Johnson Fistel Welcomes New Attorney Seth M. Schechter

Johnson Fistel is pleased to announce the addition of attorney Seth Schechter to its San Diego office.  Mr. Schechter has extensive experience counseling high net worth clients with specialized asset protection strategies, wealth preservation ideas, tax mitigation, and estate planning.  “I’m thrilled that Seth decided to join our firm.  With his expansive background and experience, we can now offer our clients retirement planning, estate planning, business formation, and help them protect the wealth they have worked so hard to create,” said Frank J. Johnson, the firm’s managing partner.

Mr. Schechter started his legal career over 20 years ago working as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in San Diego.  After spending two years defending the United States against civil actions, he spent several years at a prestigious law firm in San Diego providing estate planning services and strategizing with clients on forming the best business structures based upon a number of financial considerations to protect them from personal liability and reduce their tax obligations.

His skill and experience led billionaire Sidney Frank, creator of the Grey Goose and Jagermeister brands, to hire Mr. Schechter as his personal lawyer and in-house counsel for Mr. Frank’s enterprises.  In that role, Mr. Schechter handled virtually all of Mr. Frank’s legal matters including managing his wine brand, real estate development, and the record-setting sale of Grey Goose to Bacardi for $2 billion.  Mr. Schechter has since served as general counsel for both established companies and start-ups.  In addition, Mr. Schechter has held leadership roles at large nonprofit organizations in San Diego.

Mr. Schechter will assist the firm in three primary practice areas:

• Estate Planning: Mr. Schechter combines his practical knowledge and technical expertise to create effective, efficient, and tax sensitive wealth planning and asset transfer arrangements. He provides advice and guidance on trust and gift planning, estate tax mitigation, life insurance strategies, philanthropic and charitable integration, and personalized asset protection. He has counseled clients from across the wealth spectrum, including individuals, families, and business entities in planning and managing estates of varying size and complexity.

• Asset Protection: Combining his education (LLM in Taxation) and his work experience (representing clients such as billionaire Sidney Frank and other high net worth individuals), Mr. Schechter takes estate planning to the next level by ensuring that clients’ assets are insulated from litigation concerns and other potential threats. Schechter helps clients create an individualized Asset Protection Plan designed to make sure that all current and potential personal and professional risks and threats are identified.

• Business Law: Mr. Schechter has a broad range of skills and experience in the fields of commercial, corporate, and securities law. He has counseled domestic and international clients in a wide variety of transactional matters.

Mr. Schechter received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1990, his Juris Doctor degree from California Western in 1995, and his Master of Laws (LLM) in Taxation from the University of San Diego in 2001.  He is involved with several nonprofits, including the Jackson Hole Technology Partnership and the Surfrider Foundation.  In his spare time, Mr. Schechter enjoys skiing, surfing, writing, and spending time with his wife, kids, and dog.