Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2024: Meet Hollywood’s Top Entertainment Attorneys

Partners

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern

Firm veterans Gilio, Hartman and Weiser collaborate on various clients, including actors such as “Palme Royale” co-star Kaia Gerber (Gilio & Hartman), Daniel Ings of “The Gentlemen” (Gilio & Weiser) and “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” lead Swell Ariel Or (Hartman & Weiser). Each also has an impressive roster they work with separately. For Weiser, it’s Lily James, Paul Giamatti, Chloe Grace Moretz, Haley Lu Richardson, Gal Gadot and Nicholas Hoult. For Gilio, it’s Angourie Rice, Jennifer Coolidge, Isla Fisher and Naomi Scott. Hartman’s clients include Jack Quaid, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer, Jennifer Garner, Jenna Fischer and David Harbour.  But, says Gilio, “we all work very closely together, even on the clients we don’t co-rep, just trying to figure out the best way to represent them.”

Production bubble boost: “I know the conventional wisdom is that there’s a been a contraction,” says Hartman. “But I feel the runaway frenzy of recent times is continuing unabated.”

Partner

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern

Dern had several deals put on ice by the strikes in 2023, uncertain if they’d ever be revived, but, overall, things worked out well for his clients, such as director Paul Feig, whose delayed sequel “A Simple Favor 2” began shooting in Italy this spring. The three-decade veteran’s roster also includes actors Jack Black, Jason Segal, Renee Rapp, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher and Cara Delevingne, and directors Zack Snyder, Todd Phillips and Spike Jonze.

Post-strike deal momentum: “It’s like a train that got stopped, and now it’s moving again,” he says. “And I think people are happy to be on the train.”

Partner

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern

Offer’s client roster features 2024 Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Paul Giamatti and other big names including Brie Larson, Tom Holland, Adam Driver, Robert Pattinson, Keri Russell and Benedict Cumberbatch. But his most significant recent matter was repping longtime client Will Arnett on his end of the $100 million multi-year deal between SiriusXM and SmartLess Media, the company the actor formed with Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes to produce their “SmartLess” podcast.

Strikes rebound: “It was bad as I’ve ever seen it,” says the three-decade-plus legal eagle. “But there’s still big demand for content and I’m confident that we’ll come back.”

Partner

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern

Since December, Sloane has been dealing with a post-strike deal flow he compares to a long line of planes waiting for takeoff on the tarmac, as he’s worked on behalf of clients such as actors Anne Hathaway, Mark Wahlberg, Morgan Freeman, Hugh Jackman, Will Smith, Amy Adams, Keira Knightley, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender and Taron Egerton, talk show host James Corden and his Fulwell 73 banner and director James Mangold.

Looming possibility of more strikes: “I think maybe people are trying to be blissfully ignorant to it,” Sloane says. “It’s hard for them to fathom that it could be happening again.”

Partner

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern

Weber’s clients have a tendency to do well at the Oscars. This year, Cillian Murphy won actor honors for “Oppenheimer,” while Emily Blunt scored a supporting actress nomination for the film. He also reps past actor Oscar-winners (Joaquin Phoenix and Rami Malk) and Academy Award nominees Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan and Andrew Garfield, along with Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Alison Brie, Rob McElhenney and Lily James.

Bonuses award by platforms for streaming success: “They’re not uniform, they’re still imperfect,” Weber says. More significantly, “there’s no transparency in the actual data.”

Rozansky: Partner
Akselrud: Partner, Chair of Internet, Digital Media & Entertainment Practice
Laffey: Partner
Kirchner: Senior Counsel

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles

According to Rozansky, he, Akselrud, Laffey and Kirchner appreciate the ability to work closely together and share their mutual expertise to give clients the most personal and expert service. In 2023, Akselrud was involved in financing or acquisition transactions for more than a dozen digital media companies and sports retailers, and represented the late Leonard Cohen’s estate in its catalog sale to Hipgnosis. Laffey, alongside Akselrud, counseled in a range of matters for concerns as varied as an elite coffee brand and several hot production companies. Rozansky achieved a favorable settlement in a right of publicity and copyright action he brought on behalf of prominent Southern California insurance broker Adriana Gallardo, a case with strong AI implications going forward. Kirchner represents a growing digital media production company in contract disputes and advises on contract negotiation and strategy. She and Rozansky have successfully represented top producers of unscripted television series on issues unique to that entertainment space. Most recently they settled, for a nominal amount, an arbitration by two former show participants seeking a multimillion-dollar award.

Protection: Rozansky predicts “the growth of AI is going to create an onslaught of legal issues, from how to protect original content created by it, to how to protect original content used to train it. This is going to be a complex challenge for entertainment and IP lawyers alike, particularly until there is a well-developed body of law on this subject.”

Founding Partner

Toberoff & Associates

In the ongoing challenge of defending and enhancing the rights of writers and artists in the stories and characters they have created, Toberoff is a dedicated advocate, saying, “I never back down from a David vs. Goliath battle.” In 2023, he settled five major cases on behalf of the creators of numerous superheroes, including Iron Man, Thor, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Blade and Black Widow. He also successfully settled a copyright dispute with Paramount on behalf of James Dearden, writer-director of the short film that inspired the hit feature “Fatal Attraction” (which Dearden also penned). Toberoff is entering 2024 in the midst of a possibly landmark case on behalf of the writer of the original “Road House” feature.

Opportunities ahead: “With the advent of streaming, and with all studios cutting back on theatrical film releases and the associated diminution of meaningful back-end for talent, ‘the times, they are a changin’,’” he says. “Unless talent and their reps embrace change, they will lose. If, however, they take more of the essential elements of content production into their own hands, the economics will be transformational.”

Partner

Venable

Some 20 years ago, Garfinkel was tapped to represent a client suing on the grounds of defamation, and he recalls the judge in the case asking “Defamation? Is that still a thing?” It was and is, and proved to be a cornerstone of two of Garfinkel’s 2023 high-profile actions. Glass House Brands, California’s largest vertically integrated cannabis company, filed suit against a competitor who had called them the industry’s “biggest black marketeer.” And the band All Time Low accused of — and adamantly denying — inappropriate fan conduct by anonymous online posters, has sued for interference with its business. Both cases highlight the increasingly important need to keep an eye on those who would employ the freedom and anonymity of online for mischief, or worse.

Words to the (un)wise: “People mistakenly believe that they can get away with defamation on social media where outrageous statements are commonly made, or by simply inserting the term ‘allegedly’ or the phrase ‘in my opinion.’ The rise of social media has given everyone a potential platform, but those who speak do so at their own risk,” he says.

Partner

Venable

As a litigator, Rosenberg has represented some of the biggest names in the industry, from Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey, Lindsey Stirling, Sofi Tukker, AEG Live and Legendary Pictures. He also repped Ariana Grande in a high-profile dispute that involved her cosmetics brand R.E.M. Beauty. Working with Venable’s bankruptcy and litigation teams, Rosenberg navigated complex issues of corporate law and ultimately enabled the superstar to regain control of her brand. He also represents Jason Derulo and Sony Music Entertainment in defending an ongoing copyright lawsuit relating to Derulo’s chart-topping song “Savage Love.” 

Live action: “I’m glad we’re back to litigating in person. On a screen, you cannot see the bead of sweat on a witness’s brow when they pause to answer a question. You cannot adequately evaluate a judge’s expression during an online argument.”

Weinstein: Owner, Founding Partner
Senior: Owner, Founding Partner

Weinstein Senior

Weinstein and Senior are counsel and strategic advisors to Jimmy Donaldson, also known to millions of fans as MrBeast. They also facilitated the structure and negotiation for talent deals for a Meta initiative on behalf of their client B17. Through the project, Weinstein Senior supported Meta’s creation of an AI platform in collaboration with notables including Tom Brady. The firm engineered a collaboration between soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Apple TV+ on behalf of its client Smuggler Entertainment.

Helping clients: “I like protecting people,” says Senior. Adds Weinstein, “I like collaborating with our clients to help them be in a better position than where we found them.”

Partner, Chair of Entertainment Transactions Practice

Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Epstein represented talent management and production company Brillstein Entertainment Partners in its sale to Wasserman Media Group. He advised Hyphenate Media Group, the newly launched production studio founded by actor-director Eva Longoria and producer Cris Abrego, with a focus on developing multicultural content, in its strategic partnership with global production giant Banijay. Client Ryan Reynolds, who has “Deadpool & Wolverine” on tap,  continues to reap the benefits from the sale of Mint Mobile of which he was part-owner to T-Mobile for a reported $1.35 billion.

Open lane: “The management company lane continues to be an interesting one. Management companies are very strategic assets in the media landscape. Scale matters and it’s getting harder for many of the smaller management companies to compete given their limited infrastructure and internal resources.” 

Partner

Yorn Levine Barnes Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner Endlich & Gellman

Gellman has been closing deals for a large stable of comics including Sebastian Maniscalco, Andrew Schulz and Shane Gillis, putting them everywhere from film and TV screens to, in the case of Alex Adelson and his one-person show “Just for Us,” the Broadway stage.  Other clients include “Bluey” creator Joe Brumm, director Lulu Wang (Amazon’s “Expats”) and social influencer Hailey Bieber, the latter of whom he shares with partners Kevin Yorn and Cary Dobkin.

Stand-up flourishes: “Now you have Hulu and Amazon anxious to develop their libraries and competing on a financial level, so it’s created much more of an actual free market,” he says.

Partner

Yorn Levine Barnes Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner Endlich & Gellman

A four-decade veteran, Levine still works with some of his earliest clients, including Eugene Levy, producer Dan Sackheim (“True Detective”) and writer-producer Graham Yost (“Masters of the Air”), while cutting deals for newer arrivals such as Ramy Youssef (HBO special “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings”), Shane Gillis (Netflix series “Tires”), Rachel Sennott (HBO comedy pilot) and Stephen Curry and Erick Peyton’s Unanimous Media (Peacock series “Mr. Throwback”). Other clients include Jordan Peele, Aziz Ansari, Colin Jost, writer-producer Bill Lawrence (“Ted Lasso”) and ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon.

Second-hand strike stress: “If you’re human, you can’t help but sometimes channel your client’s anxiety,”he says.

Managing Partner

Yorn Levine Barnes Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner Endlich & Gellman

Yorn signed Jonah Hill and top Gen Z digital influencer Alix Earle, adding to a starry client list that also includes Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey, Hailey Bieber, Elliot Page, Eva Longoria, Stephen Curry, Jason Sudeikis, director Hwang Dong-hyuk (“Squid Game”) and Korean shingle Galaxy Corp. (Netflix’s “Physical: 100”). He also has Broadlight Capital, an investment firm he co-founded with David Dorfman and his brother Rick Yorn, which launched a $225 million debut fund in May 2023 to back growth-stage tech companies.

Podcasts still a growth industry: “I predict they’ll end up closing in on film and television at some point,” he says. 

Partners

Ziffren Brittenham

Bahat and Rubinfeld have been working alongside each other at Ziffren Brittenham for some 10 years and share many clients. Together, they closed deals for writers Jimmy Warden (Universal comedy “Naughty”), Justin Kuritzkes (Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William Burrough’s novel “Queer”), actor Danielle Deadwyler (Blumhouse’s “The Woman in the Yard”), TikTok star Brian Jordan Alvarez (FX series “English Teacher”) and shingle Borderlight (New Line’s “Weapons”). Bahat’s personal roster includes Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”), Nathan Fielder (“The Curse”), Stephanie Hsui (“Laid”), Maude Apatow (“Euphoria”) and Working Title (“Crime 101”), while Rubinfeld handles Joel McHale (“House of Villains,” “Crime Scene Kitchen”), actor Alex Hodges (“Alex Cross”), multi-hyphenate Jenna Lamia (“The Perfect Couple”) and writers Colin Bannon (“Long Lost”) and Julia Cox (“Nyad”).

Potential factors affecting production slowdown: “It’s the cost of money, the ease of borrowing, whether companies are being valued based on growth or cash flow,” says Bahat. “All of these things have an impact on our buyers.”

Partner, Head of Music

Ziffren Brittenham

Legacy acts and the protection of their oeuvres dominate Branca’s practice. As the co-manager of the Michael Jackson estate, he guided the Tony award-winning “MJ the Musical,” executive produced the “Thriller 40” Showtime documentary and serves as a producer on the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic. Additionally, Branca negotiated on behalf of the Bee Gees for a biopic currently in development at Paramount and negotiated licenses on behalf of the Elvis Presley estate for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” He also handled catalog sales for Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek of the Doors. 

Long live rock: “Ticket sales for live events have never been bigger,” Branca says.  “There was a time when people felt that legacy artists were going to vanish,” he says. “Instead, they’ve come back stronger than ever.” 

Partners

Ziffren Brittenham

Byrnes and Lande handled various aspects of client Beyoncé’s 2023 Renaissance World Tour, from striking a deal with Live Nation Entertainment for the concerts to negotiating directly with AMC Theatres for the international release of the concert film. Separately, Byrnes reps Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton, while Lande handles Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Olivia Rodrigo, Pharell and Rosalia.

AI music conundrum: “Some people say that if it’s a good pop song, it doesn’t matter if it’s created by a computer,” says Lande. “But it will never fully replace [music made by humans] because the consumer wants to understand who’s creating the music and what their story is.”

Senior partner, co-managing partner 

Ziffren Brittenham   

Senior partner, co-managing partner Gilbert-Lurie is Variety’s Power of Law honoree for 2024, and his client list includes Sandra Bullock, Tina Fey, Drew Carey, Claire Danes and Jerry Bruckheimer. In recent months, he’s handled Microsoft’s long-gestating deal for Warner Bros.’ feature adaptation of their “Minecraft” videogame, and various matters for his client of 35 years, producer Dick Wolf.

Wolf pack: “He’s got nine shows that are still producing original episodes, and that really helped drive the streaming syndication sales,”  he says.

Counsel

Davis Wright Tremaine

Los Angeles-based Alen worked production legal services for Amazon Studios’ “Jury Duty” including making rapid on-set judgments and risk analysis. In media content matters and talent negotiations, she also advises Spotify in negotiating deals for original podcasts “Case 63” and the long-term agreement with sports personality Ryen Russillo on behalf of “The Ringer.” Earlier, Alen worked in business affairs at William Morris Endeavor and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Associate

Latham & Watkins

A former professional baseball player who later worked as a Major League Players Assn. certified agent, Anderson specializes in clients from the sports world. Although he can’t name names, he litigates cases involving entertainment and media, too, helping a pop icon protect her IP in jurisdictions around the world. The versatile Anderson even represented a plant-based meat substitute company that’s currently engaged in a trade secret contract dispute.  

Associate

DLA Piper

With DLA Piper partner Tom Ara, Bettel repped TikTok in executing TikTok in the Mix, TikTok’s first global live music event featuring Cardi B, Anitta, Niall Horan, Charlie Puth and Reneé Rapp. The event took place with a sold-out crowd of 17,000, and was the biggest livestreamed event on TikTok. Bettel notes that content providers are looking to shift away from traditional programming and delivery methods, creating a host of new structures and challenges for legal teams.

Del Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein, Lezcano, Bobb & Dang

Davis’ practice includes a long list of deals that amplify diverse voices. He represented Laurence Fishburne in connection with his roles in upcoming films “Amateur,” “The Astronaut” and “Sneaks.” He also handled negotiations for Gina Prince-Bythewood’s upcoming feature “Children of Blood and Bone” for Paramount, and assisted author Peniel Joseph and showrunners Damione Macedon and Raphael Jackson with the new season of anthology “Genius” for National Geographic.  

Counsel

Akin

Epstein worked on deals topping $500 million last year. The Los Angeles-based corporate finance attorney advised Bank of America in a credit facility for movie-TV production, and Comerica Bank for a syndicated production loan facility that wrapped in June for a TV series. Epstein also worked for East West Bank in upsizing a credit facility in September covering motion pictures for a subsidiary of Three Point Capital Holdings. 

Associate

O’Melveny & Myers

Feuer carved out an in-demand specialty opposing copyright termination notices by content creators (or their heirs) over their works. In the past year, she resolved four Marvel comics-related disputes in California and New York; concluded litigation over the “Predator” film franchise; and worked other revocation claims. Feuer now advises Hollywood clients of potential copyright termination issues for new projects. Feuer also repped Disney in its now-resolved real estate lawsuit against Florida.

Partner

Greenberg Glusker

Geller defends Warner Bros. Discovery in a trademark infringement claim lodged against its reality series “Ugliest Houses in America.” In videogames, the Century City-based litigator won a dismissal for client Ironmace in August from trade secret and copyright infringement litigation, and separately achieved a settlement for Riot Games in worldwide litigation stopping distribution of an alleged copycat mobile game. Other clients include content producer Endemol Shine, Bob Marley estate companies and
STX Entertainment.

Associate

Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc.

Glosson has worked transactions for horror maven Stephen King, Michael Mann film “Ferrari,” Oscar-nominated Kerry Condon for Universal Pictures thriller “Night Swim,” Emmy-nominated actress Bella Ramsey and Michelle Randolph in Paramount+ series “1923.” Glosson also advises in the influencer and digital practice for client Bob the Drag Queen hosting Lyft’s “Lucky Lyft Trivia Show”; Sofia Richie Grainge for endorsement deals; and actor, comic and Streamy-award winner Dylan Mulvaney.

Associate

Proskauer Rose

Horowitz enjoys the ever-shifting challenges of cutting sports deals in the media and tech industries. In recent months, she’s handled the Big Ten Conference’s seven-year, $7 billion media rights deal with Fox, CBS and NBC, the LPGA’s media rights deals and strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, and the NFL’s 10-year partnership between NFL Game Pass International and DAZN Group.  

Associate

Nixon Peabody

April zeroes in on transactional matters for artists and Internet personalities, negotiating endorsement deals, consumer product licensing deals and personal appearances. Her work has bolstered NP’s repping of Emily Ratajkowski, Addison Rae and Matty Matheson, and she is part of the external legal team for ecommerce startup Orca. Outside of the office, April is active in promoting women’s participation in Hollywood, sits on the board of the Harvard Law School Assn. of Los Angeles and actively participates in the Vietnamese American Bar Assn. of Southern California.

Partner

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp

Ismaj started at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp as a summer associate in 2013 while still a student at UCLA Law School, and was elevated to partner last year. In recent months, she’s been a member of the teams that handled copyright infringement claims for both defendants (Dua Lipa and other songwriters of “Levitating”) and plaintiffs (Universal Music and songwriter John Engelberg vs. athleisure wear company Vuori) and favorably resolved music producer Dr. Luke’s nine-year legal battle with singer Kesha. 

Partner 

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips 

Meller’s deep dedication to his music business clients and knowledge of the industry helped him become partner just one year after being promoted from associate to counsel. Meller has been a key member of teams representing an American musician, record producer and founding member of an iconic band with a $100 million corporate restructuring; Johnny Manziel in his talent agreement for Netflix’s hit “Untold: Johnny Football”; and has handled a series of seven-figure endorsement pacts for A-list talent. He was also integral to the firm’s representation of Francisco Partners Management, a U.S.-headquartered global investment firm, with respect to its majority stake investment in Kobalt Music. 

Associate

Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole

Myer worked with Glen Powell’s team to secure his role in Sony’s “Anyone but You,” which has grossed $200 million globally, and Universal’s upcoming “Twisters.” Myer worked with “Yellowstone” star Luke Grimes to negotiate a Stetson endorsement deal and a role in Ari Aster’s upcoming A24 film “Eddington” starring Joaquin Phoenix. Myer works on Kevin Bacon and poet laureate Amanda Gorman’s legal teams.

Associate

Venable

Sharon handles trademark, copyright, rights of publicity and First Amendment matters in entertainment, counseling clients on securing and protecting their IP rights. She is part of the team representing and safeguarding Mattel’s IP portfolio, and was involved in high-volume enforcement efforts related to the 2023 blockbuster “Barbie” movie, on whose historic marketing campaign she advised. For Playboy Enterprises, she worked on one of the nation’s first cases involving NFTs, branding and related IP issues in an action to stop defendants’ fraudulent marketing use of Playboy branding and trademarks to deceive consumers into purchasing counterfeit NFTs. She is also a member of Venable teams protecting Ariana Grande’s music and privacy rights, and working on a joint authorship/copyright dispute regarding Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love.

Associate

Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks

Zimmerman has established a reputation as one of the biz’s most promising attorneys by negotiating a handful of groundbreaking deals such as LeBron James’ lifetime marketing deal with Fenway Sports and Elliot Grainge’s 10K Projects in its new joint venture with Warner Music Group. His clients include Dan Houser, creator of the “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption,” who he helped form Absurd Ventures, Martha Stewart and various CAA executives in their employment arrangements.