Krista L. Mitzel

Krista L. Mitzel

SAN FRANCISCO - Krista L. Mitzel has a non-traditional view on what an attorney is supposed to do, and believes the bigger picture matters more than single-issue resolution. She described her practice as a holistic, in-depth counsel that marries law with sound business strategies for clients’ competitive growth and profitability, where she helps create holistic business platforms that allow clients to grow and thrive.

“Most attorneys are trained to solve one single problem,” Mitzel said. “That can be fine in a lot of cases, but in most, it misses an opportunity to help the client understand how they can use legal strategies in the big picture and benefit business.”

As founder of the Mitzel Group, she says, “When clients come and ask for X, we don’t just draw X. We ask, ‘Why do you think you need X? What are you trying to accomplish?’ And then give them ideas to resolve that. Our job is to educate them on what they don’t know.”

Mitzel works with high-revenue clients and small mom-and-pop shops that value forward-looking approaches that drive revenue and minimize business disruptions. “We help protect themselves, but also to understand how business strategies can help them achieve goals,” she added.

Mitzel deals with restaurant groups, NGOs, professional services firms and other industries. “We kind of joke that we’re entrepreneurs who happen to be lawyers,” she said, but also clarifies there’s not a single persona she embodies: she’s a teacher, a business consultant and a strategist.

She said this approach started when she noticed during litigation that most cases would not have been an issue in the first place if a small thing was done differently. “If they had treated this employee differently, or made a different decision on how to pay people, they would not be here in these situations. So I made the decision to try and support them earlier in the process.”

Mitzel said she built a practice that doesn’t go out looking for litigation, but instead works on a system of client referral. “Sixty to 70% is helping companies do the right thing to begin with,” she said.

--Federico Lo Giudice