John Zabel: 5 Things To Know About Britney Spears’ Potential New Conservator Replacing Dad Jamie

Britney Spears’ lawyer has named John Zabel, a CPA and business owner, as the candidate to temporarily replace Jamie Spears as conservator of the singer’s estate.

Britney Spears, 39, has her sights set on a new candidate to act as the temporary conservator of her estate. The singer and her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, are fighting to remove Jamie Spears, 69, from his role as conservator of Brit’s estate and replace him with a temporary candidate before dissolving the conservatorship altogether. They had previously named licensed CPA Jason Rubin as their pick for the job, but on Sept. 23, Rosengart withdrew Jason’s nomination and suggested that John Zabel replace Jamie and temporarily control Britney’s finances and estate instead, according to The New York Times.

A decision on Britney’s conservatorship will likely be made at her next court date, which is scheduled for September 29. There, John may very well become the Grammy-winning singer’s temporary conservator of her estate. Here are five key things you need to know about John Zabel.

1. John owns his own company

John has a long list of credentials, starting with his position as the owner of Media Finance Structures, LLC (MFS). According to his LikedIn page, John has owned the company since March 2002. MFS offers “financial or operational management of entertainment projects,” the website states, and it has worked with major studios like Sony, Lionsgate, Parmount, CBS Films, and more. Of John, the company says, “John Zabel brings over three decades of industry experience to MFS, and is committed to delivering unbeatable client service and focused, tangible results.”

2. He’s a licensed CPA

John is a licensed Certified Public Accountant, just like Jason. He pursued accounting during his undergraduate years at CSU Long Beach in the early 1980s, and then later on completed the Exec. Management Program at UCLA in 1990. Considering the conservator of Britney’s estate would handle her finances, someone who is a CPA is ideal for the position.

3. He used to work as an Auditor

John’s first major job in accounting that is listed on his LinkedIn page is as a Senior Auditor for Arthur Young & Co. He held that position from 1981 to 1984. Then, John worked as a Senior Auditor for Ernst & Young from 1981 to 1984.

4. He was the Senior VP of Sony Pictures Entertainment

After he left Ernst & Young, John snagged a job at Sony Pictures Entertainment as the Senior Vice President. Sony Pictures Entertainment is headquartered in Culver City, Ca., and has an estimated revenue of $9.316 billion. It operates under Sony Pictures, which is one of the “Big Five” major film studios in the U.S.

John’s job at Sony was brief: he held the position from May 1984 to March 1995, and then moved on to work as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Mandalay Entertainment from March 1995 to March 2002. After that, he created MFS.

5. He will have big responsibilities if he becomes Britney’s conservator.

John’s biggest task ever may be coming soon, if he is indeed named conservator of Britney’s estate. Jamie has held that job for over 13 years now, but amidst the #FreeBritneyMovement, he’s agreed to step down from his position. Britney’s personal conservator is Jodi Montgomery, who has also been onboard to dissolve Britney’s conservatorship. If John does replace Jamie, he’ll be in control of the singer’s finances and estate. That is all expected to be decided at the highly-anticipated Sept. 29 court date.