Top Lawyers In Usa

"No envelope mix-up here! Meet the attorneys behind the 'Moonlight' Oscar winner, Melania's lawsuit, Bill O'Reilly's downfall, the year's most significant media megamergers and pretty much anything that matters in Hollywood. Extortion. Messy divorces. Nine-figure deals with Chinese media conglomerates. It's been a busy year for Hollywood's power attorneys, who once more gather in THR's webpages for its magazine's annual Power Attorneys issue. The women and men on this listing handle a range of instances, from simple talent contracts to complex corporate mergers that take months to iron out, however they all have things in common. All of them love working in the entertainment market. They all play a very important part in keeping Hollywood's wheels spinning. They're at the very top of the area. And -- judging from THR's survey -- they all drink a lot of coffee (an average of 5.5 cups a day, if calculations include the man who claimed to down 97 cups). Below, the Power Lawyers of 2017 talk about their biggest instances, disclose their private political beliefs (only 14 percent believe Donald Trump will get impeached) and answer the age-old question, "Which superhero would you most want to represent? ""

Melanie Cook

Ziffren Brittenham Alma mater UCLA School of Law Why she matters Cook helped capture Dumbo off the ground by negotiating Tim Burton's bargain to direct the remake of this Disney classic. She also negotiated Holly Hunter's agreement to star in HBO's Here, Nowa new series from Alan Ball. Robin Wright scored her fourth best actress Emmy nomination for House of Cards, and another customer, Naomie Harris, Oscar nominated for supporting actress, watched her film Moonlight triumph for best picture at a historic upset. Most dangerous thing I've done in a decade "Rock climbing the Via Ferrata in the Dolomites in Italy. Also, helicopter skiing in Canada. "

David Hernand

Paul Hastings Alma mater Georgetown Law Why he matters Hernand's most buzzed-about present deal involves an undisclosed client who turned into a lead investor in Jeffrey Katzenberg's new finance, WndrCo, that is expected to close at $750 million. In 2016, he worked on Wanda's planned $1 billion acquisition of client Dick Clark Productions, which ultimately fell through. But he had better luck with other clients, such as Germany's Tele Munchen Group, which invested in Santa Monica-based Storied Media Group in January. Most dangerous thing I've accomplished in a decade "Bungee jumping or skydiving. "

Rick Genow

Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher Alma mater Harvard Law School He matters Genow, a successful signer, recently closed a deal that will see Debra Messing yield for a brand new period of NBC's Will & Grace and renegotiated Taylor Schilling's new season of Orange Is the New Black (doubling her fee) and made a film deal for customer Michael Pena for Extinction. Comfort Food "Anything Dan Tana's is functioning. "

Darrell Miller

Alma mater Georgetown Law He matters Miller is known for helping ability explore entrepreneurial ventures but lately has been negotiating record deals for Mariah Carey and DMX to receive them back to music at which they began. He also 's also helping Courtney B. Vance capitalize on his People v. O.J. Simpson warmth with a new half-hour ABC series. Clients Ludacris and Terrence J every inked overall deals with MTV, while Angela Bassett is continuing her job with Ryan Murphy in a not-yet-titled procedural play. Last TV series binged Luke Cage

Nina Shaw

Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano Alma mater Columbia Law School Why she matters Lupita Nyong'Decision named Shaw that a "badass" in a November New York Times profile and she made the description this year. Two of her clients, Raoul Peck (I'm Not Your Negro) and Ava DuVernay (13th), were nominated for best documentary in the Oscars. And she promptly negotiated customer Cannon from his America's Got Talent hosting gig to turn his sights toward a YouTube Red job that he composed, directed, executive produced and stars in alongside Whoopi Goldberg. Other customers include Misty Copeland, Fate of the Furious director F. Gary Gray and Laurence Fishburne. Comfort food "Homemade macaroni and cheese. "