Attorney Intel is pleased to announce The Top 25 Media and Entertainment Attorneys of 2025. This year’s honorees operate at the intersection of law, commerce, and creativity—advising major studios, streaming platforms, sports leagues, and independent creators on everything from copyright disputes and contract negotiations to M&A and AI regulation. Many have played pivotal roles in headline-making cases and transactions that define the current media economy.
Their work spans trial litigation, corporate structuring, and IP enforcement, with a shared emphasis on navigating the legal complexities of storytelling and brand-building in a digital age. Whether representing music publishers in class actions, guiding the sale of metaverse assets, or defending major content producers in arbitration, these attorneys are relied upon not only for their legal precision but also for their strategic judgment in high-stakes, high-visibility matters.
Among this year’s awardees is Margret Caruso, Chair of the Trademark and Copyright Practice Group at Quinn Emanuel, who brings more than two decades of experience representing leading film, TV, and digital media companies in copyright, design patent, and unfair competition disputes, with a focus on fast-evolving issues at the intersection of content and technology. Caroline Mankey, Partner at Akerman, is recognized for her national reputation in entertainment IP litigation, representing clients such as Nikki Sixx and securing precedent-setting outcomes in right of publicity law. Steve Morrissey, Partner at Susman Godfrey, is a veteran trial lawyer who has secured multimillion-dollar outcomes for clients across the media industry, including class actions against Sirius XM and Spotify.
This year’s awardees were selected based on their ability to navigate high-stakes disputes, structure complex deals, and advise on emerging legal issues in the media and entertainment space. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Media and Entertainment Attorneys of 2025.
1. Erik Hyman
Partner, Paul Hastings
Erik Hyman is a Partner at Paul Hastings. Hyman is co-chair of the Entertainment and Media practice and chair of the Century City Office. He is well known in the entertainment industry as a cutting-edge dealmaker and a fierce protector of his clients, which include movie stars, high-level television creators and showrunners, lead cast members of popular programs on scripted and unscripted television, “first-dollar-gross” producers, and preeminent writers and directors.
Hyman also works closely with multiple publicly traded, non-entertainment companies, steering their television and motion picture industry strategies and branded entertainment projects. He negotiates vanguard talent transactions; structures the financing, acquisition, and sale of independent films; and builds major endorsement campaigns and product lines. He also advises companies regarding strategies for the production and exploitation of content for digital platforms.
Hyman is a frequent public speaker and serves as chairman of the board of the Herb Ritts Foundation, a private charitable foundation focused on HIV/AIDS research and advocacy. Hyman graduated from Columbia Law School with a JD and from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree.
2. Laura Flahive Wu
Partner, Covington & Burling
Laura Flahive Wu is a Partner at Covington & Burling. Wu is an experienced litigator who represents clients in complex litigation, including consumer protection, mass tort matters, and commercial matters. She has a track record of securing favorable outcomes for her clients in state and federal courts, before arbitral panels, and regulatory bodies.
A stand-up litigator, Wu is known for her ability to spot critical issues, and clients frequently rely on her to help them rejuvenate their strategy in challenging cases. Wu has served as co-trial counsel in GSN v. Cablevision, securing a significant victory in a carriage dispute, and has represented NFL member clubs and media companies in class actions, regulatory challenges, and contractual disputes. She also represented a coalition of content companies in overturning a Federal Communications Commission order that would have disclosed confidential trade secrets.
Wu first got her start in 2007 as a TA at VLA. From there, she went on to work as a legal clerk for the Guggenheim Museum, her most recent position prior to joining Covington & Burling. Wu graduated from Columbia Law School with a JD and from Wellesley College with a bachelor’s degree in art history and political science.
3. Stephen Venuto
Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Stephen Venuto is a Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he advises emerging and high-growth companies in technology, media, and entertainment. His practice spans venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic counsel to founders, with a focus on sectors such as gaming, AI, and the metaverse.
He has represented companies including Instagram, Pinterest, Anthropic AI, and Weta Digital, and played a key role in Weta’s $1.6 billion sale of gaming and metaverse assets to Unity Software. Earlier in his career, Venuto served as Facebook’s first lawyer and has continued to work with fast-scaling startups through each stage of growth.
Before joining Orrick in 2005, he practiced at Venture Law Group and Latham & Watkins. He holds a JD from Cornell Law School and a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from UCLA. In addition to his client work, he has also taught multiple courses at Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School and has given guest lectures at Stanford Law School and its School of Engineering.
4. Liza Velazquez
Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Liza Velazquez is a Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Velazquez has nearly 30 years of experience and has extensive expertise representing corporate clients, financial institutions, media and entertainment companies, and non-profit institutions in a broad range of employment-related litigations and investigations. Velazquez also regularly counsels clients on employment-related issues, including litigation risk assessment, review of internal policies, developments in employment law, and compliance.
Her experience includes representing NBCUniversal in two collective actions alleging violations of federal and state labor laws, as well as representing 21st Century Fox in employment-related matters involving gender discrimination and harassment claims. She has also advised Amazon and Barnes & Noble in litigation involving wrongful termination and class action claims, and represented the NFL. In addition to litigation, she has conducted workplace investigations for media clients involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, and workplace misconduct.
Before joining Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Velazquez was a law clerk for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Velazquez graduated from Harvard Law School with a JD in law and from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in American history and literature.
5. Moshe Kupietzky
Partner, Sidley Austin
Moshe Kupietzky is a Partner and the most senior member of the Corporate and Finance practice of Sidley Austin LLP’s Los Angeles office. Kupietzky represents buyers and sellers in multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions as well as strategic and financial parties in private investment and joint venture transactions. Previously, he served as head of the Corporate and Finance practice for more than 20 years and was the Los Angeles office managing partner from 2003 to 2009.
Kupietzky also represents credit parties in various financing transactions, emphasizing transactions in the entertainment industry. Among his clients are investment fund sponsors and private equity firms, including Fortress Investment Group, Century Park Capital Partners, and Canyon Partners, as well as privately held businesses.
Kupietzky has nearly 40 years of experience representing clients in the music publishing and film industries and his recent entertainment industry experience includes representing a major motion picture studio in various co-financing transactions, assisting one of Japan’s largest media corporations in its United States acquisition and disposition transactions, and representing Fortress on numerous investments and acquisitions of companies in this industry.
He also recently represented an Asian strategic investor seeking to acquire a major New York Stock Exchange-listed musical instruments manufacturer.
Kupietzky earned his JD from Harvard Law School and a bachelor's degree from City College NY.
6. Margret Caruso
Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
Margret Caruso is a Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Caruso is Chair of the firm's Trademark and Copyright Practice Group. She devotes a substantial portion of her practice to intellectual property litigation and appellate litigation, including copyright, trademark, and patent infringement, as well as unfair competition and false advertising.
Her experience is broad based, with a focus on Internet, technology, entertainment, and consumer goods companies in the copyright, trademark, design patent, trade secret, and false advertising contexts. She has also represented plaintiffs and defendants in infringement actions concerning design, biochemical, computer, and mechanical patents.
Previously, Caruso was an associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Earlier in her career, she worked with Latham & Watkins as an associate. Caruso graduated from Cornell Law School with a JD and from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in politics and public policy.
Margret Caruso's Insight
“Media and entertainment are engines of cultural understanding, shaping our perceptions of history and illuminating potential futures. Because of this, helping my clients legally create and share their work, and protect what they own, is a deeply rewarding part of what I do. My practice has afforded me a wide and deep view of the field, working with a diverse clientele including authors, producers, and publishers of films, books, video games, and TV shows, as well as TV, video, music, and film companies, bookstores, YouTube, AI companies, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. And from conventional IP licensing and infringement disputes to cases confronting the disruptive emergence of music sharing, video sharing, the internet, mobile applications, and social media, and now AI, my experience allows me to consider multiple perspectives and appreciate the dynamics that inform reactions to new media and platforms. With over 25 years of practice, my enthusiasm for collaborating with creators and innovators remains undiminished—whether or not they have won an Academy Award or a Nobel Prize.”
7. Caroline Mankey
Partner, Akerman
Caroline Mankey, an experienced trial attorney at Akerman LLP, a top 100 law firm with over 700 attorneys and 26 offices, excels in high-stakes and high-profile intellectual property disputes. Caroline represents clients across multiple industries, including entertainment, arts, fashion, retail, and manufacturing.
With nearly 30 years of legal practice, Caroline has successfully served as lead trial counsel in numerous trials and arbitrations, including in a high-profile jury trial representing Nikki Sixx, founder of rock band Motley Crue, whose image was used without authorization in a major advertising campaign.
Early in her career, Caroline protected The Three Stooges' rights in a case that resulted in the publication of seminal right of publicity jurisprudence by the California Supreme Court. Caroline continues to achieve successes in diverse entertainment and intellectual property matters by strategically positioning cases and matters for a resolution that will best achieve her clients’ goals, whether by litigation or settlement.
Caroline Mankey's Insight
“I am tremendously fortunate to have a career that provides challenges, avenues for curiosity and professional growth, and the opportunity to guide clients through what is often a deeply difficult or risky business and economic situation. Although my years of experience fuel my ability to find creative solutions and make sound strategic decisions in each case, my practice is driven foremost by my clients’ objectives and identifying and executing on the strategies that will best achieve those objectives in the most economic and efficient manner. It is critical that I listen carefully to my clients and not substitute my objectives for theirs. Every time I help a client resolve a difficult case it is a tremendously gratifying victory, whether it is by winning a trial or summary judgment motion or by settling a case on favorable terms. Achieving client satisfaction invigorates me and incentivizes me to keep confronting new challenges and aspiring to new heights.”
8. Adam Chase
Partner, Cooley
Adam Chase is a Partner at Cooley and serves as vice chair of the firm’s sports industry vertical. With over two decades of experience, he works with clients in the technology, communications, media, and sports sectors, advising on a range of strategic and operational matters. He specializes in preparing and negotiating sports and entertainment sponsorship, licensing and endorsement agreements, and influencer and advertising contracts. Chase’s practice also includes handling software, content, and trademark licenses and development agreements.
Throughout his career, Chase has represented a variety of high-profile clients in sports and entertainment, including Zoom’s multi-year sponsorship of Formula 1 and the European Tour, Root Insurance’s sponsorship of Bubba Wallace and Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team, and Coca-Cola Consolidated in its various sponsorship arrangements with teams like the Nashville Predators and Carolina Panthers. He also represented DraftKings in its exclusive sponsorship agreement with NASCAR and the expansion of its partnership with Major League Baseball.
Chase began his career in 1999 as a member at Dow Lohnes PLLC. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law with a JD and earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Cornell University.
9. Matthew Bacal
Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell
Matthew Bacal is a Partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, having first joined the firm in 2005 as an associate. Bacal advises clients on IP, technology, media, and data privacy issues arising in their operations and strategic transactions such as licensing, outsourcing and supply agreements, M&A activities, JVs, financings, restructurings, and capital markets offerings. He is also the corporate lead for their cross-disciplinary Data Privacy & Cybersecurity and AI practices.
Bacal has extensive experience structuring, negotiating, and drafting complex commercial arrangements across a range of industries. His work includes advising Comcast on the acquisitions of NBCUniversal, DreamWorks Animation, and Sky, and supporting the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Professional Women’s Hockey League on media rights and commercial arrangements. He has also worked on deals involving content distribution, data use and monetization, branding, sponsorship, and cloud services. A thought leader, he frequently counsels and presents on copyright and data privacy law, as well as on legal issues related to artificial intelligence and its use in media and publishing.
In his pro bono practice, Bacal provides IP and commercial advice to a variety of arts and education-focused nonprofits. Bacal earned a JD from Columbia Law School and a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University.
10. Lauren Katzenellenbogen
Partner, Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear
Lauren Katzenellenbogen is a Partner at Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear. Knobbe Martens is a highly respected intellectual property law firm, offering legal services in all aspects of intellectual property and technology law. The firm’s litigation group handles cases throughout the U.S. and coordinates strategy for disputes worldwide.
Katzenellenbogen is an experienced trial lawyer who has represented clients in all types of intellectual property disputes, including claims pertaining to patents, trademarks, unfair competition, trade secrets, and copyrights. For more than 20 years, she has represented clients in litigation involving an array of industries, including computer software, medical and mechanical devices, consumer products, fashion, energy drinks, and entertainment.
Katzenellenbogen graduated from Harvard Law School with a JD and from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
11. Lynne Graybeal
Partner, Perkins Coie
Lynne Graybeal is a Partner in Perkins Coie’s Trademark, Copyright, Internet & Advertising Group and chairs the firm’s Arts & Entertainment practice. Lynne’s practice focuses on the protection and enforcement of trademarks and copyrights in the U.S. and internationally. Additionally, she handles transactions involving copyrights, media and rights of publicity, including matters involving art, publishing, film, TV, and video production.
Lynne is active in the Seattle arts community and serves on the Board of the Frye Art Museum and is President of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Board of Trustees. She is a frequent speaker on arts and entertainment topics, including at both the Seattle Art Fair and at more traditional CLE programs. Lynne is also active in the International Trademark Association and is past-Chair of INTA’s Non-Traditional Marks Committee and current Chair of the Trademark Office Practice subcommittee on Trademark Examination Guidelines.
12. Nicholas Schneider
Partner, Eckert Seamans
Nick Schneider is a member (Partner) with Eckert Seaman’s Intellectual Property Litigation and Commercial Litigation Groups. He helps his clients by managing large, complex litigations implicating a wide range of intellectual property and commercial rights. Nick has litigated trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, and employee mobility and noncompete cases across the country. Nick’s clients range from technology and manufacturing companies to entertainment, media, marketing, and staffing companies. Nick’s familiarity with intellectual property and commercial litigation lets him give creative, customized, and business-first strategic advice and solutions to clients facing complex disputes.
Nick is a nationally awarded and recognized litigator. His insights on intellectual property and commercial litigation issues are regularly published in global legal publications, including Law360 and Bloomberg Law. He is also a frequent lecturer on intellectual property and commercial litigation issues, including for the National Business Institute. While at Georgetown Law, Nicholas was an annual review articles editor for the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law and a nationally award-winning Barrister’s Council’s Moot Court team member.
Nick also maintains an active pro bono practice, lending his experience and expertise to Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, through which he counsels and educates creative entrepreneurs on intellectual property and commercial matters and issues. As a musician himself, Nick finds deep fulfillment in serving the creative community.
13. Matthew Pace
Partner, Rimon Law
Matthew Pace is a Partner at Rimon Law. With 40 years of experience, Pace represents clients in a broad range of sports and entertainment matters, including property acquisitions and sales, sponsorships, licensing and promotional agreements, joint venture activities, digital rights and other media and general business issues. He also represents various clients with financings and other corporate legal matters.
Pace’s clients include sports and entertainment companies, personalities, leagues and teams, sponsors and properties, technology companies, investors, licensees and licensors, talent and marketing and promotions agencies, and institutional lenders and borrowers. He has represented a prominent music label in the acquisition of music libraries, advised Boy George and Culture Club on a global concert tour, and counseled artist Derrick Adams on an NFT commemorating Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt. He has also advised the UFC on fighter contracts and related media deals.
Pace previously held multiple senior-level business positions, including serving as executive director of Major League Lacrosse and as executive vice president of business development and general counsel for GM EventWorks, an Interpublic Group company that was responsible for managing sports and entertainment alliances for General Motors Corp. Pace holds a JD from the Emory University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College-Hartford.
Matthew Pace's Insight
“I have worked as a business person and a lawyer in the sports industry for over 35 years. During that time, the business of sports has transformed around me, and it has been a pleasure guiding so many of my sports, entertainment and media clients through the numerous legal and business issues that have been presented as the business has evolved. Although I feel like I was there at the start of it all many years ago, in some ways it still feels like a new beginning as technology, new investment strategies and globalization continue to transform the business.”
14. Duvol Thompson
Partner, Holland & Knight
Duvol Thompson is a Partner at Holland & Knight. He is a New York litigation attorney who practices complex commercial and civil litigation in both state and federal court. Thompson routinely represents clients in many industries, including financial services, insurance, consumer products, consumer class actions, and media and entertainment. Thompson is also the co-chair of the New York office Diversity Committee.
Thompson is experienced in advising sports, media, and entertainment clients in various projects, transactions, and internal investigations. His work includes advising mobile gaming sportsbooks on sponsorship deals, licensing agreements, and intellectual property matters such as trademarks and copyrights. Additionally, Thompson has represented NFL teams, film production companies, and professional sports leagues on issues ranging from player misconduct to sponsorship and media collaborations. His deep understanding of the entertainment and sports sectors enables him to offer strategic, industry-specific advice tailored to client needs.
Thompson has both first- and second-chair trial experience and has often negotiated favorable settlements for corporate clients. He has also served as counsel for several firm clients in defense of class action lawsuits, ranging from claims brought under various state consumer protection statutes to wage and hour claims. Prior to attending law school, Thompson was a two-time All-Ivy League and All-American cornerback at the University of Pennsylvania and played professionally in the NFL. Thompson graduated from the Fordham University School of Law with a JD and from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in political science and politics.
15. Banu Naraghi
Partner, Ervin Cohen & Jessup
Banu Naraghi is a Partner at Ervin Cohen & Jessup, where she focuses on corporate and intellectual property litigation in both state and federal court. She joined the firm in 2018 as an associate and has since built a practice representing a diverse range of clients, including content creators, investors, stakeholders, and corporations, in complex business disputes. Naraghi’s experience covers cases involving commercial contracts, shareholder rights, trade secrets, and infringement of copyrights, trademarks, and patents.
Naraghi has successfully represented clients in high-stakes litigation, including obtaining summary judgment for a client in a patent infringement case related to technology used in combating COVID-19. She has also negotiated favorable settlements in trademark disputes for clients in industries such as fashion and footwear, and represented an international quick-service restaurant company in a joint venture dispute involving franchisees.
Before joining Ervin Cohen & Jessup, Naraghi worked as an associate at Gerard Fox Law and as a Post Bar Law Clerk at LaPolt Law, P.C. She earned her JD from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from the University of California, Irvine.
Banu Naraghi's Insight
“I represent creators, innovators, and rights holders in high-stakes entertainment and intellectual property disputes, including complex copyright and trademark litigation. Whether protecting a client’s original content or navigating the evolving legal landscape of media and technology, I bring a strategic, detail-driven approach to preserving the value of their work.”
16. Gabriella Ismaj
Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp
Gabriella Nourafchan Ismaj is a Partner in Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp’s Entertainment and Intellectual Property Litigation department. Gabriella’s practice focuses on entertainment and intellectual property litigation, representing many leading businesses and individuals in the music, film, fashion, hospitality, and television industries, as well as emerging and established technology businesses.
17. Tom Lundin
Managing Partner - Litigation, FisherBroyles
Tom Lundin, Managing Partner – Litigation at FisherBroyles, has 25 years of experience as a litigator focusing on intellectual property, media and entertainment, and complex commercial litigation, as well as counseling clients on intellectual property matters. He has litigated numerous copyright, patent, trademark/trade dress, media, franchise and distribution, trade secret, and complex commercial matters nationwide in federal and state trial and appellate courts and before the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Tom has litigated copyright infringement cases involving a wide variety of works, including both defending and enforcing the rights of high-profile music and publishing clients. Tom also counsels entertainment industry clients concerning the protection and licensing of copyright and trademark rights, as well as all facets of portfolio protection and management.
Tom Lundin's Insight
“Although my career has spanned the full breadth of intellectual property litigation and counseling, as a former writer and journalist, I have a special affinity for copyright law and working with those in music, publishing, and the arts to protect creators’ rights and defend claims of copying, which can have significant reputational impacts, as well as working with media clients on a wide variety of issues, from access to reputational and privacy matters. The continually evolving interface between technology and copyright law places a premium on working with high-quality partners and clients to remain at the cutting edge, and I’m happy to do so.”
18. Kaveri Arora
Partner, Pryor Cashman
Kaveri Arora is a member of Pryor Cashman’s Media and Entertainment, Litigation, and Intellectual Property Groups, representing clients in a diverse range of intellectual property and complex commercial litigation matters. Kaveri regularly counsels music, technology, art, fashion, and luxury goods companies and has significant experience in all aspects of litigation at both the state and federal levels.
19. Patrick Dorime
Partner, Ropes & Gray
Patrick Dorime is a Partner at Ropes & Gray with 14 years of experience in corporate law. He began his career in 2011 and advises investment firms and their portfolio companies in a wide range of corporate transactions, particularly those involving distressed and special situations. With a strong background in M&A, Dorime has extensive experience handling acquisitions, divestitures, structured capital investments, and other bespoke corporate transactions. His practice today focuses on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, equity investments, and general corporate matters, with an emphasis on navigating complex deal-making issues.
Dorime’s work spans numerous industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, and sports and entertainment. He has represented clients in a variety of media and entertainment transactions, such as advising on out-of-court recapitalizations for media entertainment companies and structuring deals related to intellectual property sales and joint ventures. Notable engagements include representing Lyric Capital Group in the recapitalization of Spirit Music Group and advising TOMS Shoes in its recapitalization.
Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, Dorime was an associate at Chadbourne & Parke LLP and a law clerk at the National Football League (NFL). He graduated from the Fordham University School of Law with a JD and earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University.
20. Ilissa Samplin
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Ilissa Samplin is a Partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She serves as co-chair of the firm’s Media, Entertainment and Technology Practice Group, and is also a member of the Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Trials Practice Groups.
Samplin’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and trials, entertainment and technology disputes, and intellectual property litigation and counseling. She has represented corporate and individual clients in the media, entertainment, and technology industries in a wide range of litigation in both federal and state court, including breach of contract, unfair competition, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and antitrust matters.
Samplin also regularly advises clients on intellectual property policies and compliance. In addition, she has experience drafting life rights, intellectual property, and licensing agreements and cease and desist letters for clients in the entertainment and technology sectors. She has represented WBTV in confidential profit participation arbitrations and secured a favorable settlement for Big Fish Entertainment and REELZ in a copyright and trademark dispute.
Samplin got her start in 2012 as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph F. Bianco for the U.S. District Courts, her most recent position prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She graduated from Stanford Law School with a JD and from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in English and theater.
21. Yehudah Buchweitz
Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Yehudah Buchweitz is a Partner in Weil’s Litigation Department, focusing on complex commercial litigation and arbitration. He advises clients across a variety of industries, with significant experience in media, sports, and entertainment law. Buchweitz regularly handles contract disputes, First Amendment issues, right of publicity claims, and antitrust matters for clients in the media and entertainment sectors.
His media and entertainment work includes serving as lead counsel to a leading television broadcaster in an industry-wide multi-district antitrust putative class action litigation regarding broadcast television spot advertising, a major television broadcaster in connection with numerous high-profile disputes regarding the broadcast of professional boxing matches and professional football programming, and multiple television programmers in disputes with cable operators concerning the implications of significant cable operator acquisitions and mergers.
Buchweitz joined Weil in 2001 as a summer associate and has since developed extensive experience advising clients in high-stakes litigation. He earned his JD from the Fordham University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in politics, history, and legal studies from Brandeis University.
22. Stephen Morrissey
Partner, Susman Godfrey
Steve Morrissey is a Partner at Susman Godfrey. He is a trial lawyer with more than 25 years of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-profile media and entertainment matters throughout the country.
In recent years, Morrissey has represented Flutter Entertainment in a multi-billion dollar arbitration against Fox, FanDuel in an ongoing responsible gaming case brought by a former Jacksonville Jaguars employee in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, classes of songwriters and sound recording owners in class actions against Sirius XM and Spotify that resulted in settlements worth more than $50 million, and entrepreneur Steven Lamar in a lawsuit against Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine that resulted in a $25.25 million verdict for unpaid royalties after a jury trial and a favorable post-trial settlement.
23. Ted Stern
Partner, Outside GC
Ted Stern is a Partner at Outside GC. Stern brings 30 years of legal and business experience to his clients. He works with companies of all sizes and in all industries, with a particular focus on commercial contracts in the areas of digital media, software and technology, e-commerce, and professional and consulting services.
Stern regularly handles the drafting and negotiation of a wide range of complex commercial agreements relating to the development, licensing, and distribution of technology services, including representing numerous SaaS-based service providers, digital media companies, content creators and licensors, online services companies, advertising technology firms, e-commerce companies, and professional and consulting services providers.
Before joining Outside GC, Stern was a general counsel at Envision by WorldStrides and, before that, an associate general counsel at The Washington Post. Earlier in his career, he worked with America Online as assistant general counsel. He also served in a senior legal role at Amazon, working on their digital initiatives and AWS. Stern graduated from Columbia Law School with a JD and from Columbia College with a bachelor’s degree in American history.
Ted Stern's Insight
“As a long-time deal lawyer specializing in digital media and technology, I have been fortunate to work with many talented people and outstanding companies over the years. As these areas always continue to evolve, it keeps the challenges fresh and the work exciting.”
24. Brent Turman
Partner, Bell Nunnally & Martin
Brent Turman is a Partner at Bell Nunnally & Martin, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation, including business disputes, intellectual property, real estate, arbitration, and civil RICO actions. He represents a wide range of clients, from startups and high-net-worth individuals to Fortune 50 companies. His practice spans various industries, including media, entertainment, and sports.
Leveraging his background in film and television production, Turman provides valuable guidance to clients in the entertainment, media, and sports industries. He assists with contract negotiation, business disputes, and other related legal matters. Turman has also served as production counsel for films produced in Texas and continues to apply his media industry experience to resolving complex legal issues in the courtroom. Outside of his legal practice, Turman produces short films and was a Remote Producer for the XFL’s re-launch in 2020.
Before his legal career, Turman was an associate operations producer for ESPN/ABC College Football and worked in various production roles for commercials, industrial videos, in-arena entertainment, and music videos. He earned his JD from the SMU Dedman School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the SMU Cox School of Business.
Brent Turman's Insight
“I enjoy leveraging my background in film and television production to persuasively tell my clients’ stories to judges, juries, and arbitrators. As former chair of the State Bar of Texas Entertainment & Sports Law Section, I am thankful to have a Texas-based practice representing clients ranging from professional sports franchises and leagues to literary publishers, music artists, and film financiers. I appreciate the opportunities I have been given to earn the trust of clients in these industries when they need to protect their rights in the courtroom.”
25. Sarah Hartman
Partner, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell
Sarah Hartman is a Partner at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell, where she is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group. Hartman is an experienced litigator who advises and represents clients across a broad spectrum of complex commercial disputes, from inception through trial and appeal. Her practice includes advising clients in the hospitality, media, entertainment, and intellectual property sectors, with a focus on disputes related to breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, breach of contract, unfair competition, and insurance coverage issues, products liability, employment litigation, class action defense, false advertising and other complex financial disputes. Hartman has extensive experience representing clients in both federal district courts and appellate courts.
In addition to her commercial litigation expertise, Hartman has significant experience handling media and entertainment disputes. She has represented major television and motion picture studios in the successful defense of class action lawsuits, as well as defending high-profile Lanham Act claims and unfair competition disputes. Hartman has also advised clients in the music industry, including a well-known country music star, and has represented media conglomerates in arbitration involving film financing disputes. Her work in the entertainment sector extends to advising on complex intellectual property matters, including trademark, copyright, and patent issues.
Previously, Hartman was a partner at Brown Rudnick LLP and, before that, an associate at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. Earlier in her career, she worked with Greenberg Traurig, LLP as an associate. Hartman holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern California and a JD from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Sarah Hartman's Insight
“I’ve always loved a good puzzle, and that’s really what drew me to litigation. Media and entertainment cases, in particular, are rarely simple. They’re full of interesting people, complicated relationships, and high stakes. I got hooked on copyright and IP back in law school, and once I started practicing in LA, it all clicked. I spent my first few years litigating entertainment cases at Greenberg Traurig, and eventually left to help open the LA office of Frankfurt Kurnit, a media and entertainment boutique. I’ve been lucky to work on some fascinating cases over the years, but what keeps me in it is the challenge of turning a messy, real-world conflict into a story that makes sense in court. It’s part strategy, part storytelling. And for me, the most rewarding kind of problem-solving.”
