Best Lawyers in California, United States for Entertainment and Sports Law
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Ken Deutsch is Global Co-Chair of the Entertainment and Media practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Century City office. He represents a broad array of operating entities in the entertainment and media industries, including film and television studios, streaming platforms, and independent media companies, advising on their most significant corporate transactions as well as on a variety of film, television, and other commercial ventures. Mr. Deutsch also routinely represen...
Ron Nessim has been lead trial counsel in numerous civil and criminal trials and arbitrations. He has argued numerous appeals in both federal and state courts, including in the United States Supreme Court, and has been at the center of numerous precedent-setting, high-profile entertainment, commercial and white-collar criminal law cases. His clients value his attention to detail, ability to think strategically, tenacity and his trial skills. Prior to joining Bird Marella, he served as an Assi...
Jeff Biederman has practiced in most every aspect of the entertainment and media landscape including music, film, television, branding, fashion, advertising, video games and apps, as well as representing executives in these fields in their various employment agreements. Jeff’s clients include recording artists, producers, composers, managers, and executives in the music industry, as well as studios, publishing companies, production companies, actors, athletes, writers, models, designers...
Over more than 35 years of practice, David Halberstadter, the firm's deputy general counsel, has established a reputation among leading entertainment companies as a no-nonsense advisor and talented litigator. When other options fail, he aggressively pursues and defends lawsuits, with a focus on intellectual property-related disputes. Across all his work, clients value David's clear thinking, strategic wisdom and practical business sense. David represents motion picture studios, production com...
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.
Brad Miller is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Brad, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brad is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Bart H. Williams is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Sports Law. Bart H., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bart H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ken Kraus takes a thorough and thoughtful approach to his practice, focusing on entertainment, copyright, trademark and intellectual property law in the music, television and film industries. Throughout his career, he has represented major recording artists, songwriters, record companies, music publishers, book authors, managers, music industry executives, startups, investors, and other groups and individuals in the entertainment field. A significant portion of Ken’s work has revolved a...
Greg Akselrud is a founder and Partner of the firm and a member of the firm’s executive committee. He Chairs the firm’s Internet, Digital Media and Entertainment Practice group. Greg advises clients across a wide range of industries, including companies in the entertainment, digital media, Internet, technology, software, mobile, venture capital and consumer electronics industries. Greg Akselrud has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, teaching Busine...
Jordan Bromley is the leader of Manatt’s entertainment transactions and finance practice. His experience lies in recognizing talented artists, individuals and companies; developing strategy to achieve their long-term success; and protecting their interests by rigorously negotiating and drafting the agreements that form the basis of their business relationships. Jordan’s client base includes iconic, established, legacy and developing artists, songwriters, producers, record labels, ...
Steve Plinio is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Music. Steve, 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 Steve is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jay L. Cooper focuses his practice on music industry, motion picture, television, multimedia and intellectual property issues. He represents individuals and companies on intellectual property matters including recording and publishing agreements for individual artists and composers; actor, director, producer and writer agreements in film and television; executive employment agreements; complex acquisitions and sales of entertainment catalogs; production agreements on behalf of music, televisi...
Peter J. Anderson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Music, Litigation - Intellectual Property and Media Law. Peter J., 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 Peter J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Dorian Slater Thomas practices in the firm’s Interactive Entertainment Group and Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Group, where he handles a wide range of transactional work for prominent agencies, brands, platforms, developers, publishers, and individual creative talent. The National Law Journal ’s 2022 Trailblazers list included him for Sports/Gaming/Entertainment Law and Variety included him as an “Up Next” honoree in their 2022 Legal Impact Report. The ...
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.