Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is home to an entertainment practice adept at handling a variety of matters, including contract issues, defamation, regulatory challenges, and employment disputes. Brian Ascher and  Ilissa Samplin jointly lead the practice and are based in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. Ascher is co-head of the firm’s entertainment practice group and focuses on civil matters, including trade secrets, trademarks, and First Amendment cases. Co-head Samplin brings the team a wealth of experience in IP litigation, and disputes involving copyright, trade marks, trade secrets and profit participation. Orin Snyder is a highly experienced member of the team and offers clients experience across a range of matters, including commercial disputes, class actions, and regulatory matters. He has an additional focus on distribution matters, rights management and information security. Theodore Boutrous, based in Los Angeles, adds depth to the team with experience in First Amendment cases and defamation matters.

Based in Los Angeles, the Latham & Watkins entertainment practice group is well-versed in a variety of matter types, including trial and appellate litigation, regulatory matters, and defamation cases. Marvin S. Putnam is co-chair of the firm’s entertainment practice, and represents clients such as entertainment companies, investors, producers and talent, both at trial and in the appellate courts. He also works providing prepublication advice for news outlets. Jessica Stebbins Bina represents clients in contract disputes, tort claims, and IP litigation across a range of industries, including television, film, radio, and digital industries. Robert Ellison brings experience representing high-net-worth individuals in litigation, alongside internet companies and sports franchises. Laura Washington represents entertainment and media clients in litigation and manages crisis response and internal investigations.

Clients praise the media and entertainment litigation team at O'Melveny for being ‘exceptionally strategic and impactful’. The team is well prepared to take on matters, including copyright disputes, writing disputes, and trademark issues. Molly Lens leads the firm’s entertainment practice. Based in Century City, Lens is experienced in employment law, IP law, tort law, misconduct and discrimination matters. Daniel Petrocelli brings a vast amount of experience to the team and excels in handling media disputes. Within media and entertainment law, Petrocelli advises clients on insurance matters, competition law, criminal defence, and antitrust. Drew Breuder adds value to the team with experience in copyright, trademarks, and IP, representing clients in profit participation cases.

Kendall Brill & Kelly‘s entertainment practice is sought out for its ability to handle defamation cases, First Amendment complaints, and breach of contract disputes. Richard Kendall and Philip Kelly, both based in Los Angeles, lead the practice. Kendall, a founding partner at the firm, brings strong credentials to practice, with experience in cross-border litigation, anti-SLAPP motions, and First Amendment rights cases. Kelly is experienced in copyright law, breach of contract cases, and disputes resulting from residuals. Nary Kim represents clients at trial and in arbitrations and takes on trademark infringement matters. Adding depth to the team, Patrick Somers has experience handling copyright infringement cases, as well as working on disputes resulting from music rights disputes.

With clients in film, music, theatre, and television, the entertainment team at Loeb & Loeb LLP is well-known across the industry. Christian Carbone and David Grossman lead the team as co-chairs of the litigation practice at the firm. Carbone, based out of New York, has experience in both state and federal court, as well as in arbitrations on cases involving IP disputes, copyright, and defamation. Grossman, Los Angeles-based, focuses his practice on IP matters, rights of publicity, and trademark issues. He represents film and television companies and music rights holders. Also based in Los Angeles, Sunny Brenner represents a wide variety of clients, from directors and screenwriters to athletes and music artists.

With a particular focus on music litigation, the team at Pryor Cashman LLP is a key contact for publishers, songwriters, artists, and record labels. The team is led by the capable quintet of Ilene Farkas, James Sammataro, Frank Scibilia, Benjamin Semel, and Donald Zakarin. Florida-based Sammataro represents a variety of high-profile individuals in copyright infringement disputes, often taking the cases to trial. He is also equipped to advise on touring exhibitions and publicity claims. The rest of the team is based in New York. Farkas specializes in IP matters, taking on copyright and trademark cases across the full range of media industries. Scibilia is co-chair of the firm’s copyright practice and brings expertise in litigation and regulatory matters. Semel bases his practice on litigation involving streaming and royalties. Zakarin litigates on behalf of large record companies.

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP is sought out by individuals and large companies in the media and entertainment industry. The team is jointly led by Los Angeles-based Robert Schwartz and Gary Gans, alongside New York-based Carey Ramos. Schwartz is co-chair of the firm’s media practice and brings expertise in matters ranging from copyright disputes and trademark issues to First Amendment cases. Gans specializes in litigation surrounding film financing, distribution, and production. He also handles matters involving IP and copyright. Ramos is experienced in cross-border disputes, IP, copyright and trade secrets cases. Moon Hee Lee, Los Angeles-based, adds depth to the team with prowess in copyright and trademark cases.

Led by Benjamin Marks, the team at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has a strong focus on the music industry. The practice is called upon for its experience in copyright and licensing cases, as well as work on contract disputes, distribution matters, and a variety of IP disputes. Marks, who is based in New York, has a wealth of experience in music licensing, First Amendment disputes, in addition to copyright and trademark work. David Yohai, also based in New York, adds depth to the team with his experience in a variety of matter types, including privacy and antitrust, alongside media rights and contract disputes.

The team at Williams & Connolly LLP is sought out by clients for its ability to handle a variety of litigations across the media and entertainment landscape, with a particular focus on print media and First Amendment matters. Led by Thomas Hentoff, Joseph Terry, and Stephen Fuzesi, all based in Washington DC, the team handle copyright, employment, and antitrust matters. Hentoff focuses his practice on IP disputes and First Amendment matters, including trademark issues, defamation, and class action litigations. Terry brings a focus to First Amendment cases and handles clients from media companies, public offices, and financial services companies. Fuzesi is also focused on First Amendment mandates, and represents media companies and journalists in defamation cases. Nicholas Gamse adds depth to the team.

Ballard Spahr LLP, led by Washington DC-based Chad Bowman, specializes in First Amendment issues and media law. Clients praise the firm for being ‘extremely responsive, competent, and efficient’ when handling libel, privacy and IP claims. Bowman focuses his practice on advising new and legacy media organizations on publication risk, alongside representing clients in state and federal court in defamation and First Amendment cases. Seth Berlin represents clients in defamation, privacy, and copyright matters, both in federal and appeals courts. Philadelphia-based Michael Berry brings experience to the team, representing clients in First Amendment cases, defamation disputes, and right of the press issues.

The entertainment team at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is well-equipped to handle a range of entertainment litigation, including antitrust, IP disputes, regulatory issues, and bankruptcy litigation. Wes Earnhardt is a key member of the team, based in New York. He has experience in securities, antitrust matters, and IP disputes. Earnhardt also handles matters concerning business torts and restructurings. David Korn adds depth to the team with experience in antitrust and securities matters. The practice takes on clients from a variety of industries, including film and television, publishing, and broadcasting.

King & Spalding is home to an entertainment practice capable of handling cases from a variety of industries, including television, streaming platforms, social media, and film. Kenneth Steinthal and Arwen Johnson jointly lead the team, based in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively. Steinthal represents clients in copyright cases, class actions, distribution disputes, and licensing disputes. He has a particular focus on digital audio and audio-visual content distribution. Johnson handles a variety of commercial litigation, including copyright infringement, contract disputes, and defamation. David Mattern, also San Francisco-based, focuses on representing music companies in copyright litigation.

The entertainment team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is well-equipped to handle a variety of matters, including copyright disputes, trademark disputes, and matters of fair use. The team is led by New York-based Dale Cendali, who clients praise as ‘a practical problem-solver’ and someone who ‘approaches challenges with pragmatism.’ Cendali is adept at handling an array of entertainment and media litigation, including copyright, trademark, and trade secrets matters. Claudia Ray works similarly in copyright and trademark, but also brings experience working with pre-litigation IP issues.

With a practice clients praise for ‘deep technical expertise’, the team at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is sought out for its ability to represent clients in music, film and television, and publishing. Robert A. Jacobs leads the team, all based in Los Angeles, and has a wealth of experience in representing clients in the music and entertainment industry, with a focus on IP, copyright, and trademark infringement matters. Nathaniel Bach adds depth to the team, with expertise in unfair competition matters and First Amendment cases. Sarah Moses works on copyright and trademark cases.

Brown Rudnick LLP‘s entertainment team has a specific focus on brand and reputational management and handles matters involving privacy and security for clients in sport and media, as well as governmental agencies. Boston-based Wayne Dennison jointly leads the team and is experienced in defamation cases, often representing clients at trial. Stephen Best and Rachel Wolkinson, both based in Washington DC, add depth to the team. Best focuses his practice on white-collar matters, including securities class actions. Wolkinson also works on white-collar matters.

Led by media specialists Vincent Chieffo, Michael Grygiel, and Mathew Rosengart, the entertainment team at Greenberg Traurig represents a variety of high-profile individuals and media companies. Rosengart takes on First Amendment matters and defamation cases. Gregory W. Herbert is a name to note in the team, with experience in trademark law, IP law, and trade secrets.

The entertainment team at Katten is well-equipped to take on matters from a variety of industries, including music, film and television, and new media. Los Angeles-based Zia Modabber chairs the firm’s entertainment practice, which handles copyright infringement cases and defamation matters. Modabber is well-versed in a variety of matters, including IP disputes and First Amendment matters, taking these cases to trial and mediation. David Halberstadter adds depth to the team.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP‘s New York-based practice assists clients from a variety of industries, including film, television, music, and sport. The team is co-led by Brad S. Karp, Jessica S. Carey, Kannon K. Shanmugam, Theodore Wells, and Elizabeth Stotland Weiswasser. Jay Cohen is a key name in the team, handling antitrust, securities, and IP disputes. Lynn Bayard has expertise in copyright and trademark matters.

The team of Alexis Robinson in New York, Sascha Henry in Los Angeles, John Brooks in San Diego, and Robert Friedman in New York, the entertainment team at Sheppard is capable of representing clients on a variety of matters. A key name in the team is Washington DC-based Benjamin Chew, who represents clients in defamation cases and reputational matters. In Orange County, Camille Vasquez works on reputation management cases and crisis management.

Sidley Austin LLP‘s entertainment team represents a range of clients across music, publishing, film, and television and is led by Rollin A. Ransom, Matthew C. Thompson, Charles Baker, and Irwin Raij. Ransom, Los Angeles-based, focuses his practice on matters in the music industry and handles a variety of IP claims. Randi Singer is a key name in the team, bringing expertise in trademark and copyright litigation across a variety of industries in the sector. Nima H. Mohebbi is a new member of the team, and is experienced in defamation and IP cases.

Representing clients in matters across a range of industries, such as sport, film, television, and publishing, the team at Susman Godfrey LLP is led jointly by Kalpana Srinivasan and Davida Brook. Srinivasan, based in Los Angeles, has expertise in privacy cases, acquisition disputes, and antitrust cases. Brook, also based in Los Angeles, has experience in defamation cases and in class actions. Justin Nelson, based in Houston, is another key member of the team and is equipped to handle copyright cases within a variety of industries.

California-based Lee Brenner leads the entertainment practice at Venable LLP. The team is well-versed in IP litigation, contract disputes, defamation, and privacy matters. Brenner is experienced in copyright cases, alongside anti-SLAPP law, and First Amendment litigation. Also residing in California, David Fink is proficient in defamation cases, and in particular, privacy and reputational damage claims.

WilmerHale's entertainment practice is home to a team capable of handling defamation cases, First Amendment cases, and antitrust litigation. Ari Holtzblatt leads the practice and focuses on representing tech and social media companies in constitutional issues, alongside copyright and fraud matters, across state and federal courts.