America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2010: Media & Entertainment
Chambers & Partners has compiled its independent and objective list of America's Leading Lawyers for Business based on comments gathered from thousands of interviews with clients and lawyers from Maine to Hawaii. This guide — which is designed to reflect market opinion — contains a view of the firms and attorneys who are considered leaders in their field.
In Chambers' 2010 review of national legal talent in the area of "Media & Entertainment," our Firm and our lawyers are listed among the best in the country.
Chambers' comments:
New York Ranking: Tier 2
The Firm: Kirkland & Ellis enters the rankings this year following the acquisition of leading copyright lawyer Dale Cendali and her nine-strong team from O'Melveny & Myers. This has redefined the firm's New York office as a destination media and entertainment litigation practice, with clients including Apple, IBM and JK Rowling. Recent highlights include representing The Associated Press in a declaratory judgment suit brought by graphic artist Shepard Fairey, arising out of Fairey's unauthorized use of a photo of President Barack Obama to create the Obama 'HOPE' poster and related commercial merchandise.
Sources Say: "Aggressive litigators with exceptional industry knowledge."
Key Individuals: According to interviewees, Dale Cendali is "a superb choice for cutting-edge copyright cases – she's a real powerhouse in that area." JK Rowling and Warner Bros. are long-standing clients, which she recently successfully represented in a copyright fair use trial against RDR Publishing, halting the proposed publication of an unauthorized Harry Potter lexicon.
District of Columbia Ranking: Tier 3
The Firm: Kirkland & Ellis is a go-to firm for plaintiffs seeking representation in First Amendment matters. It recently represented Madison Square Garden as plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit against a blogger and the website Cityfile – it achieved a retraction and a public apology. Other clients range from individuals to Fortune 500 companies and include Chiquita Brands International, GM and the HBO program 'The Sopranos'.
Key Individuals: According to peers, Thomas Yannucci "strikes fear into the heart of media defense lawyers." He is famed as a "highly effective and incredibly tough" First Amendment litigator.
Reprinted with permission from Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2010 — www.chambersandpartners.com.
