Best Lawyers in New York, United States for Entertainment Law - Theater
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Jean Ward is counsel to our Entertainment Group. She is one of New York’s best-known theatre lawyers, with over 30 years’ experience representing producers, authors, film companies and other stage rights holders, not-for-profit theatre companies, theatre owners, creative personnel, and investors. She is recognized in the 2023-2025 editions of Best Lawyers in America for Entertainment Law – Theatre and is listed as a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers magazine. She n...
C. Katherine Baron is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law and Entertainment Law - Music. C. Katherine, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which C. Katherine is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lisa E. Davis is a partner and Co-Chair of the firm's Entertainment Group . She serves on the firm's Policy Committee and is Co-Chair of the firm's Diversity Committee. She represents businesses and celebrities in the film, television, publishing, music, theatre, and sports industries. Ms. Davis has been ranked as a New York-area “Super Lawyer” since 2007 and was featured on the cover of Super Lawyers magazine in a piece on her career and advocacy for racial justice. She is recogn...
Stefan Schick has been practicing entertainment law for more than 16 years, with a specialty in live theater. Stefan advises clients on all aspects of creating, developing, financing, producing, co-producing and licensing Broadway, off-Broadway, touring, regional, West End and other overseas live stage productions, from the initial rights deal to opening night and beyond. His clients include film studios, producers, investors, playwrights, bookwriters, composers, lyricists, directors, designe...
Marcie Cleary is a partner in the Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit, representing clients in the film, television, digital, and book publishing industries. Ms. Cleary structures and negotiates entertainment transactions for individual and corporate clients in the film, television, digital, and book publishing industries. Her clients include actors, news correspondents, writers, directors, producers, authors, podcasters and influencers. Ms. Cleary has significant experience representing ...
Michael is a precedent‑setting trial and appellate lawyer who defends technology and media companies in industry‑defining copyright and digital media disputes, helping clients manage existential risk, reshape liability standards, and protect innovative distribution models. Michael Elkin, three-time Am Law Litigation Daily “Litigator of the Week” winner, represents technology, media, publishers, and entertainment companies in complex intellectual property disputes arising from the ...
Richard B. Heller is a partner at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC and a longtime member of the firm's Entertainment Group. His practice focuses on motion pictures and television, new media, publishing, celebrity branding and intellectual property. Mr. Heller's clients include on-screen talent, writers, producers, directors, production companies and distributors in the motion picture and television fields, as well as numerous foreign companies , charitable organizations and individuals d...
Lee Goldberg is Counsel to the Entertainment Group. Ms. Goldberg has substantial experience handling a broad range of entertainment transactions, with a special focus on scripted television. She also handles copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property law matters. Best Lawyers in America included Ms. Goldberg in the 2024-2025 editions for Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures and Television. Ms. Goldberg’s practice includes representing financiers and creatives from develo...
Abigail Everdell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment and Sports Law and Intellectual Property Law. Abigail, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Abigail is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Madison Smiley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment and Sports Law and Intellectual Property Law. Madison, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Madison is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Marlique Plaisime-Tillman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Entertainment and Sports Law. Marlique, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Marlique is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Aaron Deitsch is an associate in the Entertainment Group, where he works on transactional matters across the television, film, documentary, and podcast industries. Mr. Deitsch’s practice includes a wide variety of entertainment projects, from independent films recognized at Sundance Film Festival to reality television competition programs. He has extensive experience negotiating and drafting contracts related to each stage of productions, such as development attachment agreements, produ...
Sarah L. Viebrock is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Antitrust Law, Entertainment and Sports Law and Litigation - Antitrust. Sarah L., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sarah L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jessica E. Root is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Entertainment and Sports Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Jessica E., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jessica E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kaley Sokolowski is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Entertainment and Sports Law. Kaley, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kaley is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.