Best Lawyers in America for Sports Law
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...
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...
Joseph M. Leccese is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Sports Law. Joseph M. practices law in New York, New York Best Lawyers has recognized Joseph M. Leccese since 2005. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Joseph M. Leccese is held by other lawyers.
Chad Fitzgerald is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television and Litigation - Intellectual Property. Chad practices law in Los Angeles, California Best Lawyers has recognized Chad Fitzgerald since 2021. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Chad Fitzgerald...
Elizabeth A. McNamara is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Copyright Law, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television, First Amendment Law, Litigation - Intellectual Property and Media Law. Elizabeth A. practices law in New York, New York Best Lawyers has recognized Elizabeth A. McNamara since 2007. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the profe...
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 ...
“One of sports law’s rising litigators” and “brightest stars,” according to Forbes , Jonathan has served as counsel in some of the most significant sports legal matters in recent history and has successfully represented numerous athletes, players unions, sports agents, and agencies. Learn more about their practice.
Mr. Iser specializes in the areas of intellectual property, entertainment, commercial, real estate and employment litigation, including the defense of nationwide class action lawsuits. He handles complex, high-profile matters around the country for clients including Mattel, SeaWorld, eBay, Univision, Roland Corporation, and iconic musical artists including Jackson Browne and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Mr. Iser is the Managing Partner of KWIKA. In the area of intellectual property, Mr. Iser co...
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...
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. ...
Susan Williams is a partner in the Entertainment and Media practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Century City office. She is chair of the firm’s Entertainment and Media Finance group. Highly regarded as one of the entertainment industry’s top dealmakers, Ms. Williams is frequently sought to represent clients on some of their most significant finance and restructuring transactions. Ms. Williams represents financial institutions, senior, mezzanine, and equity fu...
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, ...
Representing clients in a variety of commercial sectors, Sophia Yen counsels both lenders and borrowers in debt financing transactions. She also advises entertainment industry clients on debt and equity finance deals, as well as other transactional matters. As lender’s counsel, Sophia advises financial institutions in transactions that include single-lender and syndicated senior-secured, second-lien, mezzanine and unsecured acquisition and working capital loans; cross-border lending tra...
Shawn Holley is a partner at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert LLP, a boutique entertainment and business litigation firm in Santa Monica. She began her career as a Los Angeles County Public Defender, handling hundreds of serious criminal cases from inception to trial. She was the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office of The Cochran Firm and the head of its national Criminal Defense Section. With more than sixty trials to her credit, Ms. Holley is the rare trial attorney who pra...
Caroline is a seasoned trial lawyer representing clients in the entertainment, arts, fashion, retail, and technology sectors, such as motion picture studios and production companies, major media companies, film libraries, actors, comedians, television personalities, musicians, artists, jewelry designers, retailers, manufacturers, architects, market research firms, and others, in disputes involving copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, design patents, defamation, licensing and other contract ...
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.
