Power Lawyers 2025: Meet Hollywoodās Top 100 Attorneys
The most explosive courtroom dramas of the past 12 months ā Baldoni vs. Lively, Baldwin vs. New Mexico, MrBeast vs. his own hamburgers ā starred these real-life lawyers.
Meet the dealmakers and litigators who made the cut for THRās 20th annual list of the entertainment industryās most powerful legal advocates. These 100 standouts ā listed alphabetically along with their practice area, firm and law school alma mater ā negotiate the pacts and fight the battles that keep the cameras rolling.
Winston Cho contributed to this report.
-
Tom Ara
Corporate
DLA Piper
Loyola Law School
Ara is the consigliere who advised Peaky Blinders boss Caryn Mandabach through the sale of her production company to Banijay U.K. for an undisclosed but presumably enormous sum of money (āMore than enough to support my future efforts,ā Mandabach said at the time), a deal that includes the companyās recently announced Peaky Blinders movie for Netflix. He also represented Korean company CJ ENM ā which produced 2019ās Oscar best picture winner Parasite ā in its recent deal with Apple TV+ to make a new K-pop competition show to be executive produced by Lionel Richie and star Psy and Megan Thee Stallion.
-
Michael Auerbach
Talent
Jackoway Austen
NYU School of Law
Without Auerbach, David Corenswet wouldnāt be leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Heās the attorney who inked the deal for the 31-year-old actor to play Superman in James Gunnās reboot of the OG superhero franchise. He also inked Corenswetās deal to star in Skydanceās upcoming football drama Mr. Irrelevant. Other clients include James Marsden, Mia Goth and Natasha Rothwell. Lately, heās been looking overseas for fresh clients. āThere is so much extraordinary storytelling coming out of the U.K.,ā he says, name-dropping his latest, Mia McKenna-Bruce, who last year won BAFTAās rising star award for her role in the British coming-of-age movie How to Have Sex.
-
Karl Austen
Talent
Jackoway Austen
Harvard Law School
After a fierce bidding war, Austen helped negotiate a reported $20āÆmillion payday for client Zach Cregger to write and direct a Resident Evil reboot for New Line and Warner Bros. Thatās not the only franchise this attorney helps steer. His client Simon Kinberg is booked to write and produce a new Star Wars trilogy, produce a Star Trek reboot and create a new Running Man adaptation starring Glen Powell and Josh Brolin. Austen also reps Seth MacFarlane, currently hard at work on season two of Ted, as well as a new Ted animated series.
-
Dean Bahat
Talent
Ziffren Brittenham
UCLA
Bahat locked in client Ben Affleckās deal to star in Joe Carnahanās upcoming Netflix crime thriller RIP, in which Affleck will co-star along with his old buddy (and fellow Dunkinā DunKing) Matt Damon. Client Stephanie Hsu is literally killing it on Peacockās dark comedy Laid, while Bahat renegotiated client Rose McIverās deal for Ghosts on CBS (it just received a two-season pickup) as well as Maude Apatowās deal to return for a final season of Euphoria and to shoot and produce Poetic License, her directorial debut.
-
John Berlinski
Litigation
Bird MarellaĀ
University of Michigan
Remember when Sam Altman tried to use Scarlett Johanssonās voice for his OpenAI chatbot without her permission? Berlinski was the attorney who took her words out of ChatGPTās mouth. He also represents Brad Pitt in his ongoing tug-of-war with ex-wife Angelina Jolie over ownership of ChĆ¢teau Miraval, their much wrestled-over French winery.
-
Jeff Bernstein
Talent
Jackoway Austen
Harvard Law School
After client Daniel Day-Lewis changed his mind about retirement ā he departed the screen after 2017ās Phantom Thread ā Bernstein was there to help seal a deal for the 67-year-old actorās return with Anemone, a father-son relationship drama for Focus Features that Lewis co-wrote with his own 26-year-old son, Ronan Day-Lewis. Client Margot Robbie, meanwhile, will be roaming the moors as Catherine in Wuthering Heights, which her company, LuckyChap, is producing as part of its new first-look deal with Warner Bros. And client Carey Mulligan, now a Prada ambassador, just signed on to star opposite Oscar Isaac in season two of Netflixās Beef.
-
Gordon Bobb
Talent
Del ShawĀ
Columbia Law School
Bobb has said that his parents gave him only two career choices growing up ā doctor or lawyer. He chose wisely. He recently closed a deal for David Oyelowo to star in and executive produce the soon-to-stream Apple TV+ comedy Government Cheese. He also secured a pact for writer-producer Sascha Penn to make Mark Wahlbergās crime thriller By Any Means and handled actress Amandla Stenbergās deal with Paramount to star in Children of Blood and Bone, an adaptation of the hit YA novel by Tomi Adeyemi.
-
Tony Buzbee
Litigation
The Buzbee Law FirmĀ
University of Houston Law Center
When heās not on his ranch feeding baby back ribs to his alligator, this colorful Texas attorney, a former Marine captain, is hunkered down at his Houston penthouse office, representing more than 40 clients who have filed sexual assault cases against Sean āDiddyā Combs. Sure, he raised some eyebrows ā and drew some comparisons to Saul Goodman ā when he prominently displayed his 1-800 hotline number during a press conference. But thereās no denying his Diddy lawsuits have made him one of the most talked-about lawyers in the industry. āDozens of other victims have been coming forward to speak their truth,ā he says. āMakes me proud to be a lawyer.ā
-
Christopher Chatham
Talent
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Southwestern Law School
Influencers need lawyers, too. And Chatham represents some of the biggest, like entrepreneur turned wrestler Logan Paul (combined following: 100 million). Chatham put together Paulās new docuseries for Max, Paul American, and has sealed deals for other YouTube stars like Alan Chikin Chow (57āÆmillion-plus subscribers) and Dhar Mann (74āÆmillion followers).Ā
-
Julia Cherlow
Litigation
Bird MarellaĀ
STANFORD LAW SCHOOL
As a former ballerina, Cherlowās litigation prowess is always āen pointe.ā She has made a name for herself representing client Brad Pitt, alongside entertainment powerhouse Berlinski, on Pittās high-profile and drawn-out litigation against Angelina Jolie and others over the French winery ChĆ¢teau Miraval. In a win for Pitt, the court denied Jolieās motion to dismiss in November, allowing the case to proceed.
-
Stephen Clark
Talent
Lichter Grossman
University of California Hastings College of the Law
Clarkās clients Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo spent this past season picking up so many trophies for executive producing Shogun ā multiple Golden Globes, WGA, Critics Choice, SAG and Spirit awards ā they practically needed a U-Haul to lug them all home. Meanwhile, clients George Clooney and Grant Heslov ā whose Wolfs took about a week to become the most viewed original film ever on Apple TV + ā just debuted on Broadway with their stage version of Good Night, and Good Luck, currently the hottest (and, at $800, one of the most expensive) tickets in town.
-
Joe Dapello
Talent
Schreck Rose
Harvard Law School
Client Colman Domingo just pulled off something few other thespians could, and we donāt mean that mustard yellow Valentino suit he wore with metallic Louboutin boots to the Critics Choice Awards. Heās the first to nab back-to-back best actor nominations (this year for Sing Sing, last year for Rustin) since Denzel Washington did it in 2017 and 2018. Over the past year, Dapello negotiated the deal for Domingo to play Joe Jackson in Antoine Fuquaās upcoming Michael Jackson biopic as well as his deals to co-star with Glen Powell and Josh Brolin in Paramountās Running Man remake and for a role in Steven Spielbergās still-untitled UFO movie for Universal. Client Beau Willimon is about to co-write a new Star Wars feature with James Mangold.
-
Robert Darwell
Corporate
Sheppard Mullin
Georgetown University Law Center
You think Beast Games is challenging? Try being the showās lawyer. Darwell negotiated the development and production agreements for the reality series ā produced and hosted by the biggest social media star on the planet, MrBeast ā which went on to become one of Amazonās most successful unscripted shows ever. He also negotiated Amazonās acquisition of Ben Affleckās Accountant sequel, the rights to a doc on tennis champion Roger Federer, and the producer agreement for Reese Witherspoon for Amazonās rom-com Youāre Cordially Invited.
-
AndrƩ Des Rochers
Talent
Granderson Des Rochers LLP
Howard University School of Law
He negotiated Richard Gaddās post-Baby Reindeer first-look deal with Netflix, brokered Zendayaās starring role opposite Robert Pattinson in A24ās upcoming rom-com The Drama (as well as her multiyear ambassadorship with athletic company On) and helped Tony-winning writer-producer Jeremy O. Harris with his deal to produce Appleās The Wives, an upcoming Real Housewives-inspired murder-mystery starring Jennifer Lawrence.
-
Ken Deutsch
Corporate
Paul Hastings LLP
Harvard Law School
This past year, he advised Indian Paintbrush in its acquisition of two pillars of cinematic history ā The Criterion Collection and Janus Films ā while also helping Netflixās Amy Paquette and Elliott Kleinberg form their own boutique consulting firm, NextWave.
-
Alan Epstein
Corporate
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
UCLA School of Law
Now we know why he called it Mint. Epstein helped client Ryan Reynolds sell his startup cell company, Mint Mobile, to T-Mobile for a we-can-definitely-hear-you-now sum of $1.35āÆbillion. Epstein also brokered Creative Music Groupās $165āÆmillion investment from Flexpoint Ford and has been working with Pharrell Williamsā consumer brand, Humanrace, on securing some fresh growth capital from One Luxury Group.
-
James Feldman
Talent
Lichter Grossman
Harvard Law School
His clientsā projects range from dark, creepy gothic (he brokered Lily-Rose Deppās deal to star in Robert Eggersā Nosferatu, which has turned out to be surprisingly popular for a violent period piece, grossing nearly $100āÆmillion) to light, cheery gothic (Marc Webbās deal to direct Disneyās Snow White, which has been less popular, opening at a sleepy $43āÆmillion). Not sure if client Dev Patelās trippy directorial debut, Monkey Man, counts as gothic, but it grossed about $35āÆmillion while generating a barrelful of buzz during awards season.
-
Dan Fox
Talent
Hansen JacobsonĀ
UCLA School of Law
He brokered no fewer than five deals just for Alan Ritchson in the past year, including Netflixās War Machine and Amazonās Man With the Bag, along with another season of Reacher and a Reacher spinoff, Neagley. But Fox squeezed in some deals for other clients as well, like Emerald Fennellās to write and direct Margot Robbieās Wuthering Heights adaptation and Ted Lasso alum Brett Goldsteinās to write and star opposite Jennifer Lopez in a Netflix rom-com called Office Romance, which starts production in April.
-
Melissa Fox
Talent
Hansen Jacobson
University of Pennsylvania
Speaking of Ted Lasso, this Fox (married to Dan) just negotiated a new deal for Brendan Hunt for his return as executive producer on a fourth season of the series that put Apple TV+ on the map. Repping funnywomen seems to be something of a specialty: Fox also negotiates for Saturday Night Live castmember Sarah Sherman (and Michael Che) as well as former co-star Kate McKinnon, and did the deal for Ali Wongās award-hoovering Netflix stand-up special. She also reps social media star Hannah Berner, co-host (with Paige DeSorbo) of the hugely popular Giggly Squad podcast and live shows.
-
Jeffrey Frankel
Talent
McKuin Frankel & Whitehead
UCLA School of Law
Client Joanna Calo, showrunner for The Bear, snagged 23 Emmy nominations in 2024, setting a new world record in the comedy category (it ultimately won 11 ā not a record but still impressive). Last year, Frankel also negotiated on behalf of Moana co-writer Jared Bush, ironing out the details of her new job as chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation. He also steered deals for Brad Ingelsby (for Task, the Mare of Easttown creatorās much-anticipated next thriller for HBO) and Alan Yang, the Master of None and Loot writer (for an overall at Warner TV).
-
Bryan Freedman
Litigation
Liner Freedman
University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
Justin Baldoniās mouthpiece in his headline-grabbing legal battle with Blake Lively is one of the most cutthroat attorneys in town ā even he calls himself a āpit bull.ā Freedmanās approach on behalf of the It Ends With Us director is indeed aggressive, filing a $400āÆmillion suit against Lively for extortion and defamation (and, for good measure, suing The New York Times for defamation). On the other side of the legal spectrum, he also represents 24 relatives petitioning for the release of the Menendez brothers, a case that grabbed some recent headlines after a new Netflix series raised so many doubts about their 1996 conviction that even Kim Kardashian was posting about it.
-
Rob Freeman
Corporate
ProskauerĀ
Georgetown Law
As key adviser to TGL ā the futuristic golf championship masterminded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroyās TMRW Sports ā Freeman has been driving the sale of ownership and operating rights for the new leagueās inaugural six teams. When heās not teeing up megadeals on the fairways, heās keeping Warner Bros. Discovery in play with various corporate and commercial matters.
-
Matt Galsor
Talent
Greenberg Glusker
Columbia Law School
In a way, heās the most successful vehicle accident attorney in Hollywood. Without Galsorās backing, Vin Diesel wouldnāt dream of getting behind the wheel of a 1970s Dodge Charger R/T for his Fast & Furious franchise, any more than Tom Cruise would dare hang on to the wing of a biplane for a Mission: Impossible movie or Chris Hemsworth would race a Dementus chariot through a desert hellscape for Furiosa. If itās a movie involving something that moves really fast and ends up blowing up, chances are Galsor was there, inking the contracts. He reps some high-flying directors, too, like James Cameron and David Fincher.
-
Bruce Gellman
Talent
Hansen Jacobson
UC Berkeley
He locked in an overall for Dan Fogelman, who continues to shape a pair of Hulu hits ā serving as exec producer on Only Murders in the Building and showrunner on Paradise. Meanwhile, client Jennie Snyder Urman resurrected Matlock, this time with Kathy Bates taking on Andy Griffithās old role, for Paramount+. Justified and Snowfall producer Dave Andron also secured a big overall with FX Productions, while client Patrick Macmanus prepares to delve into the mind of serial killer John Wayne Gacy for a Peacock limited series.
-
Gregg Gellman
Talent
Yorn Levine
Loyola Law School
One of his clients is the creator of a wildly popular childrenās show about an Australian puppy named Bluey (ask any 6-year-old). Another is the creator of a Korean thriller that became one of the most watched series in Netflix history (Squid Game ā ask anyone). Gellman also represents Sam Wrench, who directed Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (maybe youāve heard of it?) and recently inked Wrenchās deal to direct his first scripted feature for Amazon.
-
Rick Genow
Talent
Goodman Genow
Harvard Law School
This agency is packed with enough top-notch attorneys to fill a power list all its own ā like founding partners and previous Power 100 entries Carlos Goodman (who reps everyone from Darren Aronofsky to Jake Gyllenhaal) and Michael Schenkman (Christopher Nolan) ā but we canāt squeeze the whole firm into these pages. So, this year, weāre giving Genow a spot because he handled some particularly buzzy deals, including Saltburn star Jacob Elordiās to play the monster in Guillermo del Toroās upcoming Frankenstein reboot for Netflix as well as Heathcliff (opposite Margot Robbieās Catherine) in Emerald Fennellās Wuthering Heights adaptation for Warner Bros. Genow also inked Domhnall Gleesonās deal to star in Peacockās upcoming The Office spinoff, Wes Ballās deal to direct a Legend of Zelda feature at Sony (and another Planet of the Apes sequel at Disney), Patricia Arquetteās to star in the Murdaugh Murders limited series for Hulu, and Sheryl Lee Ralphās renegotiation for Abbott Elementary.
-
Mark Geragos
Litigation
Geragos & Geragos
Loyola Law School
Heās represented difficult clients over the years, everyone from Michael Jackson to Chris Brown to Sean āDiddyā Combs (his daughter, Teny, is now handling the rapperās more recent troubles at a different firm). But his ongoing battle to free Erik and Lyle Menendez may well be the toughest nut so far. While the brothers still have a chance at ending their 30 years behind bars, L.A.ās new law-and-order DA, Nathan Hochman, has made Geragosā job a lot more difficult. Another tricky client, Hunter Biden, pleaded guilty to felony tax offenses but avoided jail time thanks to a last-minute presidential pardon, while on the other side of the political aisle, heās representing Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita in his libel suit against The Daily Beast. Geragos lost his own libel suit against the L.A. Times last year.
-
Tamerlin Godley
Litigation
Paul Hastings
USC Gould School of Law
When Real Housewife of Atlantaās NeNe Leakes came after Andy Cohen (and NBCUniversal) with a $100āÆmillion lawsuit and accusations of a hostile work environment and racial discrimination, it was Godley who, on the eve of arbitration, brokered a settlement. Godley also won a favorable settlement for Mobland ā a blockchain cryptocurrency game ā fending off claims of copyright infringement. āItās hard to give a juicy quote when so much of what I do is confidential,ā she says. āYou just have to trust me ā itās interesting.ā
-
Karen Gottlieb
Corporate
Grubman ShireĀ
Fordham Law School
She specializes in getting music legends the biopics they think they deserve. Madonna, Elton John, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Shania Twain ā theyāve all turned to Gottlieb to negotiate the rights to their life stories. Sheās currently working with Britney Spears on a movie based on her memoir, The Woman in Me, thatās being developed at Universal with Wickedās Jon M. Chu attached to direct. She also recently worked the deals for the Green Day-inspired comedy New Yearās Rev, about the bandās early days. āCelebrity biopics are akin to franchises in that they bring a quantifiable, bankable audience of fans loyal to the artist, which helps studios minimize risk,ā she explains. āFor example, my college-age daughter came home from Madonnaās recent Celebration Tour excited to learn about her life story.ā
-
Michael Gottlieb
Litigation
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Harvard Law School
Gottliebās biggest client at the moment is It Ends With Us star Blake Lively, who ā maybe youāve heard? ā is suing director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation. But heās been involved in some other recent high-profile cases, including helping Drake sue Universal Music Group for defamation and harassment over Kendrick Lamarās Grammy-winning āNot Like Usā diss track (Gottlieb is alleging that the release and promotion of the song spread a āfalse and malicious narrativeā). A former associate counsel in the Obama White House, Gottlieb has some non-Hollywood clients as well, like the two election workers who successfully sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation and were awarded $148.1 million.
-
Marissa RomƔn Griffith
Corporate
AkinĀ
Stanford Law School
One of the few female partners ā and among the few senior Latina attorneys in private practice ā sheās a power player in Hollywoodās finance game, brokering multimillion-dollar deals across town. This past year, she helped Comerica Bank arrange a multimillion-dollar credit deal, guided MRC through its JPMorgan-led revolving credit facility (and steered MRCās financial strategies for a slate of future films, including All the Devils Are Here, All of You, Letās Have Kids, The Gallerist, SpongeBob 4 and Wuthering Heights) and advised Anonymous Content with its East of Eden series.
-
Justin Hamill
Corporate
Latham & Watkins
Boston College Law School
Hamill didnāt merely negotiate one of the most ground-shaking, game-changing deals of the year ā he negotiated two of them. First, he was one of the attorneys on Skydance Mediaās $28āÆbillion merger with Paramount Global, which (when and if it gets approved by the Trump administrationās FTC) will mark the first time a major studio has changed hands since Disney purchased Fox in 2019. Second, Hamill handled Endeavorās pending $13āÆbillion sale to Silver Lake (the private equity company thatās been investing in the agency for years), taking the company private again after its brief, unfulfilling fling with going public.
-
Mark Hansen
Litigation
Kellogg Hansen
Harvard Law School
When Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox announced plans to team up to create mega sports streamer Venu, rival service Fubo turned to Hansen. In the bet-the-company litigation, the antitrust heavyweight secured a court order blocking the joint venture and undermining the legality of bundling requirements that eventually led to Disneyās decision to merge Hulu With Live TV with Fubo in a surprise deal that shook up the streaming TV business.
-
Harris Hartman
Talent
Sloane OfferĀ
University of Michigan Law School
Hartman negotiated Margaret Qualleyās deal for The Substance ā literally the most skin-crawling performance of the year ā as well as Stephen Amellās to star in the Suits spinoff, Suits LA. Client Julia Garner may or may not be playing Madonna in the on-again, off-again biopic Whoās That Girl? (see Karen Gottlieb, left), but she and Madge turned heads at the Vanity Fair Oscar party this year, posing together in a series of look-alike selfies.
-
David Hernand
Corporate
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Georgetown LAw
He played a key role in the formation of Brahma AI, a $1.43āÆbillion powerhouse born from the merger of AI-driven VFX company Metaphysic and global effects giant DNEGās technology arm. He also helped negotiate the Chernin Groupās $40āÆmillion investment in audiochuck, the true-crime podcast empire built by Ashley Flowers.
-
Carolyn Hunt
Corporate
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Georgetown LAW
She closed a staggering $1.2āÆbillion in deals for Western Alliance Bank, Bank of Montreal, Code Entertainment, Magenta Light Studios and Peachtree Media over the past year. Among them: production loans for Hotel Tehran (starring Liam Neeson) and Bad Apples (Saoirse Ronan), financing for Deep Water (directed by Renny Harlin) and securing backing for Mongoose (another Neeson thriller), as well as U.S. distribution and financing for The Surfer (Nicolas Cage), Muzzle: City of Wolves (Aaron Eckhart) and Mary (Anthony Hopkins).
-
Andrew Hurwitz
Talent
Frankfurt Kurnit
Georgetown Law
Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff (and presumably Sven) will be back, thanks to Hurwitz closing the deal for client Jennifer Lee to direct and write Frozen 3 and to write and exec produce Frozen 4. He also negotiated for writer and EP Tony McNamara to shepherd James and the Giant Peach to Netflix and to bring Avengelyne to the big screen for Warner Bros.
-
Jeff Hynick
Image Credit: Photographed by Michael Buckner Talent
Jackoway Austen
Southwestern Law School
Letās start with Ortega, for whom Hynick has closed multiple deals, including a second season of Wednesday, a starring role in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguroās best-seller Klara and the Sun and a part in a still-untitled J.J. Abrams film at Warner Bros. He also reps Nicole Kidman, brokering her acting and producing deals for Babygirl (A24), Holland (Amazon), Scarpetta (Amazon and Blumhouse TV) and Margoās Got Money Troubles (Apple). Then thereās Conclave director Edward Bergerās deal to direct The Ballad of a Small Player (Netflix) and The Barrier (20th Century Fox), as well as I Am Not Okay With This director Jonathan Entwistleās to shoot a big-screen reboot of The Karate Kid.
-
Larry Iser
Litigation
KHIKS
UC LAW San Francisco
If you mess with Mattel, you mess with Iser, a lawyer not to be toyed with. He successfully defended the giant game and doll company from a $46āÆmillion lawsuit claiming Mattel stole the idea for a short-lived 2017 reality TV show called Toy Box (in which children judge various plaything inventions). Iser beat back Herrick Productions, a company owned by billionaire real estate developer Norton Herrick, convincing a jury that the idea for the show was ācommonplaceā and āfloating around in the television and the toy industries for years.ā
-
Kimberly Jaime
Talent
Jackoway Austen
Columbia Law School
Client Pedro Pascal kept Jaime hopping last year. Along with season two of The Last of Us, there have been deals for a gig as Mister Fantastic in Marvelās Fantastic Four and a part opposite Joaquin Phoenix in A24ās Western Eddington. She also has been busy making deals for Greta Lee, including ones to star in Louis Leterrierās Netflix thriller 11817 (about a family trapped inside their house) and for a role opposite Willem Dafoe in Late Fame (about an obscure, middle-aged poet who suddenly becomes a thing). She managed to squeeze in a deal for new client Lexi Minetree, too, whoāll be starring in a Legally Blonde prequel series for Amazon. āThe business may be a mess,ā she says, channeling Elle Woodsā cheeriness, ābut representing the clients is still just as fun.ā
-
Nicolas Jampol
Litigation
Davis Wright Tremaine
University of Michigan Law School
Jampol finally won M. Night Shyamalanās five-year Servant copyright battle, convincing a jury that the director did not steal his creepy idea for a TV show about a delusional mother caring for a doll as if it were a living infant from a 2013 indie feature called The Truth About Emanuel. Heās currently defending Showtime and Lionsgate in another copyright case, this one over whether Yellowjackets lifted plot points and characters from a 2015 survival film called Eden, which was also a story about a soccer team crashing in the wilderness and battling for survival.
-
Matt Johnson
Talent
JSSK
New York University School of Law
Maybe Tyler Perryās next movie should be titled Madea Cashes a Check. This past year, Johnson secured a total of a billion dollars in various production commitments for Tyler Perry Studios. Among them: a multiyear, first-look series pact with Netflix, a deal involving eight films over four years as well as a slew of additional faith-based movies. He also negotiated the joint venture agreement between Skydance and brother-and-sister filmmaking phenom Andy and Barbara Muschietti ā the sibs behind the $1āÆbillion-grossing It movies ā to create a horror division called Nocturna.
-
Adam Kaller
Talent
Hansen Jacobson
Whittier Law School
When California Gov. Gavin Newsom decided he wanted to dabble in podcasting, he turned to Kaller to set up the deal (Kaller had previously done the same for Pulitzer Prize winner Ronan Farrow). This past year, he also closed a deal with Lionsgate for The Rookie and The Recruit showrunner Alexi Hawley (who has a hostage-recovery drama called The Envoy that’s headed to Hulu), as well as pacts for Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger to co-write a Ryan Gosling feature for Amazon and a Jonas Brothers film for Disney.
-
Arash Khalili
Corporate
Loeb & Loeb
California Western School of Law
When country superstars and A-list icons need an ace dealmaker, they call on Khalili. Morgan Wallen trusts him with his corporate and entertainment matters, while Carrie Underwood taps him for endorsement deals (like the launch of her latest health and wellness venture, which includes the fitness app fit52). Supermodel Cindy Crawford turned to him to launch her spicy new Casamigos Jalapeno Tequila.
-
Wendy Kirk
Talent
JSSKĀ
UC Davis School of Law
She renegotiated the Obamasā deal with Netflix so that the former first coupleās production company, Higher Ground, could continue to deliver Oscar-winning documentaries about factories and biopics about civil rights activists, as well as Julia Roberts apocalyptic thrillers like Leave the World Behind. Other deals this year: Shawn Levyās agreement to direct and produce a Star Wars film; Steve Carellās to star in an untitled HBO series produced by Shrinkingās Bill Lawrence; The Queenās Gambit scribe Scott Frankās to write, direct and produce a new Netflix crime series called Department Q; and Sam Mendes and Neal Streetās to make four Beatles biopics at Sony.
-
Deborah Klein
Talent
Jackoway AustenĀ
USC Gould School of Law
She locked in Jim Carreyās return for SonicāÆ3; renewed Samuel L. Jacksonās Capital One campaign and secured his fees for Fright Night; and also landed Will Ferrellās Golf series for Netflix, his Amazon films (Youāre Cordially Invited and Judgment Day), plus his PayPal campaign. Klein also secured Paul Ruddās Anaconda deal and latest Marvel contract, along with Vince Vaughnās role in Bad Monkey.
-
Robby Koch
Talent
Hansen Jacobson
Loyola Law School
Jeremy Allen White keeps winning awards for his brooding chef on The Bear ā the actorās on his second consecutive Emmy and third consecutive Golden Globe ā but the part that could really turn up the heat on his career is Bruce Springsteen in the much-anticipated biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. Koch also did the deal for White to join the Star Wars franchise, in The Mandalorian & Grogu. And he closed an overall deal at HBO for Hacks co-creator Jen Statsky (who has won her own share of Emmys and Golden Globes) and deals for sisters Erin and Sara Foster for another season of their Netflix comedy Nobody Wants This. But his most personal deal this past year had to have been for his nephew, actor Cooper Koch, who picked up his first Golden Globe nom for his role in Netflixās Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story.
-
Tara Kole
Talent
JSSK
Harvard Law School
Her client Greta Gerwig is following up her Barbie bonanza with an adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix. Client Angelina Jolie, meanwhile, recently finished shooting Stitches (originally titled Couture), in which she plays an American filmmaker in Paris during Fashion Week. Kole also reps Zac Efron, whoāll be playing both a Hollywood star and his own overzealous fan in A24ās Famous; Halle Berry, whoāll be starring opposite Chris Hemsworth in Amazonās upcoming thriller Crime 10; and Riz Ahmed, whoāll be starring alongside Tom Cruise in an upcoming still-untitled film by Alejandro G. IƱƔrritu.
-
David Krintzman
Talent
Yorn LevineĀ
University of San Diego School of Law
Awards season was a roller coaster for Netflixās transgender gangster musical Emilia PĆ©rez, but in the end Krintzmanās client Zoe SaldaƱa ended up bringing home an Oscar for best supporting actress. Krintzman also brokered Liam Hemsworthās deal for a leading role in the upcoming season of Netflixās The Witcher, as well as one for rising star Hannah Einbinder to return for another season of HBOās Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Hacks. Client Matthew McConaughey, meanwhile, signed deals for Paul Greengrassā next film, The Lost Bus, as well as an upcoming comedy series with Woody Harrelson on Apple TV+.
-
Bianca Levin
Talent
Gang Tyre
Yale Law School
Client Dwayne Johnson has been spending a lot of time in Hawaii lately ā at least onscreen. First, Levin navigated his deal to reprise his voice role in Moana 2. Then she negotiated Johnsonās deal to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt in Martin Scorseseās upcoming gangster drama about a mob boss fighting for control of the Pacific Islands. Client Regina King owes Levin a mahalo as well, for inking her pacts to star in Paramountās adaptation of the YA best-seller Children of Blood and Bone and opposite Austin Butler in Darren Aronofskyās next film, Caught Stealing, about a baseball player who gets tangled up in crime.
-
Jared Levine
Talent
Yorn LevineĀ
Harvard Law School
He helped client Stephen Curry transition from point guard to comedic actor with his deal to star in the Peacock comedy Throwback (produced through Curryās production company, Unanimous Media). Producer Bill Lawrence leaned on Levine to iron out his deals with Apple TV+ for Bad Monkey and for a still-untitled project at HBO thatās said to have Steve Carell attached. On the film front, he also negotiated Aziz Ansariās deal to direct and star ā alongside Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves and Keke Palmer ā in Lionsgateās comedy Good Fortune.
-
Ryan LeVine
Talent
Jackoway AustenĀ
Southwestern Law School
Client Sophie Thatcher certainly caught criticsā attention with her turn as a kidnapped Mormon missionary trading theological insights with Hugh Grant in Heretic. Another young client, Mike Faist, will likely make some noise as well, starring in James Deanās old role in Netflixās new series adaptation of East of Eden. LeVine also put together the deals for Octavia Spencer to star in a new big-screen adaptation of Death of a Salesman and for Ariana DeBoseās role opposite Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis in Amazonās upcoming thriller Scarpetta.
-
Jamie Mandelbaum
Talent
Jackoway Austen
NYU School of law
Despite the fact that many high-profile TV creator overall deals went unrenewed last year, Mandelbaum is seeing a brighter outlook for 2025. āThe year is shaping up to show that top-tier writers can still secure lucrative overalls ā even if itās just for development,ā he says. Among the commitments heās managed to secure: a new HBO overall for Zach Kanin (which includes the comedy The Chair Company), a fresh deal at Hulu for Bruce Millerās The Handmaidās Tale sequel, The Testaments (which just kicked off production), and a major opportunity for Sam Shaw to helm JFK, Netflixās American spin on The Crown, which was just greenlit for a full season.
-
Steven Marenberg
Litigation
Paul HastingsĀ
University of Chicago Law School
Marenberg found himself in the middle of a food fight last year, representing YouTube superstar MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) in a $100 million breach of contract battle with Virtual Dining Concepts, the company behind the fast-food chain MrBeast Burgers. MrBeast sued first, trying to extricate himself from the restaurant, referencing consumer complaints about the burgers being ādisgustingā and āinedible.ā Marenberg, the consummate strategist, couldnāt help but add a personal touch to the proceedings. āI actually like and have a lot of respect for opposing counsel,ā he says, āso I felt a bit guilty that at one deposition we catered their lunch by ordering from MrBeast Burger.ā
-
Kevin Marks
Talent
Gang Tyre
UC Berkeley Law
Presumably, the negotiations took place in a hollowed-out volcano right next to a piranha-filled pond. Or else a boardroom in Beverly Hills. But wherever it happened, Marks was the one who orchestrated Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilsonās sale to Amazon of their family company, EON, which has controlled the 007 IP since the character first sauntered onto the screen in 1962. Their payday was said to be something in the neighborhood of ā pinkie to lip ā one billion dollars. Marks also secured Demi Mooreās deal to star in The Substance, which earned her an Oscar best actress nomination, negotiated Taylor Sheridanās Landman deal with Paramount and played a pivotal role in reviving the legendary J.Crew catalog.
-
Joel McKuin
Talent
McKuin Frankel Whitehead
Harvard Law School
āItās a prime moment for entrepreneurial clients,ā says McKuin. āArtists have to make their own luck now more than ever.ā His clients seem to be doing just that. Lily Gladstone is not only starring alongside Bryan Cranston in Lone Wolf but is also building a slate of original projects with multiple studios. Maisy Stella had a breakout year, delivering a standout performance in My Old Ass and wrapping a new film for Warner Bros., while Kristen Stewart has taken full creative control, writing and directing her debut feature, Chronology of Water, now in postproduction.
-
John Meigs
Talent
Hansen JacobsonĀ
Harvard Law School
He negotiated Issa Raeās recent nine-figure overall deal with HBO (which includes still-unspecified film, TV and digital media projects) and renewed Kaley Cuocoās deal with Warner Bros. TV, putting her to work as star and exec producer on Kansas City Star while continuing to oversee season two of Based on a True Story. Meigs remains clear-eyed about shifting industry dynamics: āExecutives need to let go of their old-school broadcast exclusivity contracts,ā he says. āThe old rules just donāt apply anymore.ā
-
Darrell D. Miller
Talent
Fox Rothschild
Georgetown Law
Heās helping to bring Pulitzer Prize-winning Monkey Boy to the screen for clients Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance while also securing a multiyear deal for their company ā Bassett Vance Productions ā to develop and produce comedy, drama, limited series and movies across Disneyās television platforms. After negotiating DaāVine Joy Randolphās Oscar-winning role in The Holdovers, he lined up her next projects, including MRCās The Gallerist, A24ās rom-com Eternity and a still-untitled Lionsgate action thriller.
-
Robert Offer
Talent
Sloane Offer
UCLA School of Law
Heās known client Mike White for 30āÆyears but still doesnāt have a clue where the already greenlit season four of TheāÆWhiteāÆLotus will take place. āIām sure it will be someplace exotic and beautiful,ā he says, stating the obvious. Meanwhile, client Ryan Gosling, after his iconic turn as Ken in Barbie, is gearing up to star in the next Star Wars film, directed by Shawn Levy. And client Paul Giamatti? Heās heading back to Yorkshire, once again playing one of the Crawleysā wealthy American relatives in Downton Abbey 3.
-
Rick Offsay
Corporate
Latham & Watkins
Harvard Law School
Alongside partner Justin Hamill, heās advising Skydance Media on its game-changing merger with Paramount. Heās also guiding the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners through their $8āÆbillion acquisition of National Amusements, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, thus putting David Ellison firmly in the driverās seat of New Paramount, valued now at $28āÆbillion.
-
Daniel Passman
Talent
Gang Tyre
UCLA School of Law
Passman negotiated TimothĆ©e Chalametās deal for Marty Supreme, the actor’s less folksy followup to A Complete Unknown in which he’ll star opposite Gwyneth Paltrow as a real-life 1950s ping-pong wizard who apparently had more going for him than a wicked topspin. āWe have a lot of sex in this movie,ā Paltrow recently revealed. Passman also negotiated Nicholas Galitzineās He-Man contract for Masters of the Universe and Ridley Scottās Bee Gees biopic for Paramount, as well as his postapocalyptic thriller Dog Stars for Disney.
-
Robyn Polashuk
Corporate
Covington & Burling LLP
UCLA School of Law
She helped Disney merge its Star India division with Relianceās Viacom18 ā an Indian media giant ā in an $8.5āÆbillion deal that opens up the subcontinent to a whole new world of American-style family entertainment. The deal provides the new combined company, which retains the name Viacom18, with exclusive distribution rights to Disney movies, and includes access to more than 30,000 Disney assets.
-
Lucy Popkin
Talent
Goodman Genow
Stanford Law School
Her client Joseph Quinn just wrapped Fantastic Four, is already gearing up for Avengers 5 and has a starring role in Alex Garlandās soon-to-be-released Warfare, out AprilāÆ11. Meanwhile, client Milly Alcock has moved on from House of the Dragon and is now flying high shooting a Supergirl feature and prepping for the debut of her limited series, Sirens, on Netflix. Client Leo Woodall, the breakout star from season two of The White Lotus, recently bedded Bridget Jones in Mad About the Boy and will next share screen time with Russell Crowe in Nuremberg, while fellow White Lotus-er (season one) Murray Bartlett is set to star opposite Nicole Kidman in the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers while also filming The Death of Robin Hood with Hugh Jackman.
-
Marvin Putnam
Litigation
Latham & Watkins
Georgetown Law
It didnāt take long for Baby Reindeer to become one of Netflixās most watched shows, hitting 84.5āÆmillion views in just 91 days. It didnāt take much longer for the lawsuits to start flying, with Fiona Harvey ā the putative model for the showās super-clingy Martha ā suing both Netflix and the seriesā creator, Richard Gadd, claiming sheād been falsely portrayed as a sexual predator. Enter Putnam, who has a track record defending Netflix from this sort of thing, having successfully fought off similar claims leveled by free-diver Pipin Ferreras, who had alleged that the streamerās 2022 film No Limit wrongly portrayed him as responsible for his late wifeās death.
-
Ken Richman
Talent
Hansen JacobsonĀ
Harvard Law School
Heās the go-to guy for top-tier showrunners, handling lucrative overalls for Parks and Rec creator Mike Schur at Universal and Curb Your Enthusiasm scribe Jeff Schaffer at HBO. Heās secured projects for Jenni Konner (Nobody Wants This), Michelle Nader (Shifting Gears), R.āÆScott Gemmill (The Pitt) and Bill Simmons (Celtics City). And he takes care of some actors, too, including Elisabeth Mossā deal for Appleās limited series Imperfect Women.
-
Aaron D. Rosenberg
Talent
Myman Greenspan
Harvard Law School
Rosenbergās gravity-defying moves in the music industry have clients like Ariana Grande soaring higher than, well, a winged monkey. For her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch, Grande snagged both Oscar and Golden Globe noms, while the film itself smashed records, raking in more than $114āÆmillion its opening weekend, the biggest debut for a Broadway musical adaptation ever. Rosenberg also brokered a new publishing and record deal for Jennifer Lopez with BMG, inked a book publishing deal for John Legendās childrenās lullaby album My Favorite Dream and helped Legend, along with wife Chrissy Teigen, launch Kismet dog food.
-
Mathew Rosengart
Litigation
Greenberg Traurig
Boston College Law School
Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor with a history of tough courtroom battles, became a household name for his game-changing work with Britney Spears, freeing the troubled pop singer from her nearly 14-year-long conservatorship. After she was sprung, Spears took to Instagram, hailing Rosengart as āamazing.ā His other high-profile clients include Steven Spielberg, Lena Dunham, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Jelly Roll and Sean Penn, whom he recently defended in a case brought by the National Labor Relations Board accusing the Oscar-winning actor of sending a threatening letter to a staffer at CORE, Pennās charity organization. Rosengartās winning argument was that the letter was a ārallying cry,ā not a threat.
-
Ben Ross
Corporate
Gibson Dunn
NYU School of law
This lawyer will soon be responsible for more nightmares than anyone else in Hollywood (which is saying something). He represented Universal ā the studio behind such horror classics as Frankenstein, The Exorcist, the Chucky movies and now Nosferatu ā in its game-changing joint venture with Blumhouse Productions (Get Out, the Conjuring universe) and James Wanās Atomic Monster (Insidious, Malignant). The deal, which resulted in a three-way ownership split, was hailed by Blumhouse founder Jason Blum as the moment when āthe preeminent homes for horror are now under one roof.āĀ
-
Gretchen Rush
Talent
Hansen Jacobson
UCLA School of law
Rush handled Ellen Pompeoās deal for her starring role in the Hulu limited series Good American Family, marking a new chapter for the Greyās Anatomy actress (one without scrubs). Rush also brokered a major deal for Lena Dunham, securing the sale of her film Good Sex to Netflix, and landed Kerry Washington a starring and producing role in Apple TV+ās Imperfect Women. She also closed financing for Die, My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and produced by Lawrenceās own company, Excellent Cadaver. āIām grateful that, over the past year, the women I represent have not just been telling stories,ā she says, ātheyāve been rewriting the rules.ā
-
Faiza J. Saeed
Corporate
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Harvard Law School
Saeed, no stranger to billion-dollar power plays, counseled the special committee of Paramount Globalās board on its massive $28āÆbillion merger with Skydance and advised the independent special committee of Endeavor Group Holdings on its $25āÆbillion take-private acquisition by Silver Lake Management
-
J. Eugene Salomon Jr.
Talent
Gang TyreĀ
USC Gould School of Law
Pink, for one, places her complete trust in the wisdom of Salomon; he represented the singer in securing her record-breaking Summer Carnival tour, which grossed a whopping $693.8āÆmillion. He also counts Neil Diamond, Cher, Green Day, R.E.M., Camila Cabello, Phoebe Bridgers, Sofia Richie Grainge and many others among his clients. With more than $1āÆbillion in deals under his belt, Salomonās portfolio spans catalog sales, touring, merchandising, endorsements and record and publishing agreements. One standout deal: Randy Newmanās sale last year of his publishing and recorded music assets to Litmus Music.
-
Peter Sample
Talent
Jackoway Austen
Harvard LAw School
There are no hallways leading to nowhere in this attorneyās office. Sample secured Severance executive producer Dan Ericksonās overall deal with Apple, which includes another season of his and Ben Stillerās trippy psychological thriller. He also closed the deal for director Grant Sputore to shoot the next Godzilla x Kong sequel as well as director Tony Yacendaās to make Chad Powers, a Glen Powell football drama for 20th Television. Sample also locked in several deals for writer-producer Eric Heisserer, including a feature first-look deal at Sony and a television first-look deal at Legendary. Client Mike Makowsky (Bad Education) is writing and producing his next film for Amazon while wrapping up his limited series thriller Death by Lightning for Netflix.
-
Ilissa Samplin
Litigation
Gibson Dunn
Stanford Law School
Samplin is defending NBCUniversal from a $100āÆmillion defamation suit filed by Sean Combs over Peacockās unflattering 2022 Diddy doc Making of a Bad Boy (arguably the least of the rapperās legal woes at the moment, given his upcoming federal criminal charges, but still). Samplin is also representing Warner Bros. TV, John Wells, Noah Wyle and R. Scott Gemmill in a lawsuit brought by the estate of Michael Crichton that claims the new Max medical series The Pitt is a rip-off of the late authorās concept for ER. Samplinās argument is that the lawsuit is baseless since both shows share common elements of the medical genre. Says Samplin, āWeāve seen a rise in litigation over flimsy copyright or pseudo-copyright claims.ā
-
Ethan Schiffres
Talent
Gang Tyre
Harvard Law School
He orchestrated the deals behind Billie Eilishās hypnotic Hit Me Hard and Soft album and her sold-out 2024-25 worldwide tour while also representing her brother Finneas on his album For Cryinā Out Loud. As if that werenāt enough, he also managed the logistics for Adeleās Las Vegas and Munich residencies and handled Green Dayās The Saviors Tour, which rocked stadiums across the globe.
-
P.J. Shapiro
Talent
JSSK
USC Gould School of Law
Client Selena Gomez was inescapable this past year ā from her much-lauded role in Emilia PĆ©rez to playing a sharp-eyed podcaster on the third season of Only Murders in the Building and even a budding chef on the HBO reality show Selena + Restaurant. Not to mention her gig as a cosmetics mogul, launching her own Rare Beauty makeup brand in 2020, which ensured Gomezās billionaire status. Shapiroās other clients include Emma Stoneās Fruit Tree production company (which just scored a first-look deal with Universal) and 16-time WWE champion and The Peacemaker star John Cena, who just signed a slew of deals for film and TV projects, as well as a farewell wrestling tour.
-
Nina Shaw
Talent
Del ShawĀ
Columbia Law School
Shaw led the charge in Lupita Nyongāo negotiations for a part in Christopher Nolanās star-studded adaptation of The Odyssey, Homerās 3,000-year-old Trojan War epic, in which sheāll share the battlefield with the likes of Tom Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway. Shaw also smoothed the way for Jurnee Smollett to step into the lead on the Apple TV+ original Firebug and also secured a deal for Nick Cannon ā an insanely busy client ā to host the podcast We Playinā Spades with Wondery.
-
Michael Sherman
Corporate
Eisner LLPĀ
UC Berkley
Heās the lawyer who held the legal reins for Kevin Costnerās epic bet on Horizon: An American Saga. No, the planned four-part Western didnāt quite work out as hoped ā part two likely wonāt get released ā but it was nevertheless one of the most ambitious undertakings of the year, involving a massive nine-figure financing deal and a complex production and distribution maze. Sherman recently moved from Reed Smith to Eisner LLP.
-
Lawrence Shire
Talent
Grubman ShireĀ
GW Law
His boss literally is the Boss. Shire handles all of Bruce Springsteenās audiovisual ventures, including Deliver Me From Nowhere, the biopic Fox and Disney are shooting with Scott Cooper directing and Jeremy Allen White in the lead. Shire also negotiated the recent Hulu documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, which started streaming in October. Other clients include Robert De Niro, Gayle King, Spike Lee, Bono and David Letterman.
-
Marc H. Simon
Corporate
Fox Rothschild
Cardozo School of Law
The force is strong with this one, at least when it comes to client Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. He brokered the deal for the Pakistani filmmaker and activist ā who won a 2016 Oscar for a documentary short about honor killings in her homeland and then steered a series of super-popular Pakistani animated action movies ā to become the first female director of a Star Wars film. Simon also negotiated the deals for Obaid-Chinoyās Hulu doc on Diane von Furstenberg last year and on behalf of the Obamasā Higher Ground company to produce live stage shows.Ā
-
Gregory Slewett
Talent
JSSK
Cardozo School of Law
Heās keeping Glen Powellās rising star right on course, negotiating the actorās deals for Anyone but You, Twisters, Edgar Wrightās The Running Man remake and J.J. Abramsā still-untitled next project for Warner Bros., as well as Powellās upcoming Hulu comedy series Chad Powers (which Powell is also exec producing). Slewett has also secured Florence Pughās acting and producing pacts for her next project, Netflixās East of Eden series, as well as writing and directing deals for client Lynne Ramsay on Jennifer Lawrenceās next film, Die, My Love.
-
Jason Sloane
Talent
Sloane OfferĀ
UCLA School of Law
Talk about the art of the deal: Sloane negotiated Sebastian Stanās contract to play Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a role that earned the actor an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes (not to mention Golden Globe and BAFTA trophies and an Oscar nomination). Sloane also orchestrated the deal for Hugh Jackmanās live show at Radio City Music Hall, From New York, With Love, as well as Jackmanās much less musical turn as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. He also brokered Chris Prattās deal for The Electric State on Netflix.
-
Mitch Smelkinson
Talent
Goodman Genow
Loyola Law School
In the most meta deal of the year, Smelkinson brokered Suits creator Aaron Korshās new spinoff series, Suits LA, a slick new NBC show about the thrill-a-minute, adrenaline-pumping world of entertainment law in Hollywood. Meanwhile, client Oscar Isaac is taking on the most iconic mad scientist in cinematic history, portraying Victor Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toroās upcoming adaptation for Netflix.
-
Cheryl Snow
Talent
Gang Tyre
UCLA School of Law
Client Daniel Dae Kim is having a moment. The Lost and The Good Doctor star just landed a first-look deal at 20th Television, a role in a major soon-to-be-announced TV series and will be jetting off to Korea to star and executive produce Butterfly, a new spy thriller for Amazon. Snow also reps screenwriter Travis Braun, who after topping the Black List two years in a row is finally having one of his buzzy screenplays produced: Bad Boy, the story of a rescue dog who believes his new owner is a serial killer, is heading into production.
-
Orin Snyder
Litigation
Gibson Dunn
Penn Carey Law
The go-to counsel for such heavyweights as LeBron James and Bob Dylan, Snyderās most pressing current case involves defending Andy Cohen from a lawsuit brought by Real Housewife Leah McSweeney alleging sex, gender and disability discrimination along with accusations of a hostile work environment and retaliation. Heās also representing up-and-coming management firm Range Media Partners against claims from CAA that it interfered with contracts and stole confidential information, as well as AMC in a profit participation dispute with Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.
-
Christopher Spicer
Corporate
AkinĀ
Georgetown Law
Over the past year, Spicer has brokered financing and distribution agreements for hits like Severance, Nine Perfect Strangers, Flora and Son, Savant and Tokyo Vice. He also guided equity firm Alpha Wave Global through its investment in MrBeastās Feastables snacks venture and assisted Konami Cross Media in talks around potential film and TV adaptations of its games (like Metal Gear Solid, which is already in the pipeline for an adaptation with Oscar Isaac).
-
Alex Spiro
Litigation
Quinn EmanuelĀ
Harvard Law School
It took all of three days in a New Mexican courthouse for this powerhouse attorney to get the manslaughter charges dropped against Alec Baldwin in last yearās Rust trial (the prosecution withholding evidence in the accidental shooting case might have played a part, too). For a time, Spiro was defending New York Mayor Eric Adams against federal corruption charges, but those magically disappeared when Donald Trump was elected and Adams suddenly grew super concerned about undocumented migrants in Manhattan.
-
Eric Swedenburg
Corporate
Simpson ThacherĀ
Cornell Law School
He didnāt pilot a Super Hornet jet or scale a high-rise in Dubai, but his lawyering for Paramount during the high-stakes $28āÆbillion merger with Skydance ā producers of Tom Cruiseās Top Gun and Mission: Impossible movies ā was in some ways every bit as harrowing. Guiding the studio through the complex legal hurdles of the game-changing deal was, as The New York Times put it, āa drama worthy of a summer blockbuster.ā
-
Joe Tacopina
Litigation
Tacopina Seigel & DeOreo
Quinnipiac University School of Law
On the morning of April 22, 2022, Rakim Mayers, the 33-year-old Harlem rapper better known as A$AP Rocky, returned to Los Angeles from a long vacation with his superstar girlfriend, Rihanna, in her home country of Barbados. After stepping off the private jet at LAX, Mayers was arrested by LAPD officers and thrown in jail. He was charged with two felony counts of assault for allegedly firing two shots that grazed the knuckles of Terrell Ephron, a former member of Mayers’ hip-hop collective A$AP Mob who went by A$AP Relli, during a scuffle at a West Hollywood parking garage the previous November. Out on bail, Mayers rejected a plea deal to serve just six months in prison, opting instead to fight the charges in court. Faced with a career-ending, life-shattering maximum sentence of 24 years, Mayers turned to a high-profile hometown lawyer known for successfully defending rappers and entertainers, including Michael Jackson, Foxy Brown, Meek Mill and members of the Wu-Tang Clan: the swaggering $2,000-an-hour New York litigator Joe Tacopina.
-
Matthew Thompson
Corporate
Sidley AustinĀ
UC Law San Francisco
He takes care of the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon business, shepherding deals for the old palsā independent production company, Artists Equity. This past year, Thompson reeled in a senior secured JP Morgan credit facility ā also known as a line of credit ā which should give AE plenty of capital to grow on. He also brokered a multiyear deal for client Alex Cooper, with the Call Her Daddy star partnering with NestlĆ© to launch a women-focused hydration drink called, for some reason, Unwell. Thompson has done celebrity beverages before; he negotiated Molsonās $53āÆmillion purchase of ZOA Energy, the drink founded by Dwayne Johnson.
-
Darren Trattner
Talent
Jackoway AustenĀ
UC Berkeley Law
Trattner sealed the deal for Scott Cooper to write, produce and direct Deliver Me From Nowhere, the Bruce Springsteen biopic about the making of his seminal 1982 album, Nebraska, with Jeremy Allen White starring as the Boss. He also negotiated Better Call Saulās Giancarlo Espositoās deal to star as Sidewinder in Marvelās Captain America: Brave New World, as well as Oscar-nominated American Sniper writer Jason Hallās new overall with Amazon.
-
Steve Warren
Talent
Hansen JacobsonĀ
Harvard Law School
This past year, this always busy attorney closed a deal for Charlize Theron to star in Netflixās Apex, an action thriller about a mountain climber being stalked by a serial killer. He brokered Colin Farrellās deal to play a petty gambler in Netflixās adaptation of The Ballad of a Small Player; Leonardo DiCaprioās to star in Paul Thomas Andersonās thriller One Battle After Another; Jonathan Baileyās to star in Jurassic World: Rebirth; Kirsten Dunstās for Triangle of Sadness director Ruben Ćstlundās follow-up, the intriguingly titled The Entertainment System Is Down, which also stars Keanu Reeves; and Elle Fanningās gig in Apple TV+ās Margoās Got Money Troubles, in which sheāll be sharing screen time with Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer.
-
David Weber
Talent
Sloane Offer
USC Gould School of Law
Another busy talent lawyer, Weber spent the past year locking in Emily Bluntās deal to star in Disneyās much-anticipated The Devil Wears Prada sequel (as well as Bluntās still-mysterious role in Steven Spielbergās still-untitled next film); Austin Butlerās for his part in Darren Aronofskyās drama about a baseball player turned criminal, Caught Stealing; Henry Cavillās for his role in the Highlander reboot at Amazon; and David Ayerās to write, produce and direct Heart of the Beast for Brad Pitt at Paramount (about a special forces soldier and his retired combat dog).
-
Todd Weinstein
Talent
Weinstein SeniorĀ
California Western School of Law
Heās the guy who spearheaded the deal with Amazon for MrBeastās Beast Games, the game show with 1,000 contestants and a $5āÆmillion prize that quickly became the streamerās most watched unscripted show ever, grabbing 50āÆmillion views in just 25āÆdays. Weinstein knows the genre: He also put together the deal for Extracted, the high-stakes survival competition over at Fox, produced by Sylvester Stallone.
-
Shelby Weiser
Talent
Sloane Offer
NYU School of law
Weiser wrapped up multiple acting deals for Daisy Ridley this past year, including one for independent film The Last Resort, another with Warner Bros. for the small-town thriller Panic Carefully, still another for an Australian horror film titled We Bury the Dead, along with various TV projects and development deals, not to mention Ridleyās endorsement deal with Miu Miu, solidifying the starās fashion icon status. For Nicholas Hoult, Weiser recently concluded a deal for the lead in How to Rob a Bank, as well as endorsement deals with Jaeger-LeCoultre and Burberry (solidifying his status as a fashion icon). Client Mahershala Ali, meanwhile, will star in a project called Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother at Orion.
-
Max Wellman
Litigation
VenableĀ
Southwestern Law School
Client Katherine Heigl is in the middle of a real dogfight: Wellman is handling her lawsuit against a dog rescue organization that the actress claims has been spreading false and defamatory rumors about the Jason Heigl Foundation, the animal welfare charity that Heigl runs with her mother, named in memory of her brother. Wellman has also been repping a different sort of canine, Snoop Dogg, with various deals, most recently the buyout of his stake in the branded beverage Indoggo Gin, clearing the way for Snoopās next spiritual venture, a cocktail with Dr. Dre called Gin & Juice.
-
Douglas Wigdor
Litigation
Wigdor LLPĀ
Catholic University Law School
His civil suit against Sean Combs (on behalf of singer Cassie Ventura) didnāt just settle in a day, it triggered the federal grand jury sex trafficking indictment thatāll be going to trial in May in New York. That criminal case will likely heavily reference the witness testimony Wigdor spearheaded during his civil court cross-examinations. Wigdor also represents Jane Roe, a client accusing country music star Garth Brooks of sexual assault, battery and rape.
-
Sophia Yen
Corporate
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Boston University School of Law
As AMCās outside counsel, she helped devise the theater chainās groundbreaking end-run deal for Taylor Swiftās Eras Tour concert movie, in which AMC and the pop icon struck their own terms and left out the traditional film distribution middlemen. Yen also helped Kevin Hart set up his production company ā Hartbeat ā then spearheaded a $100āÆmillion capita infusion from private equity firm Arby Partners. She continues to have a hand in pretty much everything that happens at Hartbeat, from real estate purchases to employment issues to film financing.
-
Kevin Yorn
Talent
Yorn LevineĀ
Tulane Law School
This former deputy DA used to put gang members behind bars; now heās putting movie stars in dinosaur films, among other projects. This year, along with negotiating Scarlett Johanssonās deal to star in Jurassic Park: Rebirth, Yorn shepherded Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyukās deal with Netflix for two more seasons of the creepy Korean horror hit, ironed out the contract for Jason Sudeikis to return for season four on Apple TV+ās Ted Lasso and secured Jonah Hillās writing, producing and acting deal for Outcome, an Apple movie heāll be making with Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz.
-
Julian Zaifen
Talent
Ziffren BrittenhamĀ
Stanford Law School
In addition to negotiating deals for long-standing clients like Dick Wolf, Eddie Murphy and Darren Star, Zajfen represents hit directors like Gareth Edwards, whoāll be directing that above-mentioned Jurassic Park sequel starring Scarlett Johansson. He also did the deal for client Mark Mylod to executive produce and direct HBOās in-the-works Harry Potter TV series; Hayley Atwellās deal to star in Marvelās Avengers 5 and 6; and Catherine Zeta-Jonesā to return as Morticia for season two of Netflixās The Addams Family reboot, Wednesday.
-
Susan Zuckerman Williams
Corporate
Paul Hastings
USC Gould School of Law
She helped Media Capital Technologies nail down a multiyear financing deal with Lionsgate, securing a major investment in the studioās film slate. She also advises Eastree Media, a newly formed U.K.-based fund acquiring film and TV assets, and represents MidCap Financial in the bankruptcy proceedings over Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.