Best Lawyers in America for Sports Law
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With over two decades of experience in private practice and in-house, Po Yi provides cross-purpose, multidisciplinary legal counseling on transactional and regulatory matters in advertising, entertainment and digital media. She works with clients in strategically assessing competitive and regulatory compliance challenges; negotiating business alliances, including sponsorships, tie-in arrangements with sports and entertainment properties, co-promotion deals, agency agreements, and talent endor...
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.
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.
Jim Johnston helps sports, entertainment and media clients venture outside their comfort zone and into uncharted territory. By understanding their business goals and managing their risk, he’s cleared paths for clients to invest in film and television programs, launch streaming services, and sponsor sports arenas with worldwide audiences. Fledgling sports leagues turn to him for airtight media, sponsorship and facility partner agreements to get their brands off the ground. Jim’s cl...
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...
Steven H. Stodghill is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television and Oil and Gas Law. Steven H., who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steven H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Carolyn has experience with advising investors in virtually all aspects of their film, television, interactive gaming and other finance and distribution matters. She represents domestic and international financial institutions, funds, high net worth individuals and media and entertainment companies in their corporate, intellectual property and entertainment-related transactions. Carolyn routinely counsels clients on the legal and business issues of entertainment financing transactions, includ...
Areas of Concentration Negotiation of complex content agreements with record companies, music publishing companies, music publishing rights organizations, motion picture studios, television networks, and various independent content providers and aggregators, and related strategic counseling (including with respect to electronic sell-through, subscription, streaming, ad-supported, mobile and other cutting-edge business models) Negotiation of all varieties of agreements with musical composition...
Glen G. Mastroberte is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Glen G., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Glen G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
John J. Rosenberg is a partner at Rosenberg, Giger & Perala PC in New York, New York, and brings nearly four decades of litigation experience to his practice. He earned a B.A. in Music, with a concentration in Ethnomusicology, from Brown University and graduated summa cum laude and first in his class from Boston University School of Law in 1979. After law school, Mr. Rosenberg served as a law clerk to the Honorable Levin H. Campbell of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circ...
Matthew D. McGill is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Gaming Law and Sports Law. Matthew D., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Matthew D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Daniel A. Etna is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Sports Law. Daniel A., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Daniel A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Bill Maledon is amongst the most esteemed commercial litigation and trial attorneys in Arizona and across the United States, and has built a widely recognized reputation for leading large-scale and complex commercial matters. He is a prominent figure both in federal and state courts, with notable expertise in antitrust, securities, and sports-related matters. He also has extensive experience in handling appellate matters in both federal and state courts and has acted as mediator and arbitrato...
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...
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.