Prominent lawyers in New York’s entertainment scene are often associated with influential figures, whether they’re opponents or collaborators. Although most business transactions occur privately, their effects resonate far beyond a single industry or city, despite being based in Manhattan. These lawyers, selected for the significance of their cases, the prestige of their clients, and their track record of success, are shaping the future, not just on screens and stages, but also in the realm of artificial intelligence. They’ve brokered endorsement deals for Rihanna, defended media outlets, and negotiated mergers that will alter the entertainment industry, among other things.
Marc Agnifilo & Teny Geragos
As a dedicated follower, I find myself captivated by the dynamic duo, Agnifilo and Geragos, who are standing shoulder to shoulder in the high-profile federal racketeering case involving Sean Combs. With over three decades of experience under his belt, Agnifilo has tackled more than 200 cases, even thriving amidst the intense Diddy trial. Alongside him is his resilient partner, Karen Friedman. Interestingly enough, they’re also representing Luigi Mangione concurrently. Geragos may have a family connection to another high-profile case, but don’t mistake Teny for a beneficiary of nepotism. Known for her grit and strategic prowess when it comes to defending individuals embroiled in serious allegations ranging from sexual misconduct to white-collar crimes, she has paid her dues first by working under the esteemed New York attorney Ben Brafman before co-founding the Agnifilo firm.
David Berlin
Following successful negotiations, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul were given the executive producer and songwriting roles for the movie version of Dr. Seuss’ book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!“. After sealing this deal with Berlin, they moved on to collaborate with Disney for a stage production of “The Greatest Showman” in 2026. Meanwhile, our client David Cromer is leading the critically praised musical “Dead Outlaw“, which earned seven Tony Award nominations. Simultaneously, he is directing George Clooney for the Tony-nominated play “Good Night, and Good Luck“, which set new Broadway box office records and garnered five Tony nominations.
Which television show gets lawyering right — and wrong? “Right: Law & Order. Wrong: Suits.”
Gary Bornstein
a true-life power struggle reminiscent of the TV show Succession, as Bornstein serves as trial counsel for three Murdoch siblings, who are vying for control over the family’s global media empire.
Carrie Casselman, Liz McNamara & Rachel Strom
McNamara is a versatile attorney, representing CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ during Trump’s consumer fraud allegations against their Kamala Harris interview. Notable companies like Netflix, Disney, and NBCUniversal entrust Strom with complex issues, such as dismissing the copyright lawsuit against ‘Abbott Elementary’. Meanwhile, Casselman, known for her work with prestigious theater groups including The Public and Roundabout, advises Broadway season investors; in 2021, her clients received a total of 55 Tony nominations and 15 awards.
The legal show I’d do a cameo in
MCNAMARA “How could one top Better Call Saul?”
Dale Cendali & Joshua Simmons
As a passionate admirer, I can’t help but cheer for Cendali and Simmons after their impressive victories. They successfully argued in favor of Epic Games and Take-Two Interactive, convincing a jury that the inclusion of LeBron James tattoos in NBA 2K didn’t breach copyright laws. Not only did they triumph for these gaming giants, but they also secured a win for humanity by securing the first legal decision stating that Ross Intelligence’s AI was not permitted to use Thomson Reuters content without fair use.
Which TV show gets lawyering right?
CENDALI “I love Legally Blonde — never underestimate women!”
Marc Chamlin
Chamlin is immersed in numerous contracts due to his role as Oprah Winfrey’s legal advisor. These contracts cover various projects such as Harpo Productions specials based on her book club choices, the launch of her podcast, and corporate speaking events. Additionally, Chamlin has been involved in negotiations for Glenn Close in the third Netflix ‘Knives Out’ film and the first Ryan Murphy series for Hulu, titled ‘All’s Fair’, which is set to premiere this fall.
Victoria Cook, Lisa Davis, Sean Jefferson and Sasha Levites
Here, our top-tier talent brokers are at the helm. Davis manages Lisa Loomer (co-writer of the two-time Tony-nominated play “Real Women Have Curves”), and Cook represents Robert Eggers (creator of “Nosferatu”). Since reading his script for “The Witch” in 2014, Davis has also sealed deals for Liz Garbus (director of Hulu’s “Good American Family” and Netflix’s “Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer”). Levites works with Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross (“Nickel Boys”), while Jefferson secured financing for Closer Media for Angelina Jolie’s next project, as well as “The History of Sound,” starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, which debuted at Cannes.
The legal show I’d do a cameo in
LEVITES “Ally McBeal, for a few spontaneous musical moments while I work.”
Peter Grant, Jonathan Lonner &Adam J. Rosen
One can hardly overlook the iconic moment when Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal recreated their famous “fake orgasm” scene, this time using Hellmann’s mayo in a Super Bowl commercial. It was Grant who arranged that deal, along with securing Robert De Niro’s contract with Netflix. Lonner and Grant are responsible for managing Broadway productions for Scott Rudin; meanwhile, Lonner is collaborating with Shania Twain on a musical, while Rosen represents Elton John in relation to his score for the U.K. adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.
Which movie gets lawyering right — and wrong?
ROSEN “Chicago, and Chicago.”
Wook Hwang
When a business needs assistance in contesting copyright claims, Hwang is the go-to professional. Currently, he’s working with Amazon MGM on a copyright disagreement regarding “Road House,” and his clientele includes Sony Pictures and Paramount Global. As he puts it, “Copyright termination has always been fascinating…it’s grown to be a substantial aspect of my work over the years.
What film portrays lawyers inaccurately by having a character say, “You can’t handle the truth!”? (A Few Good Men)
David Jacobs
Following the successful completion of two major deals, totaling over $350 million for Zach Bryan, Jacobs didn’t take a break. Instead, he continued his momentum by securing a new record contract for Pusha T and a YSL endorsement deal with Lil Nas X. Additionally, client Andrew Wyatt has been busy with numerous new projects in the wake of Barbie and The Last Showgirl. “Besides my love for the Knicks,” Jacobs states, “the only thing I’ve ever truly cared about has been music.
Christine Lepera
Lawyer Lepera secured a temporary restraining order against John Oates, preventing him from selling shared properties to external buyers, on behalf of Daryl Hall. Additionally, Lepera successfully argued in favor of Dua Lipa and her songwriting team in a copyright dispute, demonstrating that the two songs at the center of the case showed no significant resemblance.
Which movie gets lawyering right? “Presumed Innocent.”
Michael Mahan
Cynthia Erivo, who is close to achieving an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), has been keeping Mahan quite occupied with multiple high-value film contracts such as Paramount’s “Children of Blood & Bone” and Lionsgate’s “Karoshi”. He also secured a three-year, first-look movie deal at Universal, and Cynthia will host the Tonys. Additionally, Mahan negotiated Sadie Sink’s Broadway role in “John Proctor Is the Villain“, earning her her first Tony nomination, as well as Nick Frost’s contract to portray Hagrid in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series.
As a devoted viewer, I find myself often questioning the accuracy of legal shows: “In reality, I spend an overwhelming majority of my time communicating via emails, phone calls, and video conferences – quite mundane for a thrilling TV series.
Ian Nussbaum & Alli Stillman
Nussbaum acted as an intermediary for Endeavor during its purchase by Silver Lake, Skydance during its merger with Paramount, and WWE in its merger with UFC. Spotify can attribute their victory over royalty payouts to Stillman, a well-known copyright litigator. Additionally, Nussbaum is currently representing Internet Archive in a reported $621 million legal dispute concerning a copyright infringement claim brought by major record labels regarding the public availability of 78 RPM records digitization.
Josh Sandler
There’s nothing more quintessentially New York than representing celebrities like Pete Davidson, who famously bought the Staten Island Ferry along with Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live. Sandler has been instrumental in securing deals for Davidson to star in Dog Man, act alongside Eddie Murphy in Amazon MGM’s The Pickup, and appear in a Super Bowl ad with Gordon Ramsay. Moreover, he renegotiated Janelle James’ contract for Abbott Elementary and secured Dan Amira’s position as head writer for The Daily Show.
Tara Senior
The seasoned professional’s proficiency in significant transactions has led her to serve as MrBeast’s broker for the Prime Video production of ‘Beast Games’, boasting the highest cash prize ever offered on television at $10 million. Moreover, she played a crucial role in finalizing the contract for Fox’s ‘Extracted’, with Sylvester Stallone signed on as producer. Most recently, she has sealed the deal for Jimmy Fallon’s upcoming NBC series, ‘On Brand’, scheduled to air this fall.
Ed Shapiro
As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but marvel at the influence of Shapiro in the world of entertainment. With a clientele as star-studded as Rihanna (whose net worth is an astonishing $1.4 billion), Anitta, Grimes, and Nicki Minaj, he’s the go-to guy for many of my favorite artists. His expertise has been instrumental in securing deals for Rihanna, from her Dior contract to her music gracing the Smurfs franchise (oh, and did you know she also voices Smurfette?). He even guided Anitta’s move to Republic Records. In the realm of electronic dance music, he maintains a robust practice as well.
Is it not ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ that strays from reality in portraying law students as murder solvers?” or
“Does ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ not accurately depict law students solving murders?
Alison Stein
Stein is positioned at the junction of technology and entertainment law, offering legal guidance to Meta on matters related to artificial intelligence and augmented reality, such as the rollout of AR glasses, among other things. Additionally, she represents Nintendo in lawsuits where it is accused of colluding with other industry players to make video games excessively addictive for minors, while hiding their impact. Furthermore, she serves as an AI legal advisor for multiple entertainment companies.
The legal show I’d do a cameo in “Does Veep count?”
Priya Verma
This year has been nothing short of thrilling for me, as I’ve seen my favorite talent make significant strides in the industry! Rachel Sennott, the brilliant mind behind Bottoms, saw her comedy pilot get picked up by HBO, and she teamed up with Dan Levy to create a new comedy for Netflix. She also landed a brand ambassador role with Balenciaga. Excitingly, Luca Guadagnino will direct, and Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri will star in Nora Garrett’s After the Hunt at Amazon MGM. Nisha Ganatra signed on to direct Freakier Friday at Disney, while Verma sealed Fred Armisen’s deal for the Wednesday spinoff, Fester. And lastly, Eboni Booth, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is developing a Game of Thrones spinoff for HBO. What an incredible year for these talented individuals!
Nancy Wolff
Wolff’s work with the Digital Media Licensing Association focuses on addressing copyright matters arising from AI advancements. Her proposed federal NO FAKES Act seeks to establish a protective environment for the licensing industry concerning artificial images, aligning with her legal representation of prominent photo agencies like Getty and Alamy in ongoing copyright disputes that safeguard image ownership rights.
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2025-06-06 18:55