Power Lawyers 2021: Hollywood’s Top 100 Attorneys

Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham
Cornell Law School

Adams likes helping clients who don’t want to be just one thing — like Kevin Hart, who started in stand-up and this year landed a four-year nine-figure acting and producing deal at Netflix. Or John Krasinski, whose transition to writing and directing with the Quiet Place movies was so successful that he secured a first-look overall deal at Paramount. “Everybody on this list can do the job,” Adams says, “but I most enjoy representing multihyphenates and making all those negotiations work together.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “I say, ‘Thank God for no more lunches!’ I’ve heard that from managers and agents I work with too: ‘We can actually get our work done.’”

DLA Piper
Loyola Law School

Ara added Apple and TikTok to his list of longstanding clients during a year in which many were simply battening down the hatches, assisting both with their rapid original content expansion plans (for Apple TV+ he helped secure key production facilities in L.A.’s crowded studio market). Alongside shepherding major deals such as CJ Entertainment’s sale of music show I Can See Your Voice to Fox and ZASH’s acquisition of TikTok rival Lomotif, Ara also continued to work pro bono for the Blackhouse Foundation, and this year was appointed to its board of advisers.

My new mantra is … “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign? — Albert Einstein”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “The one with the winning numbers for a future Powerball lottery.”

Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein
Harvard Law School

Austen is known for leading and coordinating high-level renegotiations for TV casts and last year went into action with new deals on Young Sheldon and Umbrella Academy for clients Zoe Perry and Tom Hopper, respectively. The attorney, who became co-managing partner of his firm last spring, also made deals for new client Dave Bautista for Knives Out 2 and Thor: Love and Thunder, juggled the empire of Seth MacFarlane, put Jude Law in Fantastic Beasts and Peter Pan & Wendy, and helped directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah navigate the Marvel and DC worlds.

The NFT I’d buy in a second is… “A Seth MacFarlane original artwork.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “I’ve been lucky to have received great advice, the best of which was work hard, focus, and don’t have too many friends. If you have too many friends, you’re not a good friend to anyone. And in Hollywood you want real friends.”

Glaser Weil
University of Michigan Law School

“Hollywood and the real world have blended a little bit in terms of #MeToo,” says Basinger, whose work is now crossing into politics with her representation of Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to publicly accuse New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. Basinger is also representing a number of confidential clients who have been accused of assault and helped secure a win for ICM when the California labor com- missioner found agent Rob Prinz was due his full commission in a dispute with Celine Dion.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Making me hate pants with buttons or zippers.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Try being the third person to speak at meetings; you will come off less aggressive.”

Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein
Harvard Law School

Bernstein reps a client list of heavy-hitter female actors, including Oscar nominated Carey Mulligan, who signed on to Netflix’s Maestro, which she will star in opposite Bradley Cooper; and Margot Robbie will lead Damien Chazelle’s Babylon with Brad Pitt, and her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, signed a new first-look deal with Amazon. He also counts Judi Dench, Tessa Thompson and Hilary Swank among his clients.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Give up your New York apartment.”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “Agencies will be looking to make up the shortfalls in revenue created by the lack of packaging in new and innovative ways.”

Greenberg Traurig
GW Law

Black is the lawyer brands call when they’re looking to make a splash in Hollywood. Existing clients include Pokémon, Spin Master (Paw Patrol) and Gates Ventures (Bill Gates), and he’s signed new ones like video game developer Bungie (Halo). Over the past year, that’s meant more than $2 billion in deals — and that’s not counting $130 million in employment and separation agreements he’s negotiated for his C-suite clients.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “The Grill.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “The serendipity that comes when you can see family, friends and colleagues in person.”

Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano
Columbia Law School

“I don’t think this is the end of moviegoing. That demise has been forecast many times before,” quips Bobb, who troubleshot Space Jam director Malcolm D. Lee’s contract when WarnerMedia announced its 2021 day-and-date release plans. Bobb is tasked with keeping up with the town’s most in-demand and prolific creatives like Ava DuVernay, who is behind Netflix’s Colin Kaepernick limited series and HBO Max’s DMZ.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Making my workday 24 hours.”

My new mantra is … “Pura Vida.”

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
University of San Diego School of Law

Boutrous is there when an industry’s future rides on a big argument, and in the past year he was honored by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press for continually standing up to the Trump administration in First Amendment fights. He’s now on Apple’s side in a huge antitrust show- down with Fortnite developer Epic Games, in Brad Pitt’s corner in the Angelina Jolie divorce, and leading Ashley Judd’s fight against Harvey Weinstein.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t make that argument — no court will ever buy it.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “The NFT of this Power Lawyers list.”

Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson
Arizona State University College of Law

With the dissolution of Bloom Hergott, Brecheen and five of her colleagues split off to form a new firm in 2020. “It was quite an adventure, especially with the pandemic,” says the rep, who also was brokering Plan B’s overall TV deal with Amazon and John Oliver’s three-year Last Week Tonight renewal with HBO, the latter of which she says took nine months to hammer out. Now Brecheen — who also works with Jenny McCarthy, Mel Gibson and Rob Delaney — is in the middle of restructuring Conan O’Brien’s joint venture with WarnerMedia, which will include a weekly variety show on HBO Max.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Random encounters with clients and colleagues where you just have a friendly chat.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “None, frankly. Insofar as the vast majority of NFT’s are mined via Ethereum (which uses the incredibly environmentally unfriendly Proof of Work system) buying an NFT would probably wipe out years of work that I’ve put into reducing my own climate footprint.”

Lavely & Singer
Brooklyn Law School

What do Armie Hammer, Joss Whedon and Chris D’Elia have in common? They all turned to Brettler when facing career-jeopardizing allegations. “It’s never a good day for my clients if they need to talk to me,” says Brettler. Much of his work, including some plaintiff-side matters for survivors of assault and domestic violence, happens out of the spot- light. He adds, “I’ve never been busier in my career than I have been during the pandemic.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Having to find new uses for all of my ties.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t get the COVID vaccine.”

Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler Feldman & Clark
UC Hastings College of the Law

Clark, who works mostly with behind-the-camera talent, made an industrywide stir when, as part of Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s team, he made the whopping $469 million deal for Knives Out 2 and 3 with Netflix. “A deal like that comes along once in a career,” says the father of 18-year-old triplets. Johnson and Bergman’s busy T-Street also keeps him hopping with an incubator at MRC, TV projects and Netflix’s adaptation of Chinese novel Three Body Problem. Just as busy is another powerhouse duo, George Clooney and Grant Heslov of Smokehouse Pictures, who wrapped production on drama Tender Bar for Amazon, renewed their deal with MGM and set their sights on 1930s rowing drama Boys in the Boat, while Clooney separately closed a deal to reunite with Julia Roberts for Ticket to Paradise. Rising client Shay Hatten found his Army of the Dead follow-up while Ti West shot a movie for A24.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Watching my kids play sports.”

My new mantra is… “From Proverb 10:19, ‘When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.'”

Sheppard Mullin
Georgetown Law

Darwell continues his four-year partnership with Amazon Studios, this year locking in hundreds of millions of dollars in first-look and overall deals with the likes of Donald Glover, Lizzo, Brad Pitt and Michael B. Jordan, as well as assisting with the streamer’s move into international development and production (led by its big-ticket Lord of the Rings series). He also represented Doris Day’s estate in connection with Kaley Cuoco’s upcoming series based on the legend, and provided counsel to Nickelodeon and Disney Animation.

My new mantra is ... “Don’t just do it, overdo it.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “I’m at the office now, but nobody else is here. I was always traveling around and working remotely, usually I was the one gone and everybody was in the office. Now I’m in the office and everybody else is gone.”

Paul Hastings
UCLA School of Law

Barely a decade out of law school, Davis has already established herself as a go-to guru in one of employment law’s hottest areas — pay equity. She regularly counsels companies about best practices on this front, and when her clients are sued, she’ll defend them in court, as she’s doing for Disney in a major class action brought by the company’s female workers. Davis also conducts investigations and was recently tapped to lead a probe over alleged misconduct at The Lincoln Project.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Dodgers games and con- certs at the Hollywood Bowl!”

My new mantra is … “To make the game winning shot you have to be willing to miss it.”

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern
Southwestern Law School

Client Zack Snyder is back in action with his Justice League cut on HBO Max and the Netflix zombie flick Army of the Dead. Todd Phillips struck a deal to co-write the next Joker installment, while Amy Poehler is booming in the DIY space with Making It and planned spinoff Backing It. Paul Feig is directing the star-packed School for Good and Evil at Netflix, while J.A. Bayona has begun shooting Amazon’s high-profile Lord of the Rings series.

The NFT I’d buy in a second is ... “If I were a big sports fan, one of the basketball ones. But I’m not a big sports fan, so I probably wouldn’t. “

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Century City mall.”

Latham & Watkins
Harvard Law School

Deutsch’s forte is the slate financ- ing deal — linking up independent producers with studio capital to bankroll a package of films — like last year’s co-financing and distribution agreement between New Republic and Paramount Pictures for a 10-film deal including Mission: Impossible 7 and Top Gun: Maverick. Deutsch’s ability to remain calm and casual — his post-COVID goal is to “eliminate dress shirts from my closet forever” — amid marathon negotiations has made him the go-to guy for indies looking for reliable access to capital.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Cabo!”

My new mantra is… “What color t-shirt will I wear today?”

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Berkeley Law

Edelman scored a huge victory for AMC last July when an L.A. judge issued a favorable post-trial ruling in Robert Kirkman’s profits battle over The Walking Dead. His successful year also included extinguishing a $100 million lawsuit against Universal Music over master recordings
destroyed in a massive studio backlot fire, batting down libel claims against MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow after she described a conservative news channel as “Russian propaganda,” and being inducted into the highly exclusive International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Focusing me on the fact that a busy life is not necessarily a meaningful life. Was nice to spend more time at home with family.”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “Have to bring my own grocery bags.”

Paul Hastings
Monash University Law

As if handling Ryan Murphy’s ever-expanding content empire weren’t a full-time job on its own, Emanuel manages to advise a host of other busy writer-producers. He repped Tony Gilroy in his negotiation with Lucasfilm to run the new Diego Luna-led Star Wars series. He crafted the deals for Lion scribe Luke Davies to pen Tom Hanks’ Apple feature News of the World and the upcoming Woody Harrelson-led Timothy Leary miniseries The Most Dangerous Man in America. And he set up George Wolfe’s pact to helm Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom for Netflix. On the horizon for his clients: Charles Randolph’s Wuhan project, Craig Rosenberg’s The Boys spinoff and Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids reboot.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Craft in Century City. I love this restaurant not only because the food is great and it’s walking distance from my office, but it is also a place where the staff are incredibly nice and the tables are sufficiently spread out that you can have a conversation without being heard by the people next to you.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “It was the physical non-Zoom contact with friends and colleagues. As someone who is reasonably social and loves to entertain, having time with friends and family on Zoom and Facetime calls is no substitute for the real thing.”

Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner Endlich & Gellman
Cardozo School of Law

Endlich helps client Taika Waititi navigate the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the galaxy far, far away and the high seas, setting up a third Thor film, a Star Wars stand- alone feature and HBO Max pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death. Endlich, whose client list includes BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and comedian Adam Conover, also brokered Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman’s Netflix overall deal and Chris McKay’s jump into the Universal monster movies with Renfield. And, while all this work can be done remotely, Endlich notes, “We didn’t get into this business so we could stay put in our houses.”

Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler Feldman & Clark
Harvard Law School

With the help of Feldman, Barry Jenkins and the Safdie brothers both inked novel pacts with two studios — A24 and HBO — under one first-look TV deal. The production shutdown meant a boon in development for his writer-director-producer clients like Steven Soderbergh, Chris Terrio and Marc Webb, making the past year one of the busiest of Feldman’s career. “People are quicker to the deal,” he says of COVID-era negotiations. “It’s like, ‘Hey, I can smell dinner. Let’s see if we can do this in two rounds.’”

Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light
Western State College of Law

There’s been no shortage of work for Fox, whose producer, filmmaker and writer clients kept him burning wicks on all ends. Filmmaker James Wan had three producer deals that needed to be renegotiated as part of HBO Max’s 2021 day-and-date strategy, on top of a deal to direct
Aquaman 2. Dan Lin’s Rideback made a term deal with Universal while Michael Sugar’s Sugar23 proved to be a 360 company with film, TV, podcast, publishing and other deals. The Witcher creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich signed an overall deal with Netflix, while Thomas Bezucha signed on to direct episodes of Marvel’s Secret Invasion.

What’s the biggest effect of pack- aging coming to an end? “Fewer arguments at the dinner table.” (His wife is a TV agent.)

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by … “Forcing me into the 21st Century, tech-wise.”

Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller
Penn Law

Fox’s roster reads like a hot list of Hollywood’s top comedy stars. She did the deals for Ali Wong to star in A24 dramedy Beef, which Netflix landed after a major bidding war, as well as the show Paper Girls for Amazon — both of which are on top of the new comedy special she’ll soon be taping for Netflix. Fox helped Julio Torres set up a the next season of his HBO series, Los Espookys. The rep — who also advises Michelle Wolf and Hasan Minhaj — has become somewhat of a Saturday Night Live whisperer, with clients including Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Michael Che, who just launched That Damn Michael Che on HBO Max. Fox, who first took an interest in comedic talent when she interned at 3 Arts in New York in college, also reps Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, who put out the second season of their critically acclaimed Hulu show PEN15.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Giving everyone in the world my cellphone number.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Someone once told me not to get so emotionally invested in my clients. That investment is everything – it’s what motivates me and why this never feels like work.”

McKuin Frankel Whitehead
UCLA School of Law

Long-term relationships typify Frankel’s client list with a notice- able lack of “one-off” deals. “We have clients for their whole careers,” he notes. Examples include Zach Levi, who’s in Shazam! Fury of the Gods; Sam Esmail, who’s writing and directing Netflix’s Leave the World Behind, which reunites Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington; and Willam N. Collage, whose spec script Emancipation resulted in the largest film festival acquisition deal in movie history (worth a reported $120 million all-in) when it sold to Apple with Will Smith attached.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t be so bullish about Netflix because any- body can start a streaming service.”

Freedman & Taitelman
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

One of Hollywood’s key litigators to call in a high-profile crisis, Freedman is currently representing The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison after the host stepped away from the franchise following a controversial interview with former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay, and DC Films president Walter Hamada and producer Jon Berg in connection with Justice League star Ray Fisher’s statements about their involvement in a toxic work environment. In September, Freedman’s client Gabrielle Union reached a settlement with NBC after she alleged racism on the set of America’s Got Talent. The theme of his past year? “Protecting the executive or the talent or the individual against the company,” Freedman says, which, ideally, is “the way that you can try and drive change in a [company’s] behavior.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Having to learn how to change the paper in the printer.”

My new mantra is … “Look for the gift. There’s a gift in everything.”

Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger
Columbia Law School

Galsor found himself navigating complicated theatrical and streaming waves thanks to big-name clients who bounced back and forth between those two Hollywood worlds. He made sure Anthony and Joe Russo were properly compensated for directing and producing The Gray Man, Netflix’s most expensive movie ever, then made a theatrical deal with Universal for the duo’s Electric State, then back Netflix with a producing deal for Extraction 2. Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth got a deal to star in Extraction 2, then followed with a deal to star in Furiosa, which will be a theatrical release from Warners, then back to Netflix for sci-fi thriller, Escape From Spiderhead. Says Galsor of switching gears repeatedly, “The finances are very different and need different kinds of approaches.” Elsewhere, Vin Diesel got a 360 arrangement that saw him join video company Studio Wildcard as president of creative convergence and will work on a sequel to hit Ark, give his likeness to it, and develop an animated series. If all that weren’t enough of a challenge, there’s long- time client Tom Cruise, who decided he wanted to make a movie in space.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Hinoki and the Bird in Century City.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “On the professional level, it’s closing deals in person-person, not Zoom-person. It’s really effective to sit in the room and work something out. Zoom is not the same.”

Cohen Gardner
University of Virginia School of Law

One of Gardner’s more complex deals involved client Ryan Coogler and his Proximity banner signing an exclusive TV deal with Disney, involving several divisions, including Marvel, and multiple distribution platforms. A Gardner specialty is working with filmmakers on the festival circuit — at this year’s Sundance, he repped producer Nina Yang Bongiovi in a $16 million Netflix acquisition for racial drama Passing, and Megan Park’s The Fallout was nabbed by HBO Max at SXSW — and it’s something he’s this past year. “Look, we all did our best with Zoom, but it’s not the same thing. We can’t even pretend it is,” says Gardner, who also made a deal to bring Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite universe to TV. “Walking down Main Street at Sundance and running into a colleague or hearing filmmakers on panels, plus the glamour … With COVID it was all gone. I missed it a lot.”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “It levels the playing field for various agencies and management companies.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Cannes Film Festival.”

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
Berkeley Law

Gellman spent much of the year advising his showrunner clients with major overall deals. That includes Dan Fogelman (This Is Us) at 20th Century Fox Television, Jennie Snyder Urman (Jane the Virgin) at CBS Studios and Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs) at ABC Studios. He also negotiated a new pact for Empire alum Ilene Chaiken at Universal TV as she moved from the helm of Showtime’s The L Word to NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime. Also on his roster: Snowfall’s Dave Andron, Wheel of Time’s Rafe Judkins and Jennifer Yale, who will showrun J.J. Abrams’ upcoming HBO Max drama Subject to Change.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Nate ’n Al’s.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman
Loyola Law School

“There are new business models emerging,” says Gellman, who helped longtime client Kenya Barris engineer one of his own. The writer-producer exited a rich Netflix pact early in order to launch a studio with ViacomCBS, acting as both head creative and an equity partner. “The business is evolving and COVID, in some respects, may have helped that evolution along.” WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier recently proved massive hits for Dinsey+, and Gellman negotiated showrunner Jessica Gao’s deal for one of Marvel’s next splashy series: She-Hulk.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Trust in humanity.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “To use baby oil as sunblock in Hawaii. Thanks, Mom.”

Gendler & Kelly
UCLA School of Law

Gendler’s roster of top-tier showrunners includes Alex Kurtzman, who alone is juggling more than a half a dozen series including one he’s showrunning in London (Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth). David E. Kelley has his next collaboration with Nicole Kidman, Nine Perfect Strangers, in the pipeline at Hulu. Shonda Rhimes saw Bridgerton quickly become one of Netflix’s most watched shows ever as she readies a host of other hotly anticipated projects. And Steve Martin is making his debut as a television creator with Hulu’s buzzy Only Murders in the Building, in which he’ll also star. That’s all on top of the feature deals Gendler brokered for clients Chris Pine (Dungeons & Dragons) and Meryl Streep (Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up).

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “We don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Sichuan Impression (And The Grill.)”

Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher
Harvard Law School

As tentpole Mulan became the first Disney film to head to streaming, Genow guided producer Chris Bender through a deal fit for these unprecedented times. He also assisted A-list talent (Henry Golding, Meghan Markle) through the uncertainty. Genow won’t comment on Markle’s busy year, but announced pacts include those under both the Archewell production banner (Netflix, Spotify) and foundations (World Central Kitchen, Loveland Foundation). To get it all done, Genow co-opted the backyard treehouse as a temporary office. He says with a laugh, “[It’s] cedar-sided, has Wi-Fi, electricity and a great view.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is… “A viral video of Biden taking the oath [of office].”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “A lot of actors aren’t so happy about having to pay agency commissions on their television projects for the first time.”

Ziffren Brittenham
Berkeley Law

Like many reps, Gilbert-Lurie spent much of 2020 navigating COVID-related issues for his clients. Thanks to the widespread production shutdown, that meant renegotiating part of megaproducer Dick Wolf’s massive overall deal with Universal Television. “There’s not a day in my life that I’m not doing something related to the Wolf deal,” says the rep. He also had to revisit Sandra Bullock’s contract for her upcoming Netflix film The End Is Forgiven, which stopped and started during the pandemic, as well as Tina Fey’s Girls5eva for Peacock. “I had these large overall deals pending for all these companies and, with all of them, you had to deal with the implications of COVID,” says Gilbert-Lurie.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Around 15 years ago, a very senior and knowledgeable person in our industry pulled me aside and told me I really should think about getting out of the television business because it was really a dying business that had no future, and that I should reorient my practice to something different. I didn’t follow that advice, needless to say.”

Ginsburg Daniels Kallis
UCLA School of Law

Timothée Chalamet made his Super Bowl debut with a massive deal orchestrated by Ginsburg that saw the actor, who is also set for his first producing credit on Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All and to star in Wonka, play Edward Scissorhands Jr. in a Cadillac ad. LaKeith Stanfield’s star keeps rising after an Oscar nomination for Judas and the Black Messiah and with a packed upcoming slate, including Netflix feature Harder They Fall and the new season of FX’s Atlanta. Ginsburg notes the pandemic favored talent “whose businesses and personalities were nimble enough to quickly adapt and move forward.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Granting me the privilege of spending over a year with my kids all day, every day, before they go on to college.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “2019.” 

Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher
UCLA School of Law

Goodman is balancing his prolific roster of filmmakers and talent (add Jared Leto to the list) with running his relatively newly merged law firm. Christian Bale is starring in David O. Russell’s new untitled film and will also appear in the next Thor installment. Elsewhere, Goodman helped strike the $30 million Netflix deal for worldwide rights to Antoine Fuqua’s The Guilty, starring client Jake Gyllenhaal. He also orchestrated deals with A24 for directors Darren Aronofsky (The Whale) and Alex Garland (Men), and client Steve McQueen impressed critics with anthology Small Axe.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Allowing me to shave and shower at the end of the day.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “The Grill.”

Reed Smith
Panthéon-Assas University

Copyright and technology expert Goossens has a knack for innovation and first-of-their-kind content-based product launches, advising large media companies, content platforms and other clients in such fields as music and audio, streaming, video games, social media and NFTs on cutting-edge copyright issues, platform and ecommerce regulation, artificial intelligence, blockchain and pan-European licensing. A specialist of EU law, she also advises trade bodies and media clients regarding their government relations. Working across Paris and London, she taps into her fluency in both common and civil law to deliver pan-European advice.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Clubbing (preferably in Berlin).”

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by … “Giving me the opportunity to spend almost a year working remotely from my holiday home in Portugal.”

Orrick
UC Hastings College of the Law

Now in her 40th year of practice, Hermle has long been ahead of the curve thanks to her Silicon Valley base and practice specialty. A few years after becoming widely known thanks to her trial work defending the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins from Ellen Pao’s gender discrimina- tion claims, she continues to do high-profile employment litigation work for the likes of Netflix and Twitter. She’s lately been successful in stopping multiple class actions on the employment front.

My new mantra is … “The same as the old mantras. ‘Stay Calm and Carry On,’ and, as Winston Churchill said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “You have to demand the compensation you deserve or you’ll never receive it.”

Covington & Burling
Fordham Law

New York-based Hill quarterbacks deals for sports leagues and media and tech firms looking at complex commercial and corporate transactions that don’t fit neatly into preexisting templates. He advised the NFL on its $100 billion-plus rights pacts with CBS, ESPN/ABC, Fox, NBC and Amazon, and counseled clients on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts their distribution agreements. Also among his clientele: MLB, NBA, NHL, MSG Networks and Epix.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Covering the business/business casual section of my closet in an inch of dust.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Halal cart, corner of 40th & 8th, white sauce, hot sauce.”

Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump
Southwestern Law School

When a Hollywood A-lister is accused of the unimaginable and wants to keep it quiet, Holley is
often the lawyer who gets the call. The former public defender is currently representing Shia LaBeouf in a domestic abuse suit filed by his former girlfriend FKA twigs, and Tory Lanez, who pleaded not guilty to weapons charges in connection with an alleged Megan Thee Stallion shooting. “I represent people who have been accused of things that would ruin their brand, image, reputation, maybe life,” says Holley, who’s a unique hybrid of criminal and civil attorney. “I have probably 10 cases right now of people who are dealing with false allegations that I’m trying to take care of.”

My new mantra is … “It’s not that I actually want to go, I just want to be invited.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Demonstrating that a mediation works just as well on Zoom with makeup on the top and jean shorts and flip flops on the bottom.”

Ziffren Brittenham
NYU School of Law

In addition to recruiting such in-demand clients as Tiffany Haddish and Donald Glover, Johnson negotiated Sacha Baron Cohen’s deals for both The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Locking down legal liability for the latter was a lot easier than coordinating L.A.’s COVID-19 response, for which Johnson was tapped by Mayor Eric Garcetti to lead the business and philanthropic community efforts that raised $65 million to assist Angelenos in the early months of the pandemic: “My days started super early and ended when I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.”

Loeb & Loeb
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

One of the industry’s key reps handling guild and union matters for film, television and digital companies, Kagan Bierman helped clients shut down productions, then restart them, during the pandemic. Repping companies including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, AMC Networks and Turner, the Loeb & Loeb partner analyzed guild agreements and individual contracts, worked on COVID-19 compliance issues and advocated for “compassion pay” (additional pay for workers employed during the pandemic). During a year of protest and injustice, she also continued assisting major brands with their corporate cultures: “You really can’t expect employees to experience something in their communities or in the world and come in to work, even virtually, as if nothing has happened.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Live music, which includes going to hear bands at music festivals and at various venues. Music is one of my major passions.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “By enabling me to take a walk in the middle of the day, so I can catch my breath and renew in order to meet the challenges of the rest of the day.” 

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
Whittier Law School

An expert at negotiating deals across all facets of the industry, Kaller represents talent ranging from TV showrunners (Derek Haas, Prentice Penny), to actors (Josh Duhamel, Connie Britton), to podcasters (Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper), to entrepreneurs and influencers (Emma Chamberlain, Hyram Yarbro). Or as he puts it: “From Logan Paul to Ronan Farrow.” Recent moves include making a deal for Steven Yeun coming off his Academy Award nomination for Minari to executive produce, and working Jane Lynch’s deals on three projects (starring in Bucktown, hosting The Weakest Link and continuing on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “I have the answer, but I can’t say it because I’m in the middle of creating it.”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “Explaining to clients who’ve never paid commission before that they’re about to pay a commission.”

Covington & Burling
Harvard Law School

Kamin says it was “particularly gratifying” to have been a key member of the legal team that, in December, won a halt to President Trump’s executive order that would have effectively banned TikTok in the U.S. (The Biden administration is reviewing the case.) Currently, the commercial litigator is also heading up a team representing such major music labels as Sony, Universal and Warner, and publishers in copyright infringement cases against Charter Communications and Bright House Networks, and conducting an internal workplace culture review for a major entertainment company (which he can’t name).

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Any place other than my kitchen.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Showing me that I can work from home but I don’t like to.”

Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein
USC Gould School of Law

Klein’s roster includes prolific talent like Toni Collette and Samuel L. Jackson, who set The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey at Apple and a Marvel series that starts this fall. Meanwhile, Jim Carrey sewed up a pact for a Sonic the Hedgehog sequel, while Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and the female-centric production house Gloria Sanchez are making The Shrink Next Door, based on the popular podcast. Ferrell will also film a Christmas musical for Apple, while Rudd signed up for Ant Man 3 and Linda Cardellini for a third season of Dead to Me.

My new mantra is … “What’s on DoorDash?”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Leaving on a jet plane.”

Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman
Loyola Law School

Kohner set up award-winning author Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom with Scott Free productions. Meanwhile, John Cho is starring in Cowboy Bebop, and Pete Chiarelli is writing the Crazy Rich Asians sequel. After working out a nine-figure deal for the Duffer brothers at Netflix, Kohner helped the duo (who are currently shooting season four of Stranger Things) put together Talisman with Stephen King and Steven Spielberg. “It’s pretty amazing to represent [the Duffers], who came from nothing, who idolized these guys, and the Talisman is one of their favorite projects, and here they are making it for Netflix. That just makes me smile.”

What is the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “In 1997, I was an intern at Merrill Lynch and a stockbroker told me, ‘You’d be crazy to buy stock in Amazon. They don’t stand a chance against Barnes & Noble.’”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “I was sad for my kids, they missed out on a year of being teenagers with their friends.”

Gang Tyre Ramer Brown & Passman
Harvard Law School

As client Riz Ahmed toured the awards circuit for Sound of Metal, Kole helped his Left Handed shingle close a first-look deal with Amazon in late January. At the same time, she fielded an explosion of post-inauguration offers for Amanda Gorman, whom she has represented since the poet was in college. And Kole was hands-on in helping Chelsea and Hillary Clinton set up their production company, HiddenLight, and sell their Gutsy Women docuseries to Apple. She says she loves working with clients who are not only smart and talented but also “really trying to change the culture.”

What is the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “A manager once told me not to represent women because they make half the money that men make. I took that as a challenge.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “La Scala.”

Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump
University of Michigan Law School

Kump scored a major win for clients the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when he sued a paparazzi agency for taking illegal photos of Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie, while they were staying at Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills home. “We got the photos back, and they promised never to do it again,” says the attorney, who is also the go-to for the Kardashian-Jenner family, leading a fight with Forbes over Kylie’s billionaire status and an upcoming trial in a licensing dispute involving a cosmetics line.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Going to court.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “My desk.”

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp
University of San Diego School of Law

“There are very few lawyers who liti- gate in the same space that I litigate,” says Levin, who works with studios, networks and other companies on labor issues where creative expres- sion intersects with civil rights.
He’s currently representing Fox and Disney against discrimination claims brought by former Simpsons composer Alf Clausen and, in a case involving a news producer fired for plagiarism, CNN. Levin also worked on UTA’s lawsuit against the WGA alleging that its agent boycott was illegal; that came to a close in July when UTA became the first major agency to sign a deal with the guild.

My new mantra is … “Cherish every hug, handshake and (in-person) hello. Abolish elbow bumps.”

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by … “Forcing me to work in my son’s nursery with frequent diaper-changing interruptions.”

Gang Tyre Ramer Brown & Passman
Yale Law School

Some of Hollywood’s most sought-after multihyphenates turn to Levin for their multipronged dealmaking. After raking in honors for debut One Night in Miami, actress-turned-helmer Regina King’s next directorial efforts, including comic book adaptation Bitter Root, are being structured by Levin. The rep also is charged with the difficult task of keeping Dwayne Johnson’s packed slate operational, from Netflix tentpole Red Notice to superhero feature Black Adam to Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Says Levin of pandemic dealmaking, “There are so many more permutations for feature releases to think through.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “San Vicente Bungalows.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is …  “My family in New York.”

Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman
Harvard Law School

Levine’s clients are behind the shows that became the bright spots of many a stay-at-home order, including Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy. He also prepped projects mid-pandemic, like Jordan Peele’s Us follow-up at Universal and Carter Bays and Craig Thomas’ How I Met Your Mother spinoff at Hulu. Along with getting back to the office, Levine is very much looking forward to the end of the battle between the agencies and the WGA: “I like working together as a team for my clients.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Socializing with friends and clients and going to sporting events.”

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by … “By showing how you really can work from anywhere in the world.”

Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein
NYU School of Law

Last year saw Mandelbaum negotiate two major deals with HBO. The first resulted in massive pay raises for the Succession cast (Brian Cox and Nicholas Braun are clients of his). The second was for showrunner Michael Patrick King to revisit Sex and the City, with his reboot now in production at HBO Max. Meanwhile, the rep — who also works with such show- runners as 9-1-1’s Tim Minear and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Bruce Miller — brokered a deal for actress Danai Gurira to not only reprise her role as Okoye in the upcoming Black Panther sequel but also in an origin spinoff series for Disney+.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Teaching me that I can be fully functional at the beach.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t push it — you’ll kill the deal.”

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Harvard Law School

Masuda, who co-chairs his firm’s media, entertainment and technology practice group, is used to working with big names on complex deals. He advised LeBron James and Maverick Carter as they merged their SpringHill Entertainment outfit with their athlete empowerment firm Uninterrupted and brand consultancy Robot Co. for a new entity called The SpringHill Co. He also represented Arnold Schwarzenegger in a deal (with Genius Brands International) for the animated kids series Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten and worked with Twitter boss Jack Dorsey’s mobile payment firm Square on a $302 million deal for a majority stake in Jay-Z’s music streamer, Tidal, and with Indian movie major Eros International in its stock-for-stock merger with STX Entertainment.

My new mantra is … “Don’t panic, adjust.”

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by … “Figuring out a way to tackle an avalanche of work and still have more quality family time than ever.”

Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof & Fishman
Berkeley Law

Matlof, whose client list includes Bill Skarsgård, Leah Remini and Maya Rudolph, is looking forward to some old-fashioned, in-person negotiations: “Negotiating via email doesn’t allow for much nuance or flexibility.” He’d know — his past year has been filled with virtual dealmaking, from shepherding a Netflix pact for longtime client Peter Berg to getting Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski up and running on the streamer’s massive sci-fi swing Escape From Spiderhead.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Travel. We were to have gone on safari in Tanzania.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Yu/Mi Sushi.”

Davis Wright Tremaine
UNC School of Law

The First Amendment may as well include the right to hire McNamara, whose courtroom advocacy helped Mary Trump’s tell-all book come out. A New York appeals court ruled in July that Donald Trump’s family couldn’t stop McNamara’s client Simon & Schuster from distributing it. Her ongoing plate of litigation includes defending Showtime from a suit brought by former Alabama judge Roy Moore over an appearance on Sacha Baron Cohen’s show Who Is America? as well as taking on the Internet Archive for allegedly infringing the copyrights on millions of books when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered libraries nationwide.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “I’m not a power lunch person. Soup suits me just fine.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Allowing me to say ‘goodbye heels!’ Can’t imagine going back to them.”

McKuin Frankel Whitehead
Harvard Law School

McKuin has plenty of big-name clients he could name-drop (Kristen Stewart, Noah Hawley and Sera Gamble, to name a few), but it speaks to his unpretentious nature that the client he’s particularly excited about was, until recently, an industry unknown: commercial cinematographer Morgan Cooper, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan who created a homemade trailer for a dramatic series reboot idea that went viral and caught the attention of Will Smith. The attorney brokered a two-season deal at Peacock to make Cooper’s dream series a reality. Says McKuin, “He’s a fresh voice, a very cool guy, and I’m pretty proud of that.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “The best was: ‘Never let the client’s spouse turn on you.’ I’ve seen it happen, and when it does, you’re done.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “The front page of The New York Times the day Joe Biden won the election.”

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
Harvard Law School

In July, Meigs became the first person of color promoted to equity partner at his firm, a deserved acknowledgment of his work, which this year included a five-year Daily Show extension for Trevor Noah and a new five-year overall deal with WarnerMedia for longtime client Issa Rae’s HooRae banner. Meigs also was among the coalition of Black industry professionals whose commissioning of an eye-opening McKinsey report on Black representation in February is, he hopes, just the beginning of an industry inclusion overhaul.

My new mantra is … “It’s a high-class problem.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Keep your head down.”

Fox Rothschild
Georgetown Law

Amid a nationwide reckoning over systemic racism, Miller worked to bring more Black-led art to screens. His negotiation of the NAACP’s multiyear deal with CBS includes the creation of a team dedicated to shepherding scripted, unscripted and documentary content from Black creatives. Longtime client Chris “Ludacris” Bridges will have a kids animated series with partners Mattel and Scholastic on Netflix (and he’s in F9 in theaters, too), and Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance inked an overall production pact with ViacomCBS and starred in HBO’s adaptation of Ta Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me.

Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein
UCLA School of Law

Morris is a legacy builder and magnet for top female talent, from aiding Kate Hudson as she expands her business empire, which includes her podcast Sibling Revelry and a starring role in Apple’s Truth Be Told, to a new relationship with Eva Longoria, whom Morris describes as “a force to be reckoned with.” She also represents the Herbert family in connection with the Dune franchise, which includes a planned two-part film adaptation of the 1965 novel.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “I will never wear heels again.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Sasabune Beverly Hills.”

Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger
Harvard Law School

“I think it’s important to have fun with it,” says the litigator, who special- izes in copyright law. This year, mere days before his client Discovery was set to air the documentary The Lost Lincoln, Moss beat an application for a temporary restraining order against the program. The doc aired as planned (and Discovery was let out of case). Moss also has won several legal victories on behalf of filmmaker Rian Johnson in a lawsuit brought by his former talent agent, who says he was entitled to commissions from the Star Wars franchise, and is defending Barstool Sports in alleged wiretap- ping and defamation cases.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Going to concerts. I’d almost be willing to see Matchbox Twenty at this point.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is…  “What the hell’s an NFT?”

DLA Piper
University of Minnesota Law School

Consistently a go-to attorney for high-profile sports and esports sponsorship and rights representation, Mulcahy recently made history by guiding Amazon Prime Video’s takeover of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package. Worth $1 billion annually, it was likened to the deal that put ESPN on the map in the 1980s. Mulcahy prides himself on his “ability to realistically assess and mitigate risk, differentiate between what’s legally relevant and what isn’t, and come up with strategies that enable [clients] to accomplish their business imperatives, often on especially tight timelines.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is… “Vial No. 1 of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t become a lawyer.”

Nelson Davis
UC Hastings College of the Law

Nelson had to revamp Allison Janney’s Netflix deal for Lou after production was waylaid by the COVID-19 crisis, while client David Duchovny, who hasn’t acted much lately, landed a lead role in Judd Apatow’s The Bubble. The attorney — whose other long- time clients include Peter Jackson and Edgar Wright — also represents Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur. The helmer, who is now shooting The Beast with Idris Elba, was able to restart filming of volcano drama Katla for Netflix after instituting a raft of virus protocols.

My new mantra is … “I’ve got a few. None of them are brilliant. Most people say ‘Stay safe.’ What I’ve actually used is, ‘Hang in there.’”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Our office lunches. We had them every other week to catch up and see each other. We started doing Zoom cocktail hours, but it just isn’t the same. It’s wonderful, but it’s not the same.”

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
USC Gould School of Law

Newman is “really, really proud” of how her clients weathered the COVID-19 crisis. In the past year, Stephen Lambert become one of the first to embark on a pandemic-era TV production with Fox’s Celebrity Watch Party; she also inked a new deal for Lee Daniels at Disney and signed Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 showrunner Krista Vernoff as a client. Says Newman, “Even though it’s been a painful time, a lot of hard- ship, there’s been a lot of opportunity as well.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Random conversations with strangers.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “The Grill, it’s so easy. I miss it so much.”

Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Wayne Law

As Aaron Sorkin’s lawyer, Nickin had a year highlighted by The Trial of the Chicago 7’s awards season acclaim. “I did my first negotiation for that film nearly 15 years ago,” she says, adding that Sorkin “never gave up on that vision.” The attorney, who also represents Melissa Benoist, John Goodman, Method Man, Dan Fogler and Ian Brennan, also noted how heavy the pandemic weighed on reps. Says Nickin, “The seriousness of our jobs raised 1,000 percent because people’s lives and health were on the line, and their livelihoods.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Dress the part.

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “None, but I am happy to look at your $!M digital image on my computer.”

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern
UCLA School of Law

Offer renegotiated deals for two of his Marvel Cinematic Universe stars — Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) — for additional installments, while client Adam Driver spent the pandemic shooting four films. He also reps Ryan Gosling, who is filming the Russo brothers’ Netflix crime thriller The Grey Man, as well as Angelina Jolie, Tom Holland and Michael Bay.

The pandemic changed my work- life forever by … “Exchanging my jeans for sweatpants.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Paper files.”

Latham & Watkins
Harvard Law School

When the studios want to work together, Offsay is the guy working out the details. Major hookups include Warner Bros.’ 10-year home-entertainment joint venture with Universal, the MGM-Universal output deal — which covers upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die — and the pan-regional agreement between Latin American giants Univision and Televisa to create their Univision International distribution network. However tense the negotiations, Offsay likes to keep it cordial and remember “it’s a small town and we always meet again on another deal.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is… “One that provides an exclusive view- ing experience that is not available without buying.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Introducing the very trendy dress shirt and gym shorts combo.”

Proskauer
University of Chicago Law School

Oncidi, who heads Proskauer’s Labor & Employment department, scored a big victory for Viacom with an injunction against Netflix that prohibits the streamer from continuing to poach Viacom’s executives. He also continues to represent the Recording Academy in its ongoing arbitration proceeding against former president and CEO Deborah Dugan after her widely publicized ouster.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Realizing that giving a cat a vigorous belly rub in the middle of the day does wonders to clear your head.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Playing the accordion would improve my adolescent social life (per my grandmother, who wasn’t from around here).”

Pasich LLP
Loyola Law School

COVID-19 has meant a lot of things to many people, but for one attorney who has spent almost four decades battling insurance companies, it’s sparked phone calls from nearly every corner of the entertainment industry. Pasich has already filed pandemic-related cases on behalf of ViacomCBS, United Talent Agency and producers making a Ben Affleck movie — and he says he’s got plenty more in the pipeline. When he’s not taking on insurers, Pasich runs the music label Blue Élan Records (Soul Asylum, The Rembrandts).

My new mantra is … “Paraphrasing Voltaire, ‘Let us not be guilty of the good things we did not do.’”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Concerts and recording sessions. As the co-founder of a record label, I’ve spent a lot of time doing those things … except for the last year.”

Gang Tyre Ramer Brown & Passman
UCLA School of Law

Passman did one of the most buzzy directing deals in recent history: Patty Jenkins following up Wonder Woman 1984 with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and becoming the first woman tapped to helm a Star Wars movie. But he’s perhaps proudest of getting in early on the documentary boom, where he’s repped filmmakers such as Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer (The Vow). “I’ve always been interested in all lanes of the business,” he says, “and I dove into documentaries early even though there wasn’t a business model yet because I like contributing to the creation of new models.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Someone once told me, ‘Stick to what you know.’ That’s a recipe for little growth, and no chance to become an expert in something new.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “The Grill. Great bread, and tall ceilings.”

Peikoff Mahan
Cardozo School of Law

Of the many challenges the past pandemic-ridden year has presented, Peikoff admits that embracing technology was at the top of her list. Luddite woes aside, she’s been most proud of witnessing her clients — who include Tilda Swinton, Felicity Jones and America Ferrera — navigate “such a challenging, con- sequential and profound year with grace and kindness” and taking the steps to “challenge industry norms and systems that have ignored or perpetuated inequality for so long.” One such client is Adrienne Warren, who besides earning a Tony nomination for The Tina Turner Musical and securing a record deal with a major label, also co-founded the Broadway Advocacy Coalition.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Confirming my belief that the work I do can be done from anywhere.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Going to movies, theater and other performances.”

O’Melveny
Southwestern Law School

There’s maybe no one better at turning around a losing situation than Petrocelli, whose career is packed with achievements that seemingly had long odds. Among them: keeping Superman rights for Warner Bros. and representing former President Donald Trump in his uncharacteristic settlement over Trump University. What’s next? He’ll soon be defending Kesha at trial from Lukasz (Dr. Luke) Gottwald’s defamation claims in a nearly seven-year-long dispute. Later, he’ll be attempting to reprise the antitrust success he had defending the AT&T-Time Warner merger when he represents Google in connection with the government’s claims that it has a monopoly in the ad tech space.

The pandemic changed my work- life forever by … “Allowing me to become conversant in new technology. I’m old school.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “‘Don’t become a lawyer.’ Someone once told me that. ‘You’ll work too hard, and it’ll dominate your life.’ I disagree. I can’t think of a more noble profession.”

Covington & Burling
UCLA School of Law

Co-chair of the firm’s communica- tions and media industry group, Polashuk is an expert in licensing and distribution of TV networks and programming. With a reputation for structuring precedent-setting deals, she’s the person to call for thorny content distribution issues. She advised Univision on its $800 million sale of a 64 percent stake to an investment group, and other big-name clients include Walt Disney, Fox Corp., NFL Network, PBS and Pluto TV.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Providing more opportunities to connect with clients in distant locations thanks to Zoom, Teams and other video platforms.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “My Covington office.”

Latham & Watkins
Georgetown Law

A top trial attorney focused on entertainment and media, Putnam represented the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association in its legal fight, which was dismissed earlier this year with prejudice, against a Norwegian entertainment journalist who brought antitrust claims against the group. Working on behalf of the Association of Talent Agents, Putnam also played a major role in the Writers Guild’s battle over packaging fees and additionally defended ICM in a related lawsuit brought by the WGA. (ICM and the WGA came to an agreement regard- ing the practice in August.) One
of the accomplishments he’s most proud of over the past year, however, is becoming a “company adviser on a truly daily basis” as content creators faced production shutdowns, restarts and insurance challenges during the COVID-19 chaos.

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “The rumors of packaging’s death are greatly exaggerated.”

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by… “getting rid of even the vaguest idea of a work day limited in scope or time.”

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
Harvard Law School

Richman recently completed Elisabeth Moss’ deal for her Apple limited series Shining Girls and negotiated showrunner and Outlander executive producer Ron Moore’s move from Sony to Disney’s 20th Television. Top client Mike Schur has numerous projects in various launch and pre-launch stages, including sitcom Rutherford Falls. Meanwhile, Richman renegotiated deals for Chris Mundy on Ozark and Alec Berg on Barry.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “I may no longer be capable of working without my dog Chewbacca snoring beside me.”

My new mantra is… “Relentless positivity.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Stanford Law School

After helping MRC negotiate a pandemic pivot of the Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani rom-com Lovebirds to Netflix, Román Griffith’s next coronavirus challenge is dealing with insurers that are requiring COVID exclusions on production insurance policies. One thing that’s off her plate is unwinding The Weinstein Co.’s involvement with the nearly 200 library titles that client Portfolio Funding Co. acquired from TWC more than a decade ago. “It was quite an endeavor,” says the attorney, who also represented Hello Sunshine in connection with a new credit facility and continues to work with banking behemoths JPMorgan Chase, MUFG and Comerica in their entertainment dealings.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t worry, it’s not that spicy.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by… “Giving me back the several hours each day that I would spend getting ready for (and commuting to) the office. The pandemic really highlighted for me the disparity in the amount of time that female vs. male professionals invested in being ‘office ready’ every day. I am so grateful for Zoom filters.”

Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham
GW LAW

Rose is a rare triple threat in the showbiz legal community, strad- dling film, television and theater and striking A++ deals across all three mediums. Though Broadway was dark this past year, the New York-based attorney was plenty busy, renegotiating the deals for two Lin-Manuel Miranda films — the Hamilton live capture and In the Heights — to streaming exclusively for Disney+ and for a theatrical and HBO Max debut, respectively. The Hamilton deal broke ground given that it was the first to transition post-lockdown. She is now renegotiating another Miranda film, Vivo, which was slated for a June theatrical release from Sony and is now heading to Netflix. Other clients include Sarah Treem, Kevin James and Tony Kushner.

My new mantra is … “Live simply.”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “Hopefully more money in our writer clients’ pockets.” 

Greenberg Traurig
Boston College Law School

Rosengart’s pandemic year was quite unique thanks to star client Sean Penn, who began one of the nation’s largest nonprofits tied to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations in disadvantaged areas. (Rosengart served as the NGO’s general counsel.) The former federal prosecutor also represented Shark Tank’s Daymond John when the investor was accused of price gouging, Winona Ryder to block her testimony in long-ago boyfriend Johnny Depp’s U.K. libel trial, and NBA superstar Jimmy Butler in a first-of-its-kind case concerning those in the sports world who procure entertainment work for athletes without an agent’s license.

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Actually meeting clients in real life and physically being in court. Law is a tactile business, and while we were all able to work with Zoom, there is no substitute.”

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
UCLA School of Law

Hollywood’s A-list women turn to Rush when it’s time to make a deal. After the launch of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, the attorney negotiated a new contract extending Kerry Washington’s producing pact at ABC Signature. She also brokered Jennifer Lawrence’s deal to star in Adam McKay’s film Don’t Look Up, which went into production in the fall at Netflix. And on behalf of Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Rush worked out two major co-studio deals for new series at Apple TV+, one of them, Veronica West’s Surface, starring her client Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and the other, The Last Thing He Told Me, a limited series starring Julia Roberts.

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “We haven’t gotten to the third act yet when it comes to the end of packaging.”

My new mantra is … “Keep calm and eat lots of pie.”

Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Harvard Law School

Corporate law standout Saeed has guided Hollywood clients through the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age and is the lawyer industry folks want in the dealmaking foxhole with them. For example, she helped Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s startup Quibi wind down and find a home for its library of more than 75 shortform originals on Roku. Her other clients have included Disney, Time Warner and Amblin Partners.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Demonstrating the wastefulness of traveling 15 hours for a 30-minute meeting.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Being social rather than socially distant.”

Paul Hastings
Columbia Law School

During a challenging period for dealmaking across hemispheres, Saltzman continues to assist high- profile international talent and financiers in closing big-ticket business in Hollywood, such as advising Chinese studio Huayi Brothers Media, which co-bankrolled the largest indie film to complete production in 2020, Roland Emmerich’s $140 million Moonfall. Other notable offshore clients include Germany’s Constantin Films and South Korea’s CJ Entertainment (which jointly invested $275 million into Skydance last year).

The pandemic changed my work-life forever by… “Changing my attitude towards the desirability of travel, a client recently remarked that I used to travel to China from L.A. like they went to the corner drugstore; I don’t think I will ever look at business travel the same way again.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “I already own them, the digital clips of the Super 8mm family movies that my father shot (even if they have no market value).”

Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher
Berkeley Law

Goodman, Schenkman and Stone, Genow officially closed their merger March 1, 2020, days before the COVID-19 lockdown hit the town. “It was weird not to be in the office, but the firm did well,” says Schenkman. Elsewhere, he was on the front lines of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet release date drama and navigated Warners’ slate segue to HBO Max for Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan’s Reminiscence.

My new mantra is … “It wasn’t a ‘hoax.’”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “It’s a tie between ‘Go long on cruise line stocks at the end of 2019’ and ‘“Take this injection of bleach disinfectant; it’ll protect you against the Plague.'”

Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham
Columbia Law School

A dog lover who now finds himself with a cat (a rescue who is “delightful”), Schreck had to lead his Manhattan-based firm, which represents many Broadway actors, through the pandemic shutdown. Despite the challenges, certain clients — like Katori Hall, Dominique Fishback — rose to the moment with activism and social justice projects. Elsewhere, Schreck, who decamped from the city in 2020 to upstate New York, renegotiated The View co-host Sunny Hostin’s deal and inked Sarah Jessica Parker’s return to Sex and the City.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t worry about backends on HBO shows. (I’m happy to say I ignored that advice.)”

My new mantra is … “Take time for yourself.”

Quinn Emanuel
USC Gould School of Law

When a thorny contract problem rises to litigation, Hollywood types turn to Schwartz. After four years in court with the creators of This Is Spinal Tap over profits and rights, the attorney finally settled the case for Vivendi and StudioCanal in December. The co-chair of Quinn Emanuel’s media and entertainment practice also has been on the front lines of COVID-related changes to movie-release strategies by studios and their affiliated streamers. What’s more, Schwartz has just begun a confidential arbitration for a client against Donald Trump related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

My new mantra is … “No one knows if you’re wearing running shorts.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Letting me bring my dogs to work.”

Ziffren Brittenham
USC Gould School of Law

Off the heels of crafting Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s rich Amazon deal, Shapiro helped the star line up her next two highly anticipated projects: a Mr. and Mrs. Smith remake with Donald Glover and Indiana Jones 5 opposite Harrison Ford. The rep also had to navigate unprecedented (thanks to the pandemic) negotiations for the day-and-date theatrical and streaming releases of Emma Stone’s Cruella and Daniel Kaluuya’s Judas and the Black Messiah, the latter of which saw the red-hot actor sweep awards season and earn his first Oscar. “Being alongside him for the ride was really cool,” says Shapiro. Other powerhouse clients keeping him busy: Jon Cena, Selena Gomez and Tiffany Haddish.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Javier’s in Century City. Nothing demonstrates power like me going through three buckets of chips five chips at a time.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Interactions with grown-ups outside of my immediate family.”

Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano
Columbia Law School

Shaw’s trailblazing work for the culture (which included helping commission the landmark McKinsey report on Black representation) should never obscure her dealmaking prowess, which this year included Andra Day’s award-winning acting debut in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Malcolm Spellman’s breakthrough head writer position on Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s hit Netflix feature The Old Guard and Misha Green’s and Jurnee Smollett’s pacts to showrun and star, respectively, in HBO’s Lovecraft Country.

Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks
GW Law

The New York-based Shire has a wealth of theater, sports, publishing and music expertise and handles crossover work for such heavy hitters as Madonna, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. He inked the The Boss’ first-ever TV commercial, which aired during the Super Bowl in February, and struck LeBron James’ billion-dollar lifetime Nike deal — as well as somehow helping to switch the Lakers star this year from pitching Coke to touting Pepsi, which Shire says was “pretty amazing.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “Mickey Mantle’s 500th home run hit off Stu Miller.”

My new mantra is … “The more things change in the entertainment/tv/streaming world, the more intellectual property principles stay the same.”

O’Melveny
Loyola Law School

Siegel’s roster includes Warner Bros., Paramount, Pearl Studio and Bron Studios — and 2020 saw her lead ViacomCBS’ acquisition of a 49 percent stake in Miramax in a $375 million deal, “a library that I’ve been familiar with throughout my career.” Specializing in licensing, distribution and strategic partner- ships that involve an IP component, she also advised tech startup Looped in agreements with major media partners to use its video chat platforms to connect artists with fans through digital meet-and-greets and live events.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “The Rooftop by JG at The Waldorf.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “To not care so much.”

Ziffren Brittenham
Cardozo Law School

Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page has reach full-fledged film star status, with Slewett helping negotiate roles in Netflix’s big budgeted outing The Gray Man and Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons film. “It’s been really a fun ride,” says Slewett of Page’s climb. He also helped Michael B. Jordan chart the next chapter of his already established career, setting up his Outlier Society with an Amazon film deal and a new president in Elizabeth Raposo.

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “I hope to permanently replace work lunches with work hikes.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “The LA Phil!”

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern
UCLA School of Law

Sloane has found himself in the middle of the current dealmaking mess that is the conversion of theatrical releases to streaming. Will Smith’s King Richard and Hugh Jackman’s Reminiscence were among the Warners slate going day-and- date with HBO Max. Meanwhile, Amy Adams’ Disenchanted went to Disney+, Chris Pratt’s The Tomorrow War went to Amazon and Mark Wahlberg’s Infinite went to Paramount+. “It’s a fairly daily occurrence these days,” says Sloane of the streaming issues. “You have to pre-anticipate what the landscape is going to be and have malleable deal structures because of the varying release media and release windows. It’s the Wild West out there now.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Making me realize that I can work paperless and no longer have to be 50-plus hours in the office.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “Nerano.”

Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher
Loyola Law School

Smelkinson says he tends to attract “a certain type” of client. “I don’t have a lot of divas,” he says. “They are good humans, which makes going to work every day a lot more gratifying.” Among them are Anthony Hopkins, who just won an Oscar for his role in The Father; Oscar Isaac, who inked a deal to star in Disney+’s Moon Knight series; and Sian Heder, whose Sundance darling film CODA broke the festival’s all-time sales record when it was purchased by Apple TV+.

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “A clip of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s first dunk as a Bruin.”

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “So many. There will be a recalibration of the power positions among the big agencies.”

Gang Tyre Ramer Brown & Passman
UCLA School of Law

“I’m excited,” says Snow of the indus- try opening back up. “There are so many outlets for great content, which means so many opportunities for our clients to tell their stories.” She represents Iman Vellani, who will be the first Muslim Marvel superhero as Ms. Marvel in The Marvels, as well as Melissa Rauch, the Big Bang Theory alum who will executive produce and star in the reboot of Night Court, and Ben Stiller, who will direct and produce the adaptation of the Rachel Maddow podcast Bag Man for Focus.

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “La Scala. I really miss that chopped salad. I have ordered it, but it’s not the same.”

My new mantra is … “Take nothing for granted.”

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Penn Law

Whenever a client is sued, Snyder is typically ready with a tougher-than- brass quote about how the adversary will pay. More often than not, Snyder proves it true. He not only won a case over Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars series, but the plaintiff there might be on the hook for nearly $1 million in legal fees. Snyder also helped AMC stop the bleeding in the long legal war over Walking Dead profits with a trial win in the Robert Kirkman-led case and has been helping Facebook move past massive litigation over the misuse of user data. He’s now defending Bob Dylan in a suit over the mega-sale of his song catalog.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Georgetown Law

In addition to advising established clients on traditional entertainment deals, like Comerica Bank’s loan facility for Bron Studios to co-finance a Warner Bros. slate and more than a dozen multimillion-dollar deals for East West Bank, Spicer is expanding his roster to include new players. He notes, “With the explosion of content, it has been fun representing international companies with under- lying IP that is hot for new projects.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Proving that daily work schedules can be more effective if they are fluid.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Seeing my co-workers every day. It made me realize how much I like them!”

Glaser Weil
Berkeley Law

Making about as big a move an attorney could make, Stone left the firm he started 25 years ago and joined Glaser Weil in 2020. “It was time to make a change,” he says of the decision. “Even though Glaser Weil is a much bigger firm, the entertainment department is quite small and it gives me the ability to do what I loved doing before, which is to build out from within.” Among those who moved with Stone was client Daniel Craig, who was part of a massive $469 million deal with Netflix for two Knives Out sequels.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Shave off my beard.”

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “Anything from Bruce Springsteen.”

Sheppard Mullin
American University Washington College of Law

Hulu and FX viewers may now recognize Streisand from his appearance in the documentary Framing Britney Spears, but he’s known within the industry as the litigator to call for fights over celebrity estates. Describing his work as “Succession in real life,” Streisand recently won a case for client Elizabeth Hurley’s son, Damian, to inherit a sum from trusts established by the father of his dad, the late billionaire Steve Bing, and is representing Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, as well as handling disputes involving the estates of Hugh Hefner and Tom Petty.

My new mantra is … “Make sure to enjoy every moment with the people who count because who knows what pandemic will arrive tomorrow or next year.”

What’s the power lunch spot you can’t wait to get back to? “I personally love Avra, sitting out on the patio and having some great fish and a little wine. That’s my spot.”

Hughes Hubbard
Berkeley Law

An entertainment-tech hybrid, Syrkin is a new type of Hollywood attorney. “You need lawyers who’ve grown up in the trenches with technology-driven products and services that are at the forefront of disruption and content delivery,” says Syrkin, who represented Roku in its ad tech acquisition and OTT TV-based partnership with Nielsen, and WarnerMedia on deals, subscriber pacts and strategy for the upcoming overseas launch of HBO Max in Latin America. He also advised MSG Entertainment in the development of high-resolution, immersive film and TV technologies for arenas.

My new mantra is … “This too shall pass or irrevocably disrupt life as we know it. Really, a coin flip these days.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Live music at the Beacon Theater.”

Sidley Austin
UC Hastings College of the Law

Dwayne Johnson is expanding his business empire with the help of Thompson, and it now includes the XFL football league that the lawyer says will present the “first meaning- ful professional challenge to our friends at the NFL.” The actor turned mogul is now also the owner of one of the most successful spirit brands of all time, Teremana tequila, which expanded its distribution reach through a deal with Jägermeister. “It’s everywhere in the world, and the only other brand they’re in partnership with is Teremana,” says Thompson, who’s also handling music rights deals for Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “A sea change in how agencies make their money.”

My new mantra is … “Sleep is not as overrated as I once thought.”

Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson
USC Gould School of Law

The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy is among Toczek’s rising talent. “She’s having an unbelievable ascent,” says the lawyer, who also represents The Great’s Nicholas Hoult, The Umbrella Academy’s Robert Sheehan, Prodigal Son’s Tom Payne as well as Kaitlyn Dever, whose upcoming projects include Dear Evan Hansen. Another highlight for Toczek was working with former NFL player Julian Edelman on his overall deal with ViacomCBS.

My new mantra is … “Be where your feet are.”

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? “You don’t need to write that down. You will totally remember it later”

Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren Richman Rush & Kaller
Harvard Law School

Leonardo DiCaprio has entered the streaming age in a big way thanks to Warren, who brokered the deal for the actor’s first Netflix feature (Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up) and an Apple TV+ first-look deal for his Appian Way banner. Meanwhile, client Martin Scorsese also signed with Apple TV+, while Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde franchise migrated to Netflix for its sequel. This year, Warren found himself in a new role: executive producer of HBO’s Emmy-nominated series We’re Here. Says Warren, “I am still a lawyer first and foremost, and this [show] melds my business instincts and my creative instincts.“

Sloane Offer Weber & Dern
USC Gould School of Law

Client Ryan Reynolds has kept busy doing movie after movie, signing an overall deal with Paramount and, yes, buying a soccer club. “During the pandemic, some clients expanded their range of activities, and it’s been an interesting growth aspect for the job,” says Weber. “Ryan represents that as much as anybody.” On top of working with such clients as Emily Blunt and Elizabeth Olsen, Weber also made unique life rights deals for basketball players Giannis Antetokounmpo and Maya Moore, who are both getting the Hollywood treatment. Elsewhere, Joaquin Phoenix built out his post-Joker career by signing on to star in a film for Ridley Scott and Ari Aster while assembling his production entity.

The NFT I’d buy in a second is … “A clip of a favorite movie scene playing on the Cinerama Dome screen.”

The thing I missed most during 2020 is … “Being with and among my fellow humans.” 

Ziffren Brittenham
Columbia Law School

Wolf has a knack for guiding independent production companies like Michael Ellenberg’s MediaRes, Erik Feig’s Picturestart and David Ellison’s Skydance. Earlier this year, he brokered a deal for the latter’s animation outfit to supply content to Apple TV+ in an exclusive, multiyear pact. But he reps plenty of creative-types, too. Judd Apatow is directing a new movie, The Bubble, for Netflix; Nick Stoller is making the comedy series Platonic, starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, for Apple TV+; and Steve Carell is back for the second seasons of Space Force and Morning Show.

What’s the biggest effect of packaging coming to an end? “If I answered this question, readers would think I was retiring.”

The pandemic changed my work life forever by … “Improving my technology skills.”