Best Lawyers in America for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television
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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...
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...
Stanton (“Larry”) Stein is a partner and the head of Russ August & Kabat’s Media & Entertainment group. Larry’s clients include actors, writers, directors, producers, music artists, high-net-worth individuals, entertainment guilds, talent agencies, personal and business management companies, independent production companies, and video game companies. Larry is widely known in the entertainment industry for his work taking on Hollywood studios. Throughout the las...
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 ...
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Stanley H. Wakshlag earned his B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University in 1974 and his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1978. Stanley’s practice has concentrated on class action litigation, securities litigation, director and officer representation, complex business litigation, deceptive trade practices, Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings, professional malpractice matters, and litigation with the...
Bob Abdo is Executive Vice President of Lommen Abdo Law Firm. He brings a wide variety of background and experience, giving him a practical and substantive perspective to advise clients. He acts as general outside counsel to a variety of businesses. Bob represents start-up, emerging and growing private and publicly held businesses. He provides legal, transactional, estate and family planning, business strategy and long-term planning, counseling and advice to varied businesses, organizations a...
Steven S. Sidman is a deeply experienced, highly regarded transactional attorney dealing in the business of pop culture. His practice focuses on the modern entertainment, food & beverage/hospitality, lifestyle/branding, and sports industries. For nearly 28 years, Steve has provided sophisticated, insightful, front-line legal advice and business affairs counsel to highly creative talent and high-profile individuals and corporate entities, along with their various entrepreneurial ventures. ...
Mr. Braun is a partner in Hall Booth Smith's Nashville office, where he specializes in various areas of litigation and transactional work. Beginning in early 1995, Mr. Braun’s litigation practice with HBS has continued to grow in both Georgia and Tennessee. Early on in his career with HBS, Mr. Braun practiced extensively in the areas of general liability and medical malpractice litigation, areas in which he continues to practice today. As his practice has grown, he has developed experti...
Nicolas A. Jampol is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television and Media Law. Nicolas A., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicolas A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kristen Spanier is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Kristen, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kristen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Stephen E. Tsoneff is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Stephen E., 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 Stephen E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Monika Tashman is a Manatt Entertainment partner in the firm’s New York City office. With a broad-based practice spanning over 25 years in the music and entertainment industries, she advises and provides creative, pragmatic solutions for clients at the intersection of entertainment and innovation—from independent artists and record labels to new media entrepreneurs and emerging technology companies—aiming to strategically expand and transform their organizations, business mo...
Sam Lipshie practices in the areas of entertainment, music, intellectual property and commercial litigation and dispute resolution. He also has extensive experience in connection with the acquisition and disposition of media, broadcast and other intellectual property. Sam has practiced before Tennessee trial and appellate courts, as well as federal, district and appellate courts in many states. He has handled copyright, royalty (publishers, producers and talent) and intellectual property liti...
Kenneth R. Florin is one of the industry’s leading experts on matters involving the convergence of advertising and promotions, emerging media, technology and privacy law. In addition to a rich background in traditional marketing and communications, he has been a pioneer in counseling clients at the increasingly blurred cross section of issues associated with the use of new technologies, digital media, and emerging content production and distribution models to extend their global reach. ...
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.