Venable LLP announced today that William J. Briggs, II has joined the Los Angeles office as partner in the Commercial Litigation Group. Briggs is an entertainment industry veteran representing well-known talent in film, television and music as well as production and music publishing companies. Previously, Briggs was a partner at Lavely & Singer in Los Angeles.
“William has a stellar reputation in the entertainment industry as the go-to litigator and business counsel for some of the most well-known industry talent and executives,” said Douglas Emhoff, Managing Partner of Venable’s Los Angeles office. “He is an excellent fit with the diverse practices we offer to clients both in and out of the entertainment industry. The firm can also offer complementary and sophisticated support to his clients and a platform to help expand his practice.”
With substantial trial and complex litigation experience, Briggs’ clients seek his counsel in diverse areas from complex contractual matters and discrimination and harassment suits, to copyright, trademark and trade secret issues. He often acts in a “general counsel” capacity, assisting in the formation and operations of his clients’ business ventures. Mr. Briggs has successfully tried several complex and high profile entertainment-related disputes before state and federal courts.
“Venable has established practices that will benefit my clients as they expand their careers as talent or as entrepreneurs,” said Briggs. “The natural synergy between my practice and the firm’s litigation, corporate, lobbying, IP and tax and wealth planning practices are a tremendous benefit and will enable us to assist clients in some of the most significant and pressing issues impacting the entertainment industry today.”
Briggs earned his J.D. at Georgetown University and is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman College. He is involved in the Alliance for Children’s Rights and serves as a trustee for the Sierra Canyon School Board.
Ranked by the Los Angeles Business Journal Top 100 Law Firms List, Venable’s West Coast team provides clients with a range of representation including Advertising and Marketing; Corporate; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Media and Entertainment; Privacy and Data Security; SEC and White Collar Defense and Tax and Wealth Planning. The office makes available to clients the skills of its government and legislative affairs team to provide local clients with a voice on Capitol Hill – adding value in ways that few other local firms can match.
