say 99 per cent of what I do has been quietly resolved and kept under the radar,” he says. “And that’s how I measure my success. Winning may not necessarily mean not paying any money. Some of the clients I work for are responsible for their bad acts. It’s not my job to judge them, but it is my job to help them.”
LA’S LEGAL POWER PLAYERS
Orin Snyder: Described by Chambers USA as “aggressive, highly motivated” and “totally dedicated to winning”, Snyder’s clients have included big tech firms Facebook and Yahoo, entertainment giants Sony and Warner Music, and celebrities including Mariah Carey, Elton John, and Lady Gaga. The former federal prosecutor is a fearsome opponent and has been described as “the deadliest trial lawyer in tech.”
Shawn Holley: A partner at LA-based firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert, Holley has worked for a high-profile roster of entertainment industry clients, including Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Snoop Dogg, and – famously – rock-bottom-era LiLo.
Paul Tweed: A Northern Irish native now known as “the most powerful man in Hollywood,” Tweed is the libel lawyer who has never lost a case. It’s little wonder that his client list includes A-List actors, politicians, pop stars – and even royalty. In a Grazia interview last year he described tech giants Amazon, Twitter and Facebook as “the big battlegrounds” for defamation cases now. Tech, you’re on notice.
