Best Lawyers in California, United States for Entertainment and Sports Law
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Mr. Kinsella is a nationally known trial lawyer specializing in the areas of entertainment and intellectual property litigation. During his career, he has successfully tried numerous cases in state and federal courts, and in private arbitrations and administrative proceedings, involving a wide array of disputes, from copyright and trademark infringement matters to antitrust and securities litigation. Mr. Kinsella has represented large domestic and international corporations, major motion pict...
Katherine Kleindienst is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Katherine, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Katherine is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kathy A. Jorrie is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Entertainment Law - Music. Kathy A., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kathy A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Gary Gilbert, a leader in the music industry, concentrates his practice in the area of music transactions. His clients include renowned performers, including Jackson Browne, Death Cab for Cutie, Rick James Estate, B.B. King Estate, George Thorogood, Pat Benatar, Dixie Chicks, Wynonna Judd, Michael McDonald, Sara Evans, Peter Frampton, Jennifer Nettles, George Benson, k.d. lang, Lyle Lovett and several alumni from American Idol . He has been recognized as a “Top Music Lawyer” by Bi...
Vincent H. Chieffo is an entertainment and media litigator with significant trial and appellate experience. His practice also includes entertainment transactional work. His litigation experience encompasses disputes throughout the entertainment business, including those involving copyright and trademark infringement, right of publicity, defamation, the rights of estates and heirs in copyrights and other entertainment assets, idea submission, royalties and participations, and distribution and ...
Ivy Kagan Bierman’s practice includes the representation of entertainment and related companies in labor, production, distribution, technology and other business matters. She handles both transactional and litigation matters for clients. Ivy is one of a select few entertainment industry labor lawyers looked to for representation in guild and union matters by film and television production companies, digital companies and networks, cable networks, public broadcasting companies, distribut...
David C. Eisman represents companies, investment banks and private equity funds in connection with a variety of corporate, securities and M&A transactions, including private and registered securities offerings, public and private acquisitions, strategic investments and joint ventures. He also represents private equity, hedge fund and other private fund sponsors in structuring and forming their funds, registering as investment advisers and dealing with regulatory issues. Transactions in wh...
Steven Marenberg is the Chair of the firm’s Entertainment and Media Litigation Group and the Chair of the Century City Litigation Group. Mr. Marenberg’s practice encompasses a wide range of commercial litigation matters in various industries, with particular concentrations in the areas of entertainment-related litigation, technology-related disputes, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property litigation, and antitrust and business tort disputes. His clients have included...
Andrew Hurwitz is a partner and Co-Chair of the Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit and a founding partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. He represents award-winning entertainment talent and owners of intellectual property and is widely considered one of the nation’s top film and television industry lawyers. Mr. Hurwitz provides a full range of transactional and advisory services to clients in the motion picture, television, and digital rights businesses. He has negotiated ...
Sally C. James is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Sally C., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sally C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Scott D. Harrington is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Music. Scott D., who practices law in Santa Monica, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Sid Fohrman is a partner in the firm’s acclaimed Entertainment and Digital Media Practice Group and Leader of the firm’s Music Industry Team, and Leader of the firm's Esports Industry Team. Sid provides strategic counsel and transactional support to a diverse client base comprised of public and private companies, on and off-screen talent, artists, influencers, and entrepreneurs across the full spectrum of the entertainment industry, including, music, esports, fitness, sports, tech...
Amy Nickin is partner to our Entertainment Group, representing actors, writers, directors, comics, on-air personalities and television production companies in all business and legal aspects of their film, television and theatrical careers and businesses. A leading advisor to high-profile talent, The Hollywood Reporter has included Ms. Nickin in their "Power Lawyers" list consecutively for the past several years. Variety included her in their 2024, 2018 and 2014 "Legal Impact Report" and their...
John M. Gatti is a partner in the firm's entertainment litigation practice and resident in the Los Angeles office. His practice includes 31 years of litigation and trial experience in state, federal and bankruptcy courts as well as representing individuals and corporations in complex business and commercial lawsuits. John has trial experience across a variety of industries, with a specific emphasis in the entertainment, media and sports industries. John’s experience in the entertainment...
Schuyler Moore practices entertainment, corporate and tax law. He has been practicing in the entertainment industry since 1981, represents producers, sales agents, foreign distributors and financiers, and has handled some of the largest financing transactions in Hollywood. He is Chair of Stroock’s Entertainment Practice Group.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.