Profiles written by Ashley Cullins, Mia Galuppo, Eriq Gardner, Jonathan Handel, Natalie Jarvey, Katie Kilkenny, Borys Kit, Pamela McClintock, Ryan Parker, Brian Porreca, Bryn Elise Sandberg, Tatiana Siegel, Rebecca Sun, Georg Szalai and Etan Vlessing.
-
Karl Austen
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
• Why he matters It was a year of firsts for many of Austen's clients, including two who'll have directorial debuts: Jonah Hill for Mid '90s and Simon Kinberg for X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Austen also led the charge on the final Game of Thrones renegotiations (he reps Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams and others) and scored Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard his first big raise (12 times the previous salary) as part of the castwide renegotiation.
• Please reboot Six Million Dollar Man
-
Kevin Baine
Image Credit: Courtesy of Marissa Rauch UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW SCHOOL
• Why he matters The D.C.-based First Amendment attorney led some of the most talked-about free speech battles of the year, including defending ABC in a $5.7 billion lawsuit over its series of "pink slime" TV news stories, which settled mid-trial. He also won dismissal for HBO in a coal baron's lawsuit over a Last Week Tonight segment and is defending Fox News in multiple defamation lawsuit