DLA Piper announced today that Michael Garfinkel and Miles Cooley have joined the firm’s Media, Sport and Entertainment practice as partners in Los Angeles.
Garfinkel, who has spent more than 25 years as an entertainment industry litigator, joins DLA Piper from Perkins Coie LLP, where he served as its firmwide chair of Media and Entertainment Litigation. He represents motion picture studios, television networks, production companies and talent agencies in a wide variety of matters, including disputes involving profit participations, commissions and trade secrets. He also counsels and litigates on behalf of media, advertising, commercial production and hospitality clients concerning copyright, trademark and right of publicity matters, as well as libel, slander and related First Amendment issues.
Cooley, who was formerly a partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, focuses his practice on litigation for major corporations, high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs and thought innovators in the sports, entertainment and media industries.
“Michael and Miles are talented lawyers whose deep and multifaceted experience representing studios, networks and agencies will bring immediate value to our clients in the entertainment industry,” said Frank Ryan, co-chair of DLA Piper’s US and global IPT practices and deputy chair of the firm’s Media, Sport and Entertainment sector. “Their skills are ideally suited to strengthen DLA Piper’s current entertainment and media offerings in Los Angeles and beyond.”
“I am excited to be joining DLA Piper and adding to the firm’s already significant capabilities in the media and entertainment litigation space,” Garfinkel said. “Stuart Liner’s vision and drive are contagious, and I am thrilled to be reuniting with my long-time friend and former partner Doug Emhoff. I’m looking forward to helping continue to build on the momentum from the recent Liner LLP merger with DLA Piper.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining DLA Piper at such an exciting time, as the firm continues to strengthen its presence in Southern California,” Cooley added. “The firm’s deep knowledge of the local LA market, combined with the scope of its international platform, will be a huge benefit for my clients.”
Since merging with Los Angeles-based Liner LLP in October, DLA Piper has continued to expand its presence in the region, first with the addition of leading entertainment and IP litigator Douglas Emhoff, a partner in the firm’s Media, Sport and Entertainment sector who joined from Venable, followed by the addition of Joel Athey, a partner in the Litigation practice who previously served as the managing partner of Holland & Knight LLP’s Los Angeles office.
“As we continue to grow our West Coast capabilities, the addition of Michael and Miles to the firm will help achieve our goal of expanding our core practice offerings here in Los Angeles,” said Stuart Liner, co-managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles offices. “They bring substantial experience in the entertainment industry, along with an excellent reputation among many of its top players, and we eagerly anticipate their contributions.”
Garfinkel, who serves as the associate national commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League, was ranked by Chambers USA as among the top media and entertainment litigators in California in 2016 and 2017. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Cooley is a national board member of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and a member of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Source: www.dlapiper.com
