Alec Baldwin has a high-priced lawyer. In fact, there’s more than one. Looks like he needs them.
While there’s been some good news for Alec Baldwin before, his situation has yet to become clear. rust shooting.
Baldwin’s shooting trial is underway, with a preliminary hearing ahead of (optimistically) opening statements on Wednesday.
In the meantime, the embattled actor may pay a huge price for his defense.
Alec Baldwin on trial in accidental shooting death of Halyna Hutchins
Alec Baldwin holds a prop gun while filming in 2021 rust In New Mexico. The gun went off, injuring director Joel Souza and killing cameraman Halina Hutchins.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges in connection with her death. He said he did not pull the trigger and did not know the gun contained live ammunition.
If he is convicted, he faces up to 18 months in prison.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in rust, and therefore responsible for all props and weapons on set. Her defense said she was made a scapegoat for problems beyond her control.
In March, she was found guilty of manslaughter in Hutchins’ tragic death. She is serving an 18-month sentence while she appeals.
The judge denied her testimonial immunity, meaning she won’t be able to answer certain questions as a witness in Baldwin’s trial without incriminating herself. Of course, the court can’t force her to answer certain questions (thank you, Fifth Amendment).
For trial, Alec Baldwin hires two veteran lawyers
Alec Baldwin learned of Hutchins’ death during a police interrogation… after a seemingly extensive “conversation.” Withholding information to get someone to talk publicly is not an uncommon tactic.
Baldwin could have hired a lawyer at the time to stop the strategy from working.
At trial, he did not make the same mistake. He hired two prominent attorneys: Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro.
Luke Nikas is one of Alec Baldwin’s lawyers
Nikas is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a partner at one of the largest law firms in the world.
When authorities first announced the charges against Alec Baldwin, Nikas claimed it was a miscarriage of justice.
Nikas’ legal experience includes defending former gallery director Ann Freedman in a notorious art forgery case in New York.
Alex Spiro also represents Alec Baldwin in ‘Rust’ wrongful death trial
Like Nikas, Alex Spiro is a Harvard graduate. Both are partners at the law firm Quinn, Emanual, Urquhart & Sullivan.
Spiro focuses his work on government enforcement cases, and if his name sounds familiar, it should. The former Manhattan prosecutor’s name pops up frequently in entertainment lawsuits and celebrity cases.
Over the years, he has provided legal representation to people as beloved as Jay-Z and as reviled as Elon Musk. Alec Baldwin’s public opinion falls somewhere in between.
How much did Alec Baldwin pay his attorney?
It’s worth noting that Alex Spiro doesn’t come cheap. At least, not always. In 2023, he represented entrepreneur Charlie Jarvis as student loan company founder Frank, who faced fraud and conspiracy charges.
according to peopleCourt documents in the case show that Spiro charged Jarvis $2,025 an hour for representation.
Even by legal standards, this is an expensive lawyer. Ultimately, Jarvis didn’t have to pay — in 2023, a court ruled that JPMorgan Chase (which sued her) had to pay her hefty attorney fees.
To be clear, there is no indication that Alec Baldwin paid his attorney that much money. While a defense like this will cost a lot, we don’t know the rates Alex Spiro or Luke Nikas will charge against Baldwin.
(Spiro once charged New York Mayor Eric Adams $250 per billable hour to represent him in a sexual harassment lawsuit.)
Regardless of price, this will be expensive. It’s unclear whether the cost of Baldwin’s new reality series will be enough to make up the difference.
