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Anyone know a good entertainment lawyer?

Of course you do. Attorneys have become so woven into the fabric of the industry, it's impossible to do anything without them. But how many great entertainment lawyers do you know? Advisers who don't just clean up deal details or file cookie-cutter lawsuits but who actually influence the trajectory of the business -- the attorneys who wield as much power as the moguls they represent. There the list gets significantly shorter.

While assembling THR's second annual Power Lawyers issue spotlighting the 100 most influential outside counsel in entertainment, we noticed something interesting. Collectively, the profiles on these pages illustrate the industry's most compelling dramas: the struggle to define intellectual property rights in a free-for-all digital age; our ongoing labor strife; the decline and replacement (we hope) of old revenue models.

To whittle down the list, writers and editors first solicited nominations from the entertainment community. We then supplemented the hundreds of recommendations with our own research, asking the most plugged-in executives which lawyers they consider the most influential in five distinct categories: talent dealmakers; litigators; entertainment-finance dealmakers; intellectual property and tech specialists; and labor experts. In-house studio/network/music label execs are not eligible, nor are law professors, international counsel and lawyers for think tanks or advocacy groups (although this year we included a guide to the studio general counsels and a Q&A with Walt Disney Studios executive vp business and legal affairs Bernardine Brandis, who will receive THR's Raising the Bar Studio Lawyer Award at today's Power Lawyers breakfast).

We've analyzed the year's top stories to figure out the attorneys involved, always with an eye not just on who participated but on what impact his or her actions will have. Candidates were judged against their peers only in their specific categories (i.e., Skip Brittenham was compared with talent dealmakers; Marty Singer with litigators). Leadership positions within their firms mattered, as did educational and philanthropic endeavors. And while some names were selected based on reputations forged over decades, others were boosted this year by a particularly influential court win or an especially innovative deal.

The result, we think, is a definitive reference guide. Now you can say you know 100 great entertainment lawyers.

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Talent lawyers
Corporate lawyers
Labor lawyers
IP-Tech lawyers
Litigation lawyers

Studio Players
Q&A: Bernardine Brandis
Power Lawyers Breakfast



Power Lawyers home
Corporate lawyers
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Studio Players
Q&A: Bernardine Brandis

Talent

Deals, deals and more deals. That's the life of an A-list talent lawyer. With film, TV, music and theater contracts expanding to include everything from new media to new clothing lines, the top lawyers boast creativity that rivals that of their clients themselves.

	Jacob Bloom Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal LaViolette & Feldman, Beverly Hills "He's so charming, I just want to say yes to him," says a top business affairs exec of Bloom, whose decades-long reign as one of the town's top dealmakers continues unabated. The Cornell Law grad built his name in the '80s repping action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Bloom is largely credited with the Governator's perk-filled $29.3 million payday for 2003's "Terminator 3.") Today his client list still includes Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, James Caan and Jackie Chan; Martin Scorsese in his multipicture deal with Paramount; superproducers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment; and Jerry Bruckheimer, who calls Bloom "an artist who just happens to work in the legal profession." And lest you think his prickly demeanor has softened, for the second year in a row, Bloom is the only Power Lawyer who refused to speak to THR for his profile.
	John Branca Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande & Wolf, Los Angeles This year the lawyer who reps more Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists than anyone else (29) proved he knows something about when to sell an asset. Taking advantage of a recent change in tax law that allows songwriters to pay a 15% capital gains tax instead of a 38% income tax rate, he advised some of his clients that now was the perfect time to sell their publishing catalogs. Many, including Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, the estate of Nirvana founder Kurt Cobain, and songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, did just that. Branca's deal for Tyler with Primary Wave Music Publishing, announced in January, netted $50 million for 160 songs. He's also behind innovative "360" deals with Live Nation for Nickelback and Shakira. And in May, Branca, who is active in the Recording Academy charities, took advantage of a run-up in prices in the rare-sports-memorabilia market by selling 41 pages of court proceedings in the World War II-era court-martial of Jackie Robinson. He netted $29,042 for those.
	Harry "Skip" Brittenham Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande & Wolf, Los Angeles Brittenham is known to tell his clients what he thinks, even if it's not what they want to hear. That might explain his parting this year from longtime client Tom Hanks, but the man whom many consider the town's top deal strategist kept plenty busy for everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Bruce Willis to Eddie Murphy to Ridley Scott to Harrison Ford. The son of an Air Force pilot, Brittenham was on the path to the same career until he suffered an eye injury and found law as a backup. Between fly-fishing trips with former partner Tom Hansen, Brittenham now serves as deal advisor on transactions totaling more than $1 billion in each of the past five years. And he's currently working on the most high-profile deal in town: DreamWorks' separation from Paramount and its relaunch with funding from India's Reliance Entertainment and others.
	Harold Brown Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown, Beverly Hills The name in Brown's firm isn't his, it's his late mother Hermione's. She joined the old Hollywood firm back in the '40s and helped transform it into one of the most respected talent boutiques. These days, Brown Jr. has more than stepped out from her shadow, this year representing Michael Mann in his deals to produce and direct "Public Enemies" for Universal and produce "Hancock" for Sony; reality producer Tom Forman in the sale of his company to Relativity Media; and Dwayne Johnson and Gwyneth Paltrow in deals for Warner Bros.' "Get Smart" and Marvel/Paramount's "Iron Man," respectively. Brown also reps big-ticket producer Tony Krantz and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers, and did Harpo Prods.' deal with ABC for "Oprah's Big Give." And for 20 years he's been Bruce Ramer's workhorse for anything and everything Spielberg.
	Melanie Cook Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande & Wolf, Los Angeles Studios love to deal with Cook, who is humble despite her status as arguably the toughest and most powerful female talent lawyer. This year, the avid athlete (her childhood goal was to become a dancer) and daughter of a California judge wrapped Scott Rudin's blockbuster producing deal at Disney and Miramax and negotiated Tim Burton's return to Disney to produce two 3-D movies, including "Alice in Wonderland." Cook also reps directors Sam Mendes, Nancy Meyers, Larry Charles and Mimi Leder, and she's guided Barry Sonnenfeld's transition from film director to TV player. Actor clients include Robin Wright Penn and Christina Ricci.
	Jay Cooper Greenberg Traurig, Santa Monica Fifty-seven years in the business is a long time, but Cooper keeps the steady beat he learned when he was a studio musician. This year he negotiated the release of a James Taylor live album, distributed through Starbucks outlets; struck a deal for Sheryl Crow's new album, "Detours," on Interscope Records; juggled several deals for composer John Williams, including the negotiation of a "Star Wars" tour; and handled Mel Brooks' deals for "Young Frankenstein." Even as the music business struggles, Cooper's firm remains a major player. (New York partner Andrew Tavel repped Live Nation in its massive deal with Jay-Z.) Cooper was too busy to take his usual vacation to Saint-Tropez.
	Ernest Del Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano, Santa Monica "We started as a pure talent practice," Del says of his early days as a film lawyer in the '70s. "But then I got to know the execs, and it became a speciality." That speciality has turned into a booming practice helping top executive talent climb the ladder, including Fox's Peter Liguori and Kevin Reilly, the CW's Dawn Ostroff, 20th TV's Dana Walden, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer and Harry Sloan, with whom Del is helping to rebuild MGM. Del is just as happy when clients make the transition to producers, like former Sony TV and Artists Television Group exec Eric Tannenbaum ("Two and a Half Men") and former WB president David Janollari ("Six Feet Under"). He's also dipped into video games, advising Bethesda Softworks, and he repped Providence Equity Partners in the creation of Hulu. Any advantage to being a talent lawyer who also reps execs? "You can get anyone on the phone and get honest information," he jokes.
	Patti Felker Felker Toczek Gellman Suddleson, Beverly Hills When the Beverly Hills Bar Assn. honored Felker as entertainment lawyer of the year in April, she showed up wearing a diamond-studded Nike tracksuit. Even better: Her entire firm adhered to the tracksuit dress code, a sign of their fierce loyalty to her after she split in February from Peter Nelson, her partner of 14 years. Felker, along with Fred Toczek, Bruce Gellman and Eric Suddleson, brought clients like Brendan Fraser, Orlando Bloom, Vin Diesel, "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell, Jeremy Piven and "Everybody Loves Raymond" creator Phil Rosenthal to the new practice. This year she inked deals for Zac Efron; a seven-figure, two-year overall deal with 20th TV for writer-producer Gary Janetti; and a monster new deal for showrunner Greg Berlanti at ABC Studios.
	Sam Fischer Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande& Wolf, Los Angeles Universally respected for his straightforward, no-games negotiating style, Fischer has a who's who list of talented clients: Matt Damon, Judd Apatow and Simon Cowell, to name a few. He negotiated Sacha Baron Cohen's innovative deal for Universal's "Bruno," Steve Carell's pact for Warner Bros.' "Get Smart," and "The Office" showrunner Greg Daniels' deal for the spinoff. "Sam's the consummate dealmaker," says ABC Studios exec vp Howard Davine. "Smart, creative and with an unparalleled ability to cut through complex issues to help arrive a result that benefits both sides." That political skill has attracted one particularly well-connected client, former Vice President Al Gore, who consults with Fischer about getting out his eco message.
	Seth Gelblum Loeb & Loeb, New York A fixture on Broadway, Gelblum worked on every show nominated for best musical at this year's Tony Awards. He serves as chair of his firm's theater practice group, and in addition to repping "The Lion King's" Julie Taymor and producer Scott Rudin in their theater projects, he handled the production and financing of all "Wicked" productions in the global market. "Seth not only knows what he's doing but he loves the arts and he passionately cares about each project and person with whom he works," Taymor says. Gelblum has recently seen more co-production deals with foreign producers. "The U.S. producer will never be able to look after the show like they will on Broadway," he says. "So they are looking to work with one of the few producers in these other countries who have the experience." Add different tax and security laws to the mix and it becomes clear why Gelblum is in high demand.
	Michael Gendler Gendler & Kelley, Beverly Hills Who can argue with David E. Kelley's lawyer? For more than two decades, Gendler has represented the lawyer-turned-TV-juggernaut, including this year's move to Warner Bros. TV after 22 years at 20th TV. Other TV writer-producers he reps include Hank Steinberg of CBS' "Without a Trace"; Shawn Ryan of CBS' "The Unit" and FX's "The Shield"; Alfred Gough and Miles Millar of the CW's "Smallville"; and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci of the upcoming film "Eagle Eye" (for DreamWorks) and Fox's fall series "Fringe." He also reps actors, including Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Diane Keaton, as well as directors Rob Marshall and Nora Ephron. And he inked "The Sopranos" creator David Chase's development deal at Paramount.
	Cliff Gilbert-Lurie Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande & Wolf, Los Angeles How important a client is Dick Wolf? "I talk to him every day of my professional career," says Gilbert-Lurie, who was instrumental in keeping Wolf's three "Law & Order" shows on the air. The Berkeley Law grad and avid stamp collector now manages legal issues relating to production on Wolf Films projects, as well as Wolf's sometimes-prickly relationship with NBC Universal. This year, among other legal squirmishes, NBC sued Wolf over the interpretation of a2004 agreement. "Nothing is easy in TV," Gilbert-Lurie says. "Especially in a very distressed market." This year he also handled deals for Tina Fey, Sandra Bullock and Sarah Silverman.
	Allen Grubman Grubman Indursky & Shire, New York Grubman admits he's slightly eccentric, a comment that would cause anyone who knows him to burst out laughing. Luckily his clients, who include Elton John, U2, Madonna, Clive Davis and Martha Stewart, are equally iconoclastic. This year he was behind the landmark 12-year arrangement between U2 and Live Nation, giving the concert promoter rights to the band's tours, merchandising and Web site. The deal follows on the heels of a similar one he did for Madonna, which many believe could lead to some heritage artists abandoning the recording business. Grubman has also pushed clients like Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey into new fashion forays, and he's helping grow the Tribeca Film Festival.
	Tom Hansen Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren & Richman, Beverly Hills Hansen learned the business from mentors Ken Ziffren and Skip Brittenham, then promptly struck out on his own to create a firm that is now perhaps their biggest rival. Laid-back and well-connected (wife is manager Judy Hofflund), this year he handled both Robert Downey Jr.'s "Iron Man" deals and smaller projects for David Lynch and Neil Jordan. He reps Pierce Brosnan, Jon Stewart, John Woo, Mel Gibson and Curtis Hanson; helped client John Wells establish the Writers Co-Op; and this year guided longtime friend Ed Limato's controversial transition from ICM to WMA. "I was his wife's assistant at InterTalent," says Endeavor's Patrick Whitesell. "Tom is someone I greatly respect in the industry. He is passionate about what he does and has an incredible understanding of the motion picture business. Plus, he is very funny."
	Alan Hergott Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal LaViolette & Feldman, Beverly Hills Brad Pitt. Russell Crowe. Jake Gyllenhaal. Hergott might as well market himself as a heartthrob specialist. But it's not just the leading men that drive his practice. The contemporary-art collector and 32-year talent vet (all with the same firm) also reps directors Adam Shankman and David Yates and closed Alan Ball's deal for HBO's anticipated "True Blood" series. He handles producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and David Heyman's deals for the "Harry Potter" movies and his overall at Warner Bros. He also negotiates for Fox Searchlight topper Peter Rice, as well as writers like Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon").
	Ken Hertz Goldring Hertz & Lichtenstein, Beverly Hills Hertz and his partners have been up to a lot more than just music deals for Grammy winners like Herbie Hancock, Chris Brown and Gwen Stefani. Like all smart lawyers, he's looking beyond the struggling music industry, taking client Beyonce into the clothing business and helping the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am produce his pro-Barack Obama music videos, which now have 20 million views and counting online. Hertz also manages Will Smith's legal team (he did the then-rapper's deal for "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") and has carved out a niche as a consultant on entertainment marketing issues for corporate clients like McDonald's and Hasbro. "In a connected world, marketing is even more important," he says. And Hertz recently took on a new client: Britney Spears. Good luck to him.
	Barry Hirsch Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof & Fishman, Beverly Hills "You don't have to write much about me," Hirsch says. "I've been around long enough." It's true, no introduction is necessary for a talent lawyer celebrating his 50th year in practice. What's surprising is that the USC Law grad and licensed marriage counselor still juggles between five and 15 deals at a time for clients like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Pfeiffer, Barry Levinson and Francis Ford Coppola. "I've been keeping that pace since 1958," he says. This year, along with active partners Bob Wallerstein, George Hayum, David Matlof and Howard Fishman, Hirsch closed Roberts' and Clive Owen's deals with Universal for "Duplicity" and helped place the studio's head of production, Mary Parent, in a new job running production at MGM. Looking back, he says his career began with a simple love of movies. "I'm fortunate enough to have found my way into the entertainment area," he says.
	Jim Jackoway Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein, Los Angeles Jackoway started negotiating Seth MacFarlane's new deal with 20th TV even before the previous pact expired in February 2007. But it took until May to close the $100 million megadeal -- some say the richest ever for a writer-producer -- that will keep the "Family Guy" and "American Dad" creator with 20th until 2012. Then he followed it up with another bombshell: MacFarlane's deal with Google to create original content to be distributed to various "Family Guy" hubs. "He has the tenacity and willpower of a superpower lawyer," MacFarlane says of Jackoway, a former Wall Street attorney known for his aggressive style. "A lot of people would have gotten tired or beaten down, but he's determined to win the staring contest." Jackoway also handles J.J. Abrams' massive film and television deals, as well as "Will & Grace's" Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. And on client David Letterman's first show back during the WGA strike (after Jackoway helped negotiate an interim agreement for his company), Letterman proudly introduced Jackoway -- although it wasn't Jackoway; it was a scared teenager who immediately ran off-stage. From a comedian like Letterman, that's the ultimate compliment.
	Craig Jacobson Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren & Richman, Beverly Hills Jacobson arrived in Los Angeles after law school with no job and crashed on the couch of his brother, Tom Jacobson, then a production assistant (and eventually co-president of Paramount Pictures). It wasn't long before talent lawyer Tom Pollock took Jacobson under his wing, helping him develop the skills that attracted clients like Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Fox, Katie Couric, and directors Sam Raimi, Ed Zwick and David Milch. Much of this year was spent helping negotiate Ben Silverman's move to NBC as well as the $200 million sale of Silverman's Reveille to Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine. "The most interesting lesson is the old adage that timing is everything," he says of the Silverman deals. "That was an incredibly well-timed deal and ended up being more lucrative because it was well-timed."
	Matthew Johnson Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande & Wolf, Los Angeles At just 40, Johnson is the youngest lawyer on this list. But he boasts a book of business unrivaled among talent lawyers his age, including mega-earning clients Tyler Perry, Tyra Banks and Ice Cube, as well as directors Antoine Fuqua, Tim Story and Shawn Levy. After arriving in Los Angeles in 1993 from NYU Law, the charismatic Johnson soon signed his first client, writer Ben Ramsey (the upcoming "Dragonball"). The Ziffren firm took a chance on him not five years into practice, a smart bet in hindsight. "From his first days, Matt demonstrated not only a strong work ethic but creative thinking as well," says Ken Ziffren. "He's involved in structuring and negotiating some of the most innovative deals in features and TV." Johnson also reps TV showrunners Ali LeRoi ("Everybody Hates Chris"), Craig Wright ("Dirty Sexy Money") and Marc Guggenheim ("Eli Stone"), as well as the L.A. Clippers' Baron Davis.
	Deborah Klein Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein, Los Angeles Klein decamped the former Barnes Morris firm this year, bringing to Jackoway Tyerman her roster of top comedy talent like Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Dane Cook and Jim Carrey. She's known to take exotic vacations with TV exec husband Mort Marcus, but she still found time to shepherd Ferrell's deals for "Land of the Lost" and "Step Brothers," as well as the extensions of Ferrell's Funny or Die online venture like Shred or Die and Eat, Drink, or Die. She also does noncomedian deals too, including Megan Fox's pact for "Transformers 2," Toni Collette's deal to star in Showtime's "The United States of Tara" and various projects for the ever-busy Samuel L. Jackson.
	Kenneth Kleinberg Kleinberg Lopez Lange Cuddy & Klein, Los Angeles Few things get Kleinberg more excited than putting together a deal for a film he really wants to see. This year the lawyer for Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards felt that way about Alejandro Amenabar's upcoming $100 million epic "Agora," set in ancient Egypt. "Some of the scenes I've seen have involved 1,500 extras," he says of the film, shooting in Malta and starring Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella. "It's just amazing." This year Kleinberg -- who practices closely with partners Peter Lopez (Michael Buble, Andrea Bocelli), Bob Lange (Albert Brooks), Christine Cuddy (Anne Rice, Susannah Grant) and Phil Klein (parody writers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer) -- repped crooner Toby Keith in a deal to write, produce and star in "Beer for My Horses." He serves as United Artists' outside counsel (son Elliott is COO), and repped Odd Lot in its deal with Lionsgate to make "The Spirit," as well as Animal Logic, which co-financed "Happy Feet." Kleinberg also handles author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" film deals with Warner Bros.
	Linda Lichter Lichter Grossman Nichols & Adler, Los Angeles Law school was just a means to an end for Lichter. "I wanted to be a director at a time when there weren't any women directors," she says. "So I went to law school to have something 'extra' to use." Once there, though, Lichter realized that she would rather advocate for film producers and directors than be one. She's repped indie powers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa for years, negotiated Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's writing and producing agreements for Disney's "The Lone Ranger" and "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," as well as director Marc Forster's deal for the next Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace," and Melissa Cobb's producing deal for "Kung Fu Panda." "I think now more than ever there is room to be creative in these deals because there are alternative ways of getting movies made," Lichter says.
	Kevin Morris Morris Yorn Barnes & Levine, Los Angeles Morris lost key partners recently in Debby Klein, Michael Barnes and Doug Mark. But he replaced them with corporate and digital guru Paul Nadel and closed one of the year's biggest deals for "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, a three-year extension with Comedy Central that creates a joint venture for an online and mobile hub for Cartman and Butters and the gang, as well as a 50-50 split of digital ad revenues (insiders pegged the value to Parker and Stone at $75 million). Not bad for Morris' first major clients, who he signed shortly after starting his firm in 1995. He also reps Matthew McConaughey, Mike Judge, director Gavin O'Connor, Minnie Driver and E! host Chelsea Handler. Morris, with partners Kevin Yorn (Ellen DeGeneres, Scarlett Johansson), Stephen Barnes (Chris Rock, Katherine Heigl) and Jared Levine (Tony Hawk, "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence), are pushing heavily into online dealmaking (even hosting a well-attended digital confab for artists, studios and tech companies). And with its ultramodern look and a built-in bar and pool table, the firm might have the plushest offices in town.
	Robert Myman Myman Abell Fineman Fox Greenspan & Light, Los Angeles Myman has actual production experience via a partnership with pal John Ritter in the '80s. (This year he helped Ritter's widow, Amy Yasbeck, in her unsuccessful medical malpractice suit stemming from his death.) Today Myman puts his diligence to work for top TV executive producer clients like Damon Lindelof and Jack Bender ("Lost"), Greer Shephard ("The Closer," "Nip Tuck") and Marco Pennette ("Samantha Who?"). He's a former water polo player with a nice-guy reputation, and along with partners Les Abell (Duane "Dog" Chapman), Tom Fineman (Greg Kinnear), David Fox (writer William Monahan), Eric Greenspan (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Christina Aguilera) and Jeffrey Light (Rob Zombie), he also reps actors like Billy Bob Thornton, Benjamin Bratt, Maria Bello and Jamie King.
	Peter Nelson Nelson Davis, Los Angeles Fanboys owe Nelson a bit of thanks for orchestrating the settlement of client Peter Jackson's lawsuit against New Line over profits from "Lord of the Rings," which led to Jackson producing a two-part adaptation of "The Hobbit." "Audits, lawsuits and settlements aside, this business is about building productive relationships," he says. A former litigator, Nelson shrewdly staged an auction for Jackson's next project, "The Lovely Bones," and did his "Tintin" deal. This year he split from longtime partner Patti Felker's group, but he continues to rep director Andrew Adamson (the first two "Chronicles of Narnia" films) and actors David Duchovny, Allison Janney, Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford. "Unlike most in the business, he's impossible to intimidate," says manager Melanie Greene.
	Jeanne Newman Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren & Richman, Beverly Hills Known for repping the lion's share of unscripted TV creators (as well as scripted showrunners like "Heroes' " Tim Kring, "Mad Men's" Matthew Weiner and "Veronica Mars' " Rob Thomas), Newman is perhaps the most powerful female attorney in television. Her reality client list includes "Flavor of Love" and "I Love New York" producer Cris Abrego and ubiquitous host Ryan Seacrest. A specialist in assisting international clients enter the U.S. TV market, Newman has done wonders for Endemol USA, producers of such top unscripted programs as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Deal or No Deal" and "Big Brother." Her passion in recent years has turned to winemaking, opening the Santa Ynez Valley winery Jorian Hill with her husband, 20th TV chairman Gary Newman.
	Robert Offer Sloane Offer Weber & Dern, Beverly Hills Offer trained with Jake Bloom, then struck out on his own with David Weber (director McG), Warren Dern (Jack Black, Gore Verbinski) and fellow Power Lawyer Jason Sloane in what many consider the most well-connected group of talent attorneys under 50. Check out Offer's client list: Angelina Jolie, Ryan Gosling, Emile Hirsch, Edward Norton, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Paul Giamatti, Michelle Monaghan and Ashton Kutcher, as well as directors Mike White, Peyton Reed, Jared Hess, Greg Mottola and Michael Bay, who was Offer's high school classmate. "We're really user-friendly, and we all work together," he says of his firm's strategy. Fees are split equally between the partners, helping curb competition. "So agents feel comfortable knowing they get the benefit of a whole firm." The arrangement seems to be working. "He's young, ambitious, with an amazing client list," says manager-producer J.C. Spink. "The sky is the limit for he and his firm."
	Don Passman Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown, Beverly Hills How great a lawyer can Passman be if one of his biggest clients was working for free? Radiohead's innovative strategy of letting fans name their price for "In Rainbows" ended up paying off big time. After the experiment, the band unexpectedly sold retail rights to the album to various labels around the world. Negotiating all this was Passman, who has literally written the book on music dealmaking. "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" has sold more than 250,000 copies to date. And while he declines to represent major labels in order to avoid conflicts of interest, he's shepherded major new players into the music industry, including Starbucks and Microsoft. And this year he welcomed son Danny Passman to his firm.
	Lee Phillips Manatt Phelps & Phillips, Los Angeles Phillips has been drafting record deals for more than 35 years, so he brings perspective to forward-looking pacts like the one he struck with Wal-Mart on behalf of the Eagles to sell the band's albums exclusively. Many of his clients have enjoyed career rebirths recently, including Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who recently returned to his old home at Capitol Records. Phillips shepherded that transition, as well as a foreign tour for Barbra Streisand, the release of Carly Simon's new album through Starbucks channels, celebrity endorsements and an MTV first-look deal for "American Idol's" Randy Jackson, and the licensing of the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane" for a new Hard Rock Cafe theme park.
	Bruce Ramer Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown, Beverly Hills This year Cannes could have been called the Festival de Ramer because the two highest-profile premieres -- Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" and Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- were both from decades-long Ramer clients. Spielberg, who is currently receiving advice on his exit from Paramount, has been with the fiercely intellectual Harvard grad since the beginning, even naming the shark in "Jaws" after him. Ramer is also active in philanthropic causes like Bet Tzedek and the American Jewish Committee, and he is the rare Hollywood player who has supported Republicans. He is adamant about his firm's team approach to clients like directors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Cameron Crowe, Tom Shadyac, David O. Russell, Chris Carter, Milos Forman and George Miller.
	Michael Rudell Franklin Weinrib Rudell & Vassallo, New York Rudell's work negotiating film rights for John Grisham's books would keep any attorney more than busy (this year he licensed rights to four books, or maybe five -- so many he can't keep an exact count). Rudell also reps author Dan Brown, whose "Angels & Demons" sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" is being made by Sony. Rudell says he's acutely aware of the tough environment in the literary business these days, and has been working on finding new ancillary income for clients, such as the deal to transform client Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" into a megahit Broadway musical. He also repped Michael Moore in his deal for "Sicko" and writes the entertainment law column in the New York Law Journal.
	Ira Schreck Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz, New York Last year was like no other for Schreck. He spent the winter with his ear glued to the phone, giving advice on how to handle the writers strike that shut down a large portion of the business. In between the hand-holding, he shepherded Sarah Jessica Parker's acting and producing deals for "Sex and the City" and her follow-up, "The Ivy Chronicles," as well as Ang Lee's deal with Focus Features to produce and direct "Taking Woodstock." "(Lee) also just selected one of our clients, Demetri Martin, to be the lead in the film," Schreck says. "We just closed that deal as well, which required careful coordination with the folks at Comedy Central, where Demetri has his new series." Schreck also reps TV writer-producers Peter Tolan ("Rescue Me") and Mark Victor Olsen and Will Scheffer ("Big Love") and negotiated the writing-producing-acting deals for Kevin James' "Mall Cop."
	Nina Shaw Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano, Santa Monica Shaw started her career repping young writers, eventually broadening her base by branching out to film, TV and theater actors -- along the way becoming perhaps the most prominent African-American talent lawyer in the biz. Known to take charge on conference calls, her no-nonsense style has attracted clients like Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Laurence Fishburne, Nick Cannon and James Earl Jones. In addition to Foxx's starring turn in "The Soloist," Shaw closed an exclusive first-look deal with MTV and VH1 for reality TV projects like "From Gs to Gents." Client Cedric the Entertainer will make his directorial debut with the indie "Chicago Pulaski Jones" and appear in "Cadillac Records." And she recently negotiated for "Lost" alum Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje to join the cast of Paramount's "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra."
	Howard Siegel Pryor Cashman, New York Despite having represented more "American Idol" contestants than any other lawyer, Siegel travels each year to Los Angeles to participate in a "beauty contest," pitching contestants as to why they should hire him. For the second consecutive year, Siegel emerged victorious, becoming the lawyer for all 24 finalists in this spring's competition. His secret? He puts the contestants on the phone with prior "Idol" winners like Ruben Studdard, who tell the Idols-in-waiting what a wonderful job Siegel does. "I'd like to say that I would not have won this year's competition without Howard Siegel," jokes current "Idol" David Cook. "I'd like to say that, but it would be a lie. Still, Howard is spectacular. I know I would be a lot more concerned about things -- and a lot less protected -- without Howard on my team." Though some question the leverage that Siegel has in negotiating deals with producers of TV's No. 1 show, he's pushed for finalists to receive more participation in sponsorships, such as the deal completed with Disney last year, and he often continues to represent the singers in record deals even after the season finishes.
	Jason Sloane Sloane Offer Weber& Dern, Beverly Hills "Dealmaking is becoming increasingly hard because there's no longer a middle," says Sloane, a UCLA Law grad whose firm is now known as much for its savvy negotiation style as its ability to sign A-listers. "It's become about making the most aggressive deal when you have maximum leverage or fighting for scraps when you don't." Luckily, many of Sloan's clients are in that maximum-leverage category. He reps Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Garner, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Eva Mendes and Hugh Jackman, not to mention the world's biggest movie star, Will Smith. Insiders point to Sloan's calm confidence as a selling point to clients, a demeanor honed by 15 years at the Hansen Jacobson firm before joining his current partners.
	Gary Stiffelman Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande & Wolf, Los Angeles He's crafted innovative deals for pop stars like Britney Spears, Mandy Moore and Eminem. This year Stiffelman helped Nine Inch Nails ditch its record label in favor of a release under a Creative Commons license for the band's "Ghosts I-IV" and advised Justin Timberlake on starting his own beverage company and hosting PGA Tour events. "Gary's tenacity is unparalleled," Timberlake says. "I constantly feel sorry for the party on the other end of the negotiation." He's also pushing the envelope by advising a company called Virtual Greats, which is gathering the rights to sell virtual merchandise featuring celebrities such as Elvis, Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton in worlds such as Second Life -- potentially a multibillion-dollar idea, he says. He's also advising computer storage company SanDisk on a new music player, which he says could shatter old formulas for calculating royalties.
	Doug Stone Stone Meyer Genow Smelkinson & Binder, Los Angeles It's Stone. Doug Stone. He handled Daniel Craig's deal to return as James Bond in next year's "Quantum of Solace" and star in Ed Zwick's World War II pic "Defiance," as well as producer Dean Devlin's recent pact to independently produce the series "Leverage" for TNT. Along with well-known partners Neil Meyer (Halle Berry, Will Arnett) and Rick Genow (Channing Tatum), Stone is forging into new businesses. Traction Media, a subsidiary of his firm, helps clients arrange financing on independent projects and has sold North American rights to 35 films in recent years. In a strike year, creating alternative sources of work for clients like "Grey's Anatomy's" Patrick Dempsey and Kate Walsh has become a priority.
	Steve Warren Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren & Richman, Beverly Hills Warren isn't one of those lawyers who jumps on board as the deal is closing. He watches early cuts of films, reads every page his writers give him and reviews all his actor clients' material before shooting. It's helped him secure the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts and Colin Farrell. This year he helped Drew Barrymore score her directorial debut in "Whip It" and shepherded writer Michael Tolkin's new HBO series "1%." "My favorite part of the job is knowing that I've played a role in helping my clients' creative dreams come true," he says. "So many of my clients are real artists, and I'm very proud that these are really smart, really great people."
	Alan Wertheimer Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein, Los Angeles "There's economics and there's politics, and the strike was unfortunately more about politics than economics," says Wertheimer of the 100-day WGA work stoppage. "It probably shouldn't have happened, and it wound up costing both sides more than what was at stake." When the moguls finally started talking seriously, Wertheimer played air traffic controller, helping negotiations make a smooth landing. (He had already started helping by sacrificing his holidays to draft Worldwide Pants' interim agreement with the writers.) The strike was another example of Wertheimer's 35 years as a matchmaker for studios and talent like Nicole Kidman, Teri Hatcher, and multihyphenates Paul Thomas Anderson and Eric Roth. He spent a good portion of this year working on the Writers Co-Op deal with Warners that will enable its 15 or so members to start earning first-dollar gross on their projects.

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Corporate

With the economy teetering, entertainment-finance deals are tougher, which means a good corporate dealmaker is more important than ever. These are the creative minds keeping deals moving and finding money where there isn't any.

	Susan Bodine Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard, New York Bodine is as fiercely independent as her clients, who include indie directors John Sayles and Sofia Coppola and actor-writer-director Roberto Benigni. So it was a bit uncharacteristic when she decided to try the big-law-firm life by joining Cowan DeBaets this year. But the move has paid off with new work, including advising A&E on a new indie film division and serving as production counsel on new films from Terrence Malick and Lars von Trier. She helped client Single Cell Pictures transform its hit film "Saved" into a Broadway musical and is advising two confidential production companies on soon-to-close deals for $100 million in financing each. In her downtime, Bodine travels to Latin America to speak at conferences and help grow its film market.
	P. John Burke Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Los Angeles How many moguls have influenced 50 films a year in each of the past 10 years? "We have," says Burke, who had closed several billion dollars worth of film financing before most in the business had heard of slate deals. "Either doing something for the producer, the bank, the bridge loan, the completion guarantor -- somebody." Burke and partner Steve Fayne have become so prevalent on the equity scene that they often play matchmakers. "We know most of the active players so we can frequently make introductions that are very helpful," he says. This year Burke closed the $500 million Dune Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment slate deal, as well as major Hollywood investments for a sovereign wealth fund and an economic development fund of foreign governments. He also represented Comerica as collateral agent for senior debt in the $1 billion Summit Entertainment transaction. "John has a practical approach to getting a deal done," says David Friedman, Summit's general counsel. "More often than not, he has been on the other side of the transaction, but he understands the studio's perspective as well as his financier's."
	Joe Calabrese O'Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles "The thing I love about the entertainment industry is that it's never static," Calabrese says. "Be it technology or the constant stream of entrepreneurs or the talent, it's always changing." This year Calabrese, the head of his firm's respected entertainment department, facilitated major change by representing Elliott Associates in a $500 million-plus deal between Relativity Capital and Universal to co-finance the studio's slate through 2011. He also guided MGM in its joint venture with Viacom, Lionsgate and Paramount to create a new pay TV channel. Calabrese is the rare entertainment lawyer who has stayed with one firm since law school. "I knew I'd be working on complicated, sophisticated transactions, but I found the subject matter to be something that could keep my interest," he says. "And 27 years later, it's still true."
	Robert Darwell Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Los Angeles In law school at Georgetown, Darwell thought he'd become an international trade lawyer. But a paper he published about the entertainment industry's employment of minors got noticed in Hollywood, and now he has the best of both worlds. "Entertainment is a global business," he says. "So being an international lawyer and an entertainment lawyer is completely coexistent." Darwell's overseas focus makes him a fixture on the film festival circuit, representing producers like Laura Bickford, Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro in the financing and production of the Cannes-premiering Che Guevara films. "He is a consummate dealmaker and serves as a godfather for bringing movies together," says Endeavor's Graham Taylor. Darwell also represented Focus Features in the co-financing and distribution of the Harvey Milk biopic "Milk," starring Sean Penn. And this year he did some online deals, including the content license agreements for Hulu.
	Peter Felcher Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, New York There's hardly a major player in the music publishing business that Felcher doesn't represent. That means that last year, with billions of dollars at stake, he represented publishers against record labels and webcasters in front of the Copyright Royalty Board in an important proceeding to set the rates for streaming music. Many believe the ultimate decision was extremely favorable to Felcher's clients. He also represented Bertelsmann in settling litigation arising out of its purchase of Napster (the $130 million that Bertelsmann paid represented the largest settlement ever arising out of a copyright infringement dispute). Other clients include Warner Music Group and Sony/ATV Publishing in their acquisition efforts.
	Ruth Fisher Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Los Angeles Fisher's expertise in forming new partnerships between top media companies paid off for Vivendi SA this year as she negotiated the $18.9 billion merger of its video game division and Activision, which puts the megapopular "Guitar Hero" and "World of Warcraft" franchises under one roof. Another Fisher deal brought Warner Music Group and the family of Frank Sinatra together to manage global licensing of music, film and merchandise involving Sinatra's work, name and likeness. And Fisher helped settle the copyright infringement suit that Universal Music Group filed in 2006 against MySpace over music video uploads. "Her legal, analytical and negotiation skills are unsurpassed among outside lawyers in this town," says Universal Pictures senior vp Jeffrey Brauer. "On top of that she is delightful to work with on even the most complicated and contentious deals."
	John Frankenheimer Loeb & Loeb, Los Angeles It's hard to categorize Frankenheimer. He negotiates sales of music publishing catalogs but also reps a good number of musicians, including Vince Gill, Diana Ross and Duncan Sheik. Last year, he advised indie publisher Windswept Music Holdings in its acquisition by Bug Music, engaging more than 40 suitors first. He also helped Univision Communications sell its music recording and publishing business to Universal Music Group for $153 million, making UMG the dominant company in the U.S. Latin marketplace. "He's just one of the best," says UMG president/COO Zach Horowitz. "Tough but fair. Great command of all the details. But never loses the big picture. And with all the deals he has his fingers in, he still finds time to support his community."
	Michael Frankfurt Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, New York Frankfurt's been around long enough that he's developed a deep roster of entertainment specialists to support him (like Thomas Selz, an expert on Section 181 tax incentives). The veteran is so respected in the New York entertainment bar that he continues to attract director clients like Jim Jarmusch (2005's "Broken Flowers"), Morgan Spurlock (2008's "Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?"), and authors Janet Evanovich and Dean Koontz -- both of whom value Frankfurt's advice so much they decided they don't need agents. Frankfurt is also chair of the Creative Coalition advocacy group and advised @radical.media, the up-and-coming production team behind Sundance Channel's "Iconoclasts" series.
	Josh Grode Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif, Los Angeles Grode doesn't have as many gray hairs as his peers in large-scale entertainment finance, but he's amassing just as strong a deal resume. Coming off his key role in the $1 billion Summit Entertainment transaction, he repped Merrill Lynch in its $350 million investment in United Artists; a syndicate led by Comerica and Union Bank in the Weinstein Co.'s $285 million Asian Film Fund; and Lionsgate in a $400 million transaction that allows the mini-major to use the funds for both production and distribution costs. Grode also closed Comerica's innovative credit facility for video game developer Flagship Studios.
	Andrew Hurwitz Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz, New York Known for taking film festivals by storm, Hurwitz mostly reps indie film producers in deals with distributors. Even in the current down market, he sold Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor" to Overture for more than $1 million at Toronto and Clark Gregg's "Choke" to Fox Searchlight for an astonishing $5 million at Sundance. "Sometimes these deals take a long time, but Andrew is incredibly practical and you can rely on his work," says Overture COO Danny Rosett. "He's smart, has a high degree of integrity, and as a result, it's very easy to get a deal done quickly." Hurwitz branched out this year, negotiating a 3-D movie deal for the Blue Man Group and helping an investment bank put together a P&A fund for a slate of films. He's also working on a deal for a European sales company to fund a new download Web site for indie films.
	James Janowitz Pryor Cashman, New York Janowitz handles both litigation and an impressive array of entertainment-finance transactions from his perch atop his firm's vaunted entertainment group. He got Michael London's Groundswell Prods. its financing from TPG-Axon Capital and handles big-ticket transactions for MGM, enabling the studio's transition to releasing its own films. (He also reps former MGM COO Rick Sands.) Janowitz is now working on an unannounced structured finance vehicle that will enable a number of well-known producers to finance pictures through a common facility of several hundred million dollars. "Although the liquidity crisis has made some of these deals more challenging to close," he says, "I believe strongly that well-structured transactions will continue to be a significant source of capital to the film business."
	Joel Katz Greenberg Traurig, Atlanta "You have to cope with it," Katz says of the extraordinary changes in the music industry over the past decade. However, "as that change occurs, there are enormous opportunities with different content deliverers and phone companies." To that end, Katz -- who has repped B.B. King, Jimmy Buffett and Kris Kristofferson and is perhaps the highest-profile entertainment lawyer in the South -- has been working with Nokia to develop the strategy for its Comes With Music program, which gives consumers a year of unlimited access to digital music tracks. Katz also created and heads the Abu Dhabi Investment House "Entertainment City" board of advisors and handled the deals behind an entertainment district in Qatar's Lusail Development. "I've been to the Middle East nine times in the last three years," he boasts.
	Thomas Kennedy Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, New York Some lawyers are exuberant in deal rooms. Not Kennedy, whose soft-spoken tactics win plaudits from those helping him advise XM Satellite Radio Holdings in its $13 billion merger with Sirius Satellite Radio. That deal recently picked up a key endorsement from FCC chair Kevin Martin. Skadden's L.A. partners like Brian McCarthy handle their fair share of major entertainment deals (such as Activision's combination with Vivendi), but the size of Kennedy's deals reflect his New York home base. He repped the Dolan family in its $22 billion effort to take Cablevision Systems Corp. private. It took several offers to convince the company's board of directors to recommend it to shareholders, only to be rejected. Nevertheless, with Kennedy's close counsel, the family has continued to evaluate its options.
	Mickey Mayerson Loeb & Loeb, Los Angeles $3 billion. That's the amount of film financing that Mayerson, the well-known, well-connected managing partner and co-chair of Loeb's highly regarded corporate media and entertainment practice group, has negotiated since 2006. This year alone, he represented Relativity Media in more than $1 billion in co-financing transactions with Sony and Universal, and he structured the financing for blockbusters like Marvel/Paramount's "Iron Man" and DreamWorks/Paramount's "Disturbia." He also helped launch Mark Gill and Neil Sacker's Film Department with $200 million plus from GE Commercial.
	Schuyler "Sky" Moore Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, Los Angeles Curious what India's deep-pocketed Reliance Big has in store for the entertainment biz? Moore knows more than anyone, representing the company in its proposed financing of DreamWorks as well as its recently closed development deals with the production companies of Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage and George Clooney. In addition to writing and speaking frequently, this year Moore closed the $100 million funding deal for Incentive Filmed Entertainment, the new joint venture between Screen Media International and the William Morris Agency that will fund up to 50 movies. He handled the tax structuring for Beverly Blvd. 2, the $1 billion fund to finance a slate of films to be distributed by Universal, and helped convert Summit Entertainment from a foreign sales shop to a full-fledged studio. "His expertise and breadth of knowledge regarding film financing and tax law is unprecedented," says Christa Zofcin, head of business affairs at United Artists. "How could it be otherwise when he literally has memorized the entire tax code?"
	Steve Scharf O'Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles Scharf says he owes his career as an entertainment dealmaker to his wife. "I wanted to be an antitrust litigator," he explains. "My wife was a film editor and encouraged me to try it. It seemed interesting at the time, and I have been doing it ever since." This year he represented Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine in its acquisition of Reveille, Overture in its financing and credit lines, and Alcon Entertainment on the debt side for its $55 million, 15-picture financing transaction.Scharf worked with the Weinstein Co. to create its Asian Film Fund and shepherded the $56 million sale of Mandate Pictures to Lionsgate that helped install Joe Drake as president. How has entertainment finance changed in recent years? "Instead of simple loans, we do highly structured entities," he says. " Senior debt. Mezzanine debt. Guarantees from insurance companies. These structures have been in the real economy for much longer. They just took a while to work their way into the film area."
	Michael S. Sherman Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro, Los Angeles Peers complain that Sherman is sometimes tough to deal with, but his clients certainly don't mind: This year, he handled credit facilities for Morgan Creek with two separate lender syndicates totaling $350 million (one led by JPMorgan and the other by Societe Generale); he structured the entertainment industry aspects of Media Rights Capital's recent reorganization; and he created the corporate tax structure for Peter Jackson's "District 9" project. Sherman also led a team for Morgan Creek in acquiring 18 films out of the Franchise Pictures bankruptcy, and he concocted a unique deal for client Kevin Costner to take advantage of New Mexico incentives to make "Swing Vote," to be released next week by Disney.
	John Sloss Sloss Steckhouse Brennan Law Co., New York As much as Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino, Sloss helped build the indie film phenomenon of the 1990s. Festivals like Sundance and Cannes wouldn't feel the same without Sloss hawking a slew of films from directors like Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith (in fact, detractors say he sometimes takes on too many films). This year, he rolled out Cinetic Media, a new management services division that assembles financing and film packages, and Cinetic Rights Management, which will act as representation for filmmakers. In the deflated indie market, Sloss is trying to find distribution for indie films via the Internet and other channels like video-on-demand. This year he also arranged the complicated financing behind Linklater's new Orson Welles film and took a producer credit on Todd Haynes' well-received Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There."
	Gary "Skip" Stern Sidley Austin, Chicago Far from the Hollywood and New York spotlight, Stern has quietly closed some of the higher-profile entertainment-finance deals for investor clients like Goldman Sachs, Dresdner Kleinwort and Morgan Stanley. Even as the appetite for slate deals shrinks with the Dow, in October he finalized Joel Silver's Dark Castle deal with $170 million in senior debt, $42.5 million in mezzanine debt and a confidential equity stake. Stern also repped CIT Group in connection with the financing of a slate of films for Alcon Entertainment, which included $185 million in senior debt, $60 million in mezzanine debt and $50 million in equity. He repped Merrill Lynch in the financing of United Artists, and Goldman in the acquisition of a 50% interest in the "CSI" television franchise, formerly owned by Alliance Atlantis. "Skip is organized and he has a great team," says Kevin Khanna of CIT Group. "He's also known in the sector, so he adds credibility to the deal and interest in the deal."
	Lawrence Ulman Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Los Angeles The terrible credit market might have investors becoming skeptical of Hollywood, but Ulman has still put together some monster slate deals this year. He repped Fox in a $500 million commitment from Dune Capital Partners, Universal in its $500 million deal with Relativity Capital to fund as many as 45 films, and Ambac Assurance Corp. in a $500 million securitization of the Weinstein Co.'s future film revenues. The 33-year film finance vet has seen markets ebb and flow, and he says studio slate deals are getting tougher to close. But he sees a new trend emerging: financiers partnering directly with big-name producers and going 50-50 with the studios. Currently, the USC Law grad (with an MBA from UCLA) is working on at least two deals like that, one with producer Andrew Macdonald (2007's "28 Weeks Later," 2006's "The Last King of Scotland").
	Jordan Yospe Manatt Phelps & Phillips, Los Angeles Yospe has almost single-handedly created a new practice area in entertainment law: brand integration. For years, as general counsel of Mark Burnett Prods. and as founder of his own company, he negotiated innovative deals to put less-than-subtle product placements in films and on television. This year he joined Manatt, and along with Linda Goldstein and a team in New York, is helping studios supplement traditional ad revenue with placement deals -- even if it means rewriting scripts (he got Universal to add a scene to its 2007 Amanda Bynes comedy "Sydney White" that featured Champion sports bras). "Jordan has earned the trust of those not just in Hollywood, but all the way out in places like Peoria and Georgia," says Eric Baum, Sony Pictures senior vp business and legal affairs for consumer and worldwide marketing. "They rely on his expertise and hard work to keep the integrity of their brands." Yospe says that despite its increasing profile, branded entertainment is still in its infancy. His mission is to make these "integrations" live up to their name -- not to mention their high dollar figure -- as a way for studios to supplement declining revenue streams.
	Kenneth Ziffren Ziffren Brittenham Branca Fischer Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman Cook Johnson Lande  & Wolf, Los Angeles "Kenny Z" surprised the industry a while back by saying he would slow down his legendary practice. Fat chance. This year the former clerk for Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and UCLA law professor -- who is credited with inventing the modern talent practice (and its 5% fee structure) -- remained as committed as ever to his corporate clients like Media Rights Capital, Liberty Media, Panavision, Macrovision and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. On the talent side he still handles longtime clients Jerry Weintraub and Jay Leno, who will look to Ziffren to help plan his life after "The Tonight Show." And he played a key role in settling this winter's 100-day work stoppage. At the request of DGA national executive director Jay Roth, Ziffren helped the Directors Guild secure a collective bargaining agreement with the AMPTP without a strike, which was pivotal in ending the WGA labor impasse. He then advised in a similar capacity for AFTRA, making Ziffren as close to a universally respected Lew Wasserman-style figure as the industry has these days.

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Labor

In a strike year, Hollywood’s labor specialists become even more essential. They’re not always at the negotiation table, but they’re always on call for advice when neither side can figure out the rules.

	Ivy Kagan Bierman Loeb & Loeb, Los Angeles Employers and employees both call Kagan Bierman a "voice of reason" in disputes governed by collective bargaining agreements. She advises on labor matters for producers, distributors, national advertisers and advertising agencies -- especially in the television context -- for clients that include FremantleMedia, 19 Entertainment, Cartoon Network and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This year she helped guide producer clients toward interim deals with the WGA during the strike and guaranteed completion agreements during SAG and AFTRA's negotiations with the studios. "I have always found her to be a responsible bargaining partner, fiercely representing her clients but with a clear respect for the bargaining process and for the performers I represent," says AFTRA assistant national executive director of entertainment programming Joan Halpern Weise. Kagan Bierman also provides industry-specific sexual harassment, discrimination and nonfraternization training for entertainment clients.
	Alan Brunswick Manatt Phelps & Phillips, Los Angeles A former vp and in-house counsel for the AMPTP, Brunswick is relied on to interpret complex guild contracts, as well as labor cases involving wrongful termination, employment discrimination, and wage and hour disputes. This year the Georgetown Law grad guided producers, as well as law firms and talent agencies, through the myriad issues presented by the WGA strike and later the de facto strike that accompanied SAG negotiations. Thanks to Brunswick, talks between the Recording Academy and striking writers led to an interim deal for the Grammy Awards.
	WIlliam Cole Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, Los Angeles Cole chairs his 100-year-old firm's labor practice group, which means his relationships with the studios go back a long time. He's handled hundreds of matters for the AMPTP, repped the producers of "America's Next Top Model" in their successful effort to prevent the WGA from organizing employees of a reality show, and handled a WGA arbitration for NBC Universal that established terms and conditions of employment for webisodes. Cole also is repping Fox, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Sony and Carsey Werner in the age-discrimination classaction brought by a group of writers.
	Howard Fabrick Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Los Angeles "Doesn't matter how thick and confusing the collective bargaining agreement is, Howard will know exactly what it means," says a grateful talent lawyer of Fabrick's skills in interpreting guild rules. He's been the labor lawyer that other labor lawyers turn to in sticky situations for more than 30 years, so it makes sense that his services would be in particular demand during this strike year. He wasn't a party to any talks but he might as well have been considering his phone rang so often. Fabrick also negotiated the SAG and AFTRA interactive media agreements for the video game industry.

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IP-Tech
If the technology and content communities speak different languages, these are the interpreters, the lawyers shepherding intellectual property rights holders into the digital age.

	Daniel Black Greenberg Traurig, Santa Monica "The opportunities that are coming from the digital space are, at this point in time, limitless," Black says. And he would know. One of the few lawyers equally comfortable chatting with tech and content moguls, Black repped Microsoft in its deal to manage all of Viacom's Internet ad syndication and inventory and in its partnership with BermanBraun to launch and operate a celebrity-focused portal for MSN. And Yahoo recently hired the former in-house counsel at Columbia and Paramount, who cut his teeth on deals in the then-emerging areas of pay television and home video, to license a yet-to-be -announced property to Fox. "It's a very rare example of a Web property making a transition to a more traditional platform of television," Black explains.
	Michael Elkin Winston & Strawn, New York These days, copyright specialists like Elkin are spending a good chunk of their time online. He's defending user-generated video site Veoh in a closely watched infringement action brought by Universal Music Group that could set a precedent for the more hyped case brought by Viacom against YouTube. This year Elkin also led an appeal in the 2nd Circuit on behalf of Yahoo subsidiary Launch Media, accused by Sony BMG of violating copyright by allowing users to create custom radio stations. Splitting his time between Los Angeles and New York, Elkin has expanded his practice to lobby Congress on behalf of Yahoo and the Digital Media Association against stiffer penalties for online copyright infringement.
	Russell Frackman Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, Los Angeles For someone who admits he was a bit slow to grasp the digital revolution, Frackman has certainly made up for lost time. After leading record- company plaintiffs in the seminal litigation against the Napster and Grokster file-sharing networks, he's taken that fight to the sampling of musical works. In November, the 6th Circuit dismissed the claims of alleged "sample troll" Bridgeport Music against Frackman client Universal/MCA. He's also stepped into the battle over YouTube video sharing, arguing for amicus party NBC Universal that YouTube didn't do enough to prevent sharing of footage of the L.A. riots shot by helicopter newsman Bob Tur. An L.A. judge denied YouTube's effort to dismiss the case under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Frackman has another case pending before the 9th Circuit involving the use of trademarks in video games.
	Bruce Keller Debevoise & Plimpton, New York A 25-year veteran of copyright fights who has represented everyone from Sony Pictures and CNN to the NFL and the NBA, Keller is now handling the case against Google over its effort to make books searchable. And in May he filed a complaint involving the First Amendment rights of video game advertisers. Take-Two Interactive, the manufacturer of the blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto IV," alleges the Chicago Transit Authority illegally removed ads for the game after a TV news station questioned why it would allow advertising for an M-rated game in light of a recent violent crime wave.
	Christopher Murray O'Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles Murray says he is drawn to "the existential chess of the digital technology revolution." For 30 years he's been strategically engineering some of the most innovative media deals. After Showtime balked at rights fees for theatrical movies, he represented MGM in crafting a joint venture with Paramount and Lionsgate to develop a premium cable competitor. With Murray's guidance, MGM also now has access to the Xbox Live video-on-demand service through a deal with Microsoft; and HIT Entertainment, one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers, has licensed its programming to Lionsgate. "You want him in a deal and you want him in a litigation," says Warner Bros. executive vp and general counsel John Schulman. "He has comprehensive knowledge, a broad experience base and a willingness to deal with a changing world."

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Litigation

No more Mr. Nice Guy (or Gal). From Hollywood accounting to Internet defamation to stolen screenplays, these are the problem-solvers on the front lines of the industry's most contentious disputes.

	Scott Edelman Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Los Angeles How many attorneys have the confidence to sue the creator of "Law & Order"? This year Edelman, a go-to lawyer for studio profit-participation cases, brought a complaint over producer fees against Dick Wolf on behalf of NBC Universal. He also successfully defended NBC in one confidential arbitration and will argue a similar case for CBS in October. He won a $6.4 million damages award plus $1.4 million in attorney fees for Korea's Ilshin Investments against Disney over the home video release of Steven Seagal's "The Last Patriot," and he's also defending director Scott Derrickson in a contract case filed by the Weinstein Co. that is set for trial in September. "Scott embodies a rare combination of qualities that an entertainment lawyer should have," says Marc Graboff, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "Intelligence, business savvy, experience, personal style, and the ability to be conciliatory when appropriate and aggressive when required."
	Bonnie Eskenazi Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, Los Angeles Eskenazi honed her skills with Bert Fields in perhaps the most acrimonious entertainment trial ever, the 1997 battle over Jeffrey Katzenberg's separation from the Walt Disney Co. Since then, she's stepped out of Fields' shadow, this year representing the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien in its $150 million claim on profits from the "Lord of the Rings" films. She lost an appeal over the copyright to Lassie but defeated accused murderer Jesse James Hollywood's request for an injunction against the release of last year's "Alpha Dog" and is representing investors in SET India, a network in India and Singapore, in litigation against joint-venture partner Sony.
	Bert Fields Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, Los Angeles Fields likes to say he's never lost a jury trial. Well, his first trial in five years -- for "Sahara" author Clive Cussler against Philip Anschutz's Crusader Entertainment over the failed film adaptation -- didn't end as he planned, with Crusader winning a jury award of $5 million last May. But in true Fields form, he still positioned the verdict as a victory and filed an appeal, which is why A-listers like Tom Cruise rely on the 79-year-old consigliere for both deals and court cases. Cruise first met Fields at a dinner party. "We've been friends ever since that dinner, and he started to represent me shortly thereafter," Cruise says. "I feel privileged to know him. He has certainly lived up to my first impression. He is a legend." That legendary status was threatened this year when Fields wound up on the witness list at the wiretapping trial of Anthony Pellicano, whom Fields had often used as an investigator. His name came up several times at trial, but Fields was never called to testify.
	Bryan Freedman Freedman & Taitelman, Los Angeles A blue-haired Internet gossip has put Freedman at the forefront of the clash between free speech and intellectual property rights in cyberspace. "The cases against Perez Hilton are cases of first impression with wide-ranging implications for anyone who starts a blog or a Web site and wishes to use content (from another) Web site," he says. In one of those cases, the X17 photo agency alleged that Hilton's (real name: Mario Lavandeira) publication of its "hot news" celebrity photos eliminated its ability to scoop the competition. Freedman, who also handles disputes for clients like UTA, argued that his client's postings were protected under fair use. He defeated X17's motion for an injunction, then negotiated a confidential settlement to make the case go away. (Although a similar suit filed against Hilton by five other photo agencies is set for trial in December.) Freedman also won an award of $85,000 in attorney fees from Samantha Ronson, a friend of Lindsay Lohan, who sued Hilton for defamation.
	John Gatti Greenberg Traurig, Santa Monica It's rare for profit-participation cases against studios to make it all the way to a verdict. But last summer Gatti convinced a jury that Warner Bros. undervalued films produced by Alan Ladd Jr. by $97 million in licensing deals, meaning Ladd, who was owed 5% of those profits, was awarded $3.2 million plus costs. "The case was significant because for the first time a jury was asked to examine the methods used to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars of television licensing fees to films licensed in packages," Gatti says. "It was determined that California law requires these allocations to be done in good faith toward participants." In addition to prepping similar, yet-to-be-filed cases and handling Warners' appeal for Ladd, Gatti has his hands full with client Capitol Films, repping the troubled David Bergstein company in DGA arbitrations that have so far prevented the "Nailed" production from being shut down. He also reps Mark Burnett Prods. in a trademark and copyright case stemming from a Spanish-language version of "The Contender" and Coca-Cola in disputes arising out of branded shows.
	Patricia Glaser Christensen Glaser Fink Jacobs Weil & Shapiro, Los Angeles Glaser is a bulldog in the courtroom and a workhorse in the office, but that's just because the no-nonsense West Virginia native takes on so many cases while also serving as the mouthpiece for her firm. This year she won a defense verdict on behalf of the makers of the Bratz dolls in a copyright and trademark action, repped the estate of Rodney Dangerfield, and stopped NBC Universal from preventing reporter Pat O'Brien and Paramount Pictures from developing a competing entertainment news program. But it's her lead representation of partner Terry Christensen in his federal trial over his relationship with convicted wiretapper Anthony Pellicano that's putting Glaser's skills to a high-stakes test. "Terry is my friend and long-standing partner," she says of her first criminal trial. "I want very much to see him vindicated."
	Marshall Grossman Bingham McCutchen, Santa Monica Grossman is an A-list general litigator, but this year he's been front and center in major entertainment cases. He's repping Mexican media giant Televisa in its massive battle against U.S.-based broadcaster Univision Communications over royalty payments from a programming deal through 2017. The outcome of the trial, now set for October, could alter the Spanish-language television universe because Televisa content accounted for $538 million of Univision's $2.1 billion in net revenue last year. Grossman also successfully defended Blockbuster in a case brought by Netflix over business method patents, which settled shortly after Grossman took Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' deposition. And Grossman, who has handled cases for Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and DreamWorks, is now representing "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling in ongoing business discussions with Warner Bros.
	George Hedges Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, Los Angeles Hedges certainly isn't Bob Yari's favorite lawyer. In May, Hedges' clients the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America won an appeals court ruling that they did not have to retroactively award Yari an Oscar for his work on 2005's "Crash," effectively ending Yari's crusade. ICM also isn't a fan, considering Hedges helped transition agent Ed Limato to WMA. Hedges also represented the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in its winning battle with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences over the establishment of a new Broadband Emmy infrastructure. Now Hedges has taken on the defense of Activision, maker of the "Guitar Hero" video game, against a "sound-alike" suit filed by '80s rockers the Romantics.
	Neville Johnson Johnson & Johnson, Beverly Hills Johnson, a former journalist, often takes the media to task for questionable news-gathering tactics, such as the use of hidden cameras or undercover reporters. (Professor David Elder's treatise of privacy law is dedicated to Johnson.) This year the plaintiff-side litigator took on SAG, the WGA and the DGA over the millions he alleges are owed to guild members from the collection of foreign levies. The DGA settled, working out an arrangement in which an accounting firm will conduct an independent review of its foreign levies program. And Johnson was a familiar face at the Anthony Pellicano trial because he reps several alleged victims of Pellicano's web in civil cases, including the estate of the late producer Aaron Russo.
	Martin Katz Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, Los Angeles "Hollywood accounting" isn't a dirty phrase to Katz, co-chair of his firm's entertainment and media team and perhaps the most tenacious studio-side profit-participation litigator in town. This year he won Disney another favorable ruling in author Gary Wolf's seven-year saga over profits from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." A few years ago, Katz convinced an appeals court that Disney didn't owe Wolf a fiduciary duty based on its mandate to account to him for profits from the characters he created. Then after Wolf won $180,000 in damages at trial, Katz and his team crunched the numbers and introduced evidence that Wolf had actually been overpaid for 10 years. In May, a California appeals court ruled that Wolf might not be owed anything. "Be careful what you wish for," Katz warns. "When pressing for an accurate or more detailed accounting, a participant is just as likely to uncover an overpayment as an underpayment." To that end, Katz also recently won a defense verdict for Columbia in an accounting case over the packaging of 190 Three Stooges short films.
	Dale Kinsella Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert, Santa Monica Kinsella left Greenberg Glusker with Howard Weitzman to form their own litigation boutique a few years back, but this year he teamed up with former colleagues Stephen Smith and Suann MacIsaac in an arbitration of a copyright and trademark infringement dispute for video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment against the creator of the Bratz dolls. In February, Ubisoft was awarded $13.2 million. And in August, Kinsella -- who has repped Nicole Kidman, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sean Penn and Brian Wilson, in addition to Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and the Paradigm agency -- sued Gold Circle Films on behalf of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" producers Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Gary Goetzman and star Nia Vardalos, claiming Gold Circle breached contracts to pay a portion of revenue from the hit film. The case is set for trial in January.
	Paul LiCalsi Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, New York In March, LiCalsi, who made his name repping top music and publishing figures like Jay-Z and author Dominick Dunne, decamped from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal with five other partners to solidify the New York office of L.A.'s Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp. Even while switching firms, LiCalsi repped Apple Corps in an effort to prevent the unauthorized exploitation of a bootleg tape of the Beatles performing in Hamburg, Germany, and defended country singer Taylor Swift in a lawsuit filed by her ex-manager. But LiCalsi's most interesting work this year might have been supervising efforts to keep copies of some of the industry's most anticipated works from exposure before their release dates. LiCalsi headed the security efforts behind both Scholastic's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and Take Two Interactive's "Grand Theft Auto IV."
	Steven Marenberg Irell & Marella, Los Angeles If the Napster and Grokster audio file-sharing cases were the first generation of digital-age litigation, the second generation is defining the legal boundaries of video file-sharing. And Marenberg is right in the thick of it, representing Universal Music Group in a case against Web site operator Veoh Networks that accuses it of being "a massive copyright infringer that has built its business on the back of others' intellectual property." Marenberg is also lead counsel for UMG in a series of copyright suits relating to the posting of videos on social networking Web sites such as MySpace, Grouper.com and Bolt.com. With partners Henry Shields (who defended NBC in the August trial over profits from "Will & Grace" that settled shortly before a plaintiffs' verdict was read) and Morgan Chu (who reps TiVo in its ongoing patent battles with EchoStar), the firm remains a major player in high-stakes entertainment litigation.
	L. Peter Parcher Manatt Phelps & Phillips, New York When your clients are marquee names like Howard Stern, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones, it might seem hard to get excited about representing "accountant to the stars" Kenneth Ira Starr in a dispute with the voice of Lois Lane in the 1940s "Superman" radio show. But Parcher, who says he doesn't believe in settling cases, is just as interested in that case. Joan Stanton alleged in a suit filed in April that Starr squandered part of the $70 million fortune she inherited from her businessman husband, using it as "his own unrestricted endowment." Parcher insists Stanton's assets "grew considerably" under Starr's stewardship and that "it will become clear during the course of this litigation that Mrs. Stanton was well-advised."
	Michael Plonsker Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George, Santa Monica Larry Stein's aggressive stablemate endured a couple of disappointments this year. Plonsker represented actress Rosa Blasi in a precedent-setting case for talent managers all the way to the California Supreme Court, which ruled in January that a single act of illegal "procurement" of employment by manager Rick Siegel doesn't necessarily void an entire contract with a client. (The effect of the ruling is still uncertain because the court found that the Talent Agencies Act still applies to managers.) Plonsker also handled the entertainment aspects of actress Amy Yasbeck's medical malpractice case over the death of husband John Ritter. A jury found in March that two physicians were not liable for Ritter's death from an aortic dissection at a Burbank hospital, but the parties reached a post-verdict settlement. Still, Plonsker remains a fierce talent-side advocate in all types of industry disputes. In October he filed a new case against Fox on behalf of actress Jenna Elfman and other "Dharma & Greg" profit participants.
	Marvin Putnam O'Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles Putnam represents media-shy billionaire Philip Anschutz. But last summer there was no escaping attention during a 14-week trial over profits from the 2005 Paramount flop "Sahara," which Anschutz's Crusader Entertainment (now Bristol Bay Prods.) produced. Putnam convinced a Los Angeles jury that author Clive Cussler breached his contract with Crusader over the film rights to the book. The jury awarded $5 million in damages to Putnam's client, then he followed in January by suing Cussler's publishers for fraudulently exaggerating Cussler's book sales. With Dale Cendali, Putnam also headed the legal team representing "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling against the publisher of a "Potter" encyclopedia she claims infringes on her copyrights. A decision is expected soon. "Whenever we are in a really novel, atypical situation that needs creative thinking and a fundamental understanding of the complexities of this crazy business, Marvin is who I turn to," says Susanna Felleman, HBO vp business affairs. "He is that rare combination of very smart and completely practical. And somehow he ends up making the whole experience fun and hilarious."
	Kelli Sager Davis Wright Tremaine, Los Angeles Can a First Amendment lawyer get too much press? It seems like Sager, chair of the West Coast's top media practice group, has been everywhere lately, especially defending cases that involve Hollywood's use of real-life material for TV and film productions. After preventing an injunction on the release of Universal's "Alpha Dog" early last year, she won a dismissal in February of a "group libel" class action alleging DEA agents were defamed by Universal's "American Gangster," which is based on the life of a notorious heroin dealer. Representing E! Entertainment Television, she also negotiated a settlement of ex-supermodel Niki Taylor's case alleging a "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" episode about her breached an agreement not to focus on her past. Sager, along with top lieutenant Alonzo Wickers, also reps the Los Angeles Times, Comedy Central and the Associated Press. She's now defending NBC Universal in a case filed by foreign correspondent Arthur Kent over his depiction in last year's "Charlie Wilson's War."
	Joseph Schleimer Schleimer & Freundlich, Beverly Hills How many Hollywood lawyers have argued before the U.S. Supreme Court? This year Schleimer joined that tiny fraternity -- and, as a bonus, he won. In Preston v. Ferrer , the Court ruled 8-1 in February that an arbitration agreement in a talent-manager contract trumps the jurisdiction of the state's labor commissioner to resolve disputes. This means that managers can now avoid potentially unfriendly labor commissioner hearings if they include arbitration clauses in client deals. It's a big victory for the former Lavely & Singer lawyer, who has been partners since 2000 with Kenneth Freundlich. "Lean and mean" might be their slogan, although Schleimer says they "don't rely on slogans -- we just win in court." Both are active in the entertainment section of the Beverly Hills Bar Assn., often organizing symposiums.
	Robert Schwartz O'Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles Schwartz took a hit this year when client New Line was slapped with $125,000 in sanctions for withholding documents in its battle with Peter Jackson over millions in profits from "Lord of the Rings." But Schwartz settled the case in December, paving the way for a movie adaptation of "The Hobbit," which Jackson will produce. Elsewhere, the 24-year O'Melveny veteran and chair of his firm's studio litigation group is representing Viacom-owned Harmonix Music Systems, the developer of the first two "Guitar Hero" games, in litigation against Activision, the distributor of the games. "Bobby has the ability to bring a unique perspective to issues and not to be circumscribed by what others believe are insurmountable obstacles," says Sony executive vp intellectual property Jared Jussim. "He is a nice guy to work with, but not against."
	Martin Singer Lavely & Singer, Los Angeles "The Marty Singer Letter." Just saying the words strikes fear into the hearts of tabloid publishers everywhere. With longtime partner Jay Lavely and a trained squad of attack dogs at his side, Singer remains a problem-solver whose cease-and-desist missives actually make publications cease and desist. "We try to be persuasive and aggressive, but not obnoxious," he says. "And try to convince someone through a letter that we will proceed through litigation, or if you sue us, it'll be the biggest mistake you've ever made." Singer's firm has probably filed more defamation cases in the past five years than any firm in the country, and its client list has included everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Singer won retractions and libel damages this year for Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley in England (where defamation laws are less press-friendly), and he filed new cases for Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. He also won a labor commission win for Nicollette Sheridan against an ex-manager. Singer is happy to battle in public for tabloid-regular clients like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, but he's prouder about the articles he's able to quash before they make the gossip pages. "Dozens of proposed stories were not published after we got involved," he says. "Sometimes we have to offer them baby pictures. I'm joking. I always recommend clients don't do that."
	Orin Snyder Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, New York As the vice chair of his firm's crisis management practice group, Snyder has handled some of the year's most Us Weekly-worthy cases. He's repping the NBC Uni-owned Bravo Network in a suit against the Weinstein Co. for taking "Project Runway" to Lifetime. He's defending Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld in the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook case, in which Jessica is accused of stealing recipes and Jerry is alleged to have defamed a rival cookbook author on David Letterman's "Late Show." Seinfeld "was not making statements of fact but overstatements of opinion for comic effect," Snyder argues. And in a copyright case over the Jennifer Lopez-produced show "South Beach," Snyder won summary judgment for Lopez and other producers. He also negotiated a settlement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of a child-safety investigation of Facebook.
	Donald Smiley Law Offices of Donald Smiley, Los Angeles Smiley has been around for years tackling smaller industry disputes. Then three years ago, he agreed to represent manager Rick Siegel in a Talent Agencies Act case that soon consumed his practice. Marathon Entertainment v. Blasi reached the California Supreme Court, which in January ruled unanimously in his client's favor that a management contract is not necessarily voided when a manager acts as an unlicensed talent agent. Earlier this year, Smiley also won a decision in federal court that led to renewed discussions on the topic of increased residuals for musical performers appearing on the DVD series "Broadway's Lost Treasures." In addition to litigation, he also handles deals for clients like Slowhand Cinema Releasing and the creators of the History Channel's "Dogfights."
	Stanton "Larry" Stein Dreier Stein Kahan Browne Woods George, Santa Monica Stein travels the country lecturing on entertainment issues to students at law schools like Harvard and Stanford. He also handles what seems like one high-profile celebrity case after another. In April, Stein filed a preemptive suit on behalf of actor Rob Lowe against two former nannies for allegedly attempting to extort Lowe and his wife. He's now regularly squaring off against Gloria Allred in the press as often as in legal papers. "When someone threatens you with personal information and false information, you either succumb to their request or you fight back," he said on CNN. Stein, whose deep roster of supporting players includes Marcia Harris for profit-participation cases, Ann Loeb for First Amendment matters, and well-known music litigators Mark Passin and Yakub Hazzard, also recently negotiated a settlement with X17online.com after the gossip site posted "false and defamatory" stories claiming NBA star Tony Parker cheated on his wife, actress Eva Longoria. "He combines deep litigation experience with creative inventiveness," says John Turitzin, general counsel for client Marvel Entertainment. "For him and his team, there is no 'standard studio practice' that is beyond reexamination and challenge. As the rights holder, that's exactly the approach that we want."
	Gail Migdal Title Kattin Muchin Rosenman, Los Angeles Title's labor on behalf of Universal Studios has been almost literally herculean. Back in September 2003, Kevin Sorbo, the muscular star of TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," sued the studio, alleging it cheated him out of 8% of the adjusted gross from the show. Title won a dismissal on demurrer of Sorbo's fraud claims in December 2006, and a year later, a Los Angeles judge summarily dismissed the remaining 24 breach-of-contract claims. The case is now on appeal. She has also handled litigation for Reveille, including three separate copyright infringement cases over "The Biggest Loser." DreamWorks has also hired Title to defend it in a copyright suit over the "Las Vegas" TV series, and she was retained to defend a copyright case over Sci Fi Channel's "Ghost Hunters." "Gail is extremely bright and intuitive, has deep knowledge of the entertainment industry and truly is a pleasure to work with," says Universal senior vp litigation David Burg.
	Marc Toberoff Law Offices of Marc Toberoff, Los Angeles "Him? Why would you put him on the list?" That's a studio legal affairs exec talking, and for good reason. When it comes to lucrative comic-book character copyrights, Toberoff is a studio lawyer's arch-nemesis. He has created a cottage industry out of a loophole in copyright law that allows authors of works created before 1976 or their heirs a five-year window to "terminate" assignments 56 years after the date the copyright was first secured. Detractors call him an ambulance chaser who finances litigation and takes as much as a third of the proceeds. But no one questions his successes. Earlier this year, a federal court granted the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel a share of the U.S. copyrights to the character, and this month he won a similar appellate court victory over the Lassie character. Toberoff isn't done with Superman. He also reps the estate of Joe Shuster, who created the Man of Steel with Siegel and whose termination rights come up in 2013. Since Toberoff also produces projects with his victorious clients, he could end up a Hollywood player beyond the legal realm.
	Donald Verrilli Jenner & Block, Washington, D.C. Viacom's $1 billion copyright case against Google's YouTube may be years away from resolution, but Sumner Redstone sent a clear message in hiring the lead lawyer for the industry's successful Supreme Court case against Grokster to head the latest industry-changing battle over copyright law. Verrilli has experience arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court 11 times, should the case get that far. But so far it's been mostly discovery squabbling, with the Columbia Law grad arguing that YouTube's new content-fingerprinting technology is not enough to avoid liability and that Viacom would have been "a lot happier if they'd put this in place when they launched." Meanwhile, the judge in the case has denied Verrilli access to YouTube's key source code, but Google must turn over video popularity logs and database information on what videos users upload (subject to privacy protections).
	Howard Weitzman Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert, Santa Monica Weitzman added another title this year to his long resume of industry experience: executive producer. The rare litigator who handles civil and criminal matters and was once executive vp operations at Universal Studios alongside buddy Ron Meyer, Weitzman is now working with client Courtney Love on a biopic of the rocker's late husband, Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. He also repped Sean "Diddy" Combs in connection with a Los Angeles Times story that implicated the record producer/rapper in an assault on the late Tupac Shakur. Weitzman won a rare full retraction of the story and an apology for Combs. "I have tried over 100 jury trials," he says. "However, I see my primary role as that of a problem-solver. Part of that responsibility is to present clients with alternatives and strategies to avoid lawsuits."
	Andrew White White O'Connor Fink & Brenner, Los Angeles A 30-year trial lawyer who often reps CBS and other studios, White was counsel for Viacom this year in its successful defense of a defamation suit filed by Lynn Ianni, an on-air therapist for Fox's makeover show "The Swan." Ianni alleged Viacom defamed her on "VH1 News Presents" by reporting that she "is not a doctor, she just plays one on TV," but a judge ruled in January that the report was protected under California's free-speech anti-SLAPP statute. White is now defending ABC News against a defamation claim brought by Los Angeles preacher Fred Price, who alleges that he was unfairly portrayed in a "20/20" news report about wealthy televangelists. He is also prosecuting a multimillion-dollar fraud complaint against a Danish toy company that allegedly defrauded DIC Entertainment in connection with two license agreements for the "Teenage Trollz" and "Classic Trollz" toy properties.
	Jonathan Zavin Loeb & Loeb, New York An active anti-piracy activist, Zavin won a permanent injunction in August for CBS in a battle with Reel Media, which had been distributing copies of the 16 episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" to which CBS had not acquired the rights. The case broke new ground by establishing that protected elements in prior episodes of a TV series like copyrighted characters can prevent the distribution of subsequent episodes that have inadvertently entered the public domain. Another Zavin case resulted in a precedent-setting victory for his client, MGM, as the 9th Circuit ruled in June that the heirs of Maurice Richlin, who co-wrote the treatment for the original 1963 "Pink Panther" film, were not entitled to a share of the profits from all of the movies featuring the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. Zavin is also repping Fox in a copyright infringement action in which music publisher Bourne Co. claims that the song "When You Wish Upon A Star" was infringed in an episode of "Family Guy," and Paramount in a action brought by director Stanley Donen, in which he claims he is entitled to a portion of the copyright interest in 1957's "Funny Face."

Power Lawyers profiles were reported and written by Matthew Belloni, Eriq Gardner, Matthew Heller, Jordana Lewis and Leslie Simmons with research assistance from Sara Siskin.