Alec Baldwin's Attorney Has Also Defended Jay-Z, Mick Jagger, and Megan Thee Stallion

Ever since the O.J. Simpson trial introduced us to the circus that was the former NFL player's defense team (nicknamed the Dream Team), criminal defense attorneys have taken on new roles. When it comes to defending celebrities, like Phil Spector or Robert Blake, it takes a lawyer with a bit of pizazz to keep up with their celebrity clients. Has actor Alec Baldwin chosen the right person for the job? Here's what we know about Alex Spiro, who is Baldwin's attorney in his trial for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

According to a March 2023 profile in Vanity Fair, Spiro is the attorney to hire if you're trying to break a $44 billion agreement to buy a popular social media app, or perhaps a cameraman has accused you of having sex in front of him in a car. Those two examples are of course referencing Elon Musk and Megan Thee Stallion, respectively, who have both been represented by the 41-year-old Harvard Law School grad.

"I don’t know what a celebrity lawyer is," Spiro told the outlet. "It’s not apparently a lawyer that represents celebrities." In our opinion it can be both, as Spiro has already gained notoriety for defending anyone from Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, to Mick Jagger. No one who flies under the radar comes into contact with people at that level. Whether Spiro likes it or not, in certain circles he's as well-known as his prominent clientele.

He has a particular fascination with Musk, for whom he's done a considerable amount of work and describes as a unique individual who makes every day interesting, and who has "done a lot of good for the world." Spiro revealed that he's usually attracted to cases where he's called to "rally behind people that are under attack." He sees no difference between Megan Thee Stallion and Musk, in that respect.

The defense approach that Spiro is taking in Baldwin's trial is to lay the blame at the feet of everyone but his client, reported NPR. "Those people failed in their duties, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime," he argued on Day 1 of the trial. He leans heavily on the fact that the Rust armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has already been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

He also played the 9-1-1 call made after the shooting in which Rust script supervisor Mamie Mitchell referred to the shooting as an "accident." Mitchell can then be heard saying that first assistant director Dave Hall is to blame. Hall has since taken a plea deal which stipulates he has to testify in any trials related to the shooting. NBC News reported that Spiro's tactics have gotten a bit more aggressive on Day 2 of the trial.