On April 8, 2021, Variety released its annual Legal Impact Report, featuring the top in-house attorneys, litigators, and transactional attorneys in the entertainment industry. Venable partner and chair of the firm’s West Coast Tax and Wealth Planning Practice Michele Mulrooney made her eighth consecutive appearance in the report. She was joined by partner Alex Weingarten, included for the fifth consecutive year, as well as partner and vice chair of the Entertainment and Media Group Paul Bernstein, and partner and chair of the Entertainment and Media Litigation Group Lee Brenner.
Michele Mulrooney focuses her practice on estate planning for high-net-worth individuals, including actors, directors, writers, producers, artists, sports figures, business owners and executives, and real estate investors. She has substantial experience in all aspects of sophisticated estate planning, including the preservation and protection of wealth for generations of families, establishing and advising private foundations, post-death administration of estates and trusts, establishing and advising conservatorships and guardianships, cross-border planning for multinational clients, and insurance issues.
Alex Weingarten is a commercial trial lawyer who represents clients in all facets of entertainment, probate, and business litigation. In addition to Variety, Alex has been recognized by such publications as the California Daily Journal, Billboard, and the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 50 trial lawyers in Los Angeles, one of the top music attorneys in the nation, and one of the 500 most influential business leaders in the region. Clients look to Alex to handle "bet the company" cases, to protect their integrity during the very public litigation process, to provide a fresh approach, and to suggest novel and overlooked strategies.
Paul Bernstein counsels clients on matters such as joint ventures, acquisitions, capital raising, and executive compensation. He also serves as outside general counsel for many of his clients, and regularly coordinates with the firm’s Tax, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Real Estate, Litigation, Creditors’ Rights, and Regulatory specialists to provide comprehensive and efficient service.
Lee Brenner is a trial attorney and high-stakes business litigator. With numerous published decisions in his career, Lee has deep experience in the media and entertainment industry, particularly in the areas of defamation, copyright law, idea theft, credit disputes, privacy, intellectual property, and right of publicity. He has developed significant experience regarding defamation by anonymous posters on the Internet. He also has an extensive background in handling matters related to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).