Downey Entertainment & Sports Lawyers

Mike Arias is the senior and managing partner of the firm. He handles matters throughout the United States. Mr. Arias has litigated and tried matters from New York to Texas to California, in both state and federal court. He has resolved hundreds of matters, either by trial, arbitration, mediation or negotiated settlement, resulting in millions of dollars in recovery for the firm's clients. His most recent trial victory resulted in a judgment and subsequent settlement in excess of $19 million. His most recent settlements total well in excess of $50 million. Mr. Arias has also successfully defended and counseled many...

Joseph A. Yanny was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, and attended college and law school at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Yanny obtained a B.E. in Engineering in 1975 and his J.D. in 1978. Mr. Yanny began practicing as a patent attorney in Chicago, Illinois where he obtained his first million dollar judgment before moving to California in 1980. Prior to founding his own law firm in 1983, Mr. Yanny worked in the aerospace industry in California.

Mr. Yanny is a member of the Chicago, Beverly Hills, South Bay, Los Angeles County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations;...

Gordon Firemark practices entertainment (Theatre, Film, Television, Digital Media), media and business law in Los Angeles. He helps creative industry professionals make deals that make sense, and that get their productions developed, financed, produced and distributed. His practice also covers intellectual property, cyberspace, new media, business transactions, and corporate matters for clients in the fields of media, entertainment, content and digital business. Mr. Firemark is frequently referred to as “The Podcast Lawyer™”, and is the author of The Podcast, Blog, & New Media Producers’ Legal Survival Guide. (Https://podcastlawbook.com) He is also a podcaster himself. ...

With more than 20 years of experience, Tre Lovell has been noted among the elite trial lawyers in the nation, having been named "Lawyer of the Year" Finalist, 2016, by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and further honored by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 50 Litigation Trailblazers in the United States. Mr. Lovell has been recognized among the top 1% of attorneys in the country as a litigator through such esteemed organizations as America's Top 100 Attorneys, Distinguished Justice Advocates, National Academy of Jurisprudence, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Rue's Best Attorneys of America. In addition,...

Navid handles business litigation and employment litigation for individual and corporate clients in a wide range of industries, from small businesses to large publicly-traded corporations. As a seasoned Los Angeles entertainment lawyer, Navid has extensive experience in the media and entertainment industries, representing clients such as recording artists, managers and agents, production companies and content providers. Navid has litigated numerous intellectual property claims involving, among other things, copyright and trademark infringement, cyber-squatting, defamation, right of publicity, and trade secret misappropriation. Navid handles sexual harassment, wrongful termination, disability discrimination and pregnancy discrimination. Since 2002, Navid Soleymani has been litigating complex business, entertainment,...

David A. Sergenian is the founder of Sergenian Law, a Professional Corporation. His practice concentrates in the areas of copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, partnership and startup disputes, appellate practice, and general commercial litigation. In addition, he has extensive experience in patent law, securities litigation, entertainment litigation, and employment actions. He has represented clients on “both sides of the v.,” including numerous Fortune 500 companies, in litigations, trials, arbitrations, and alternative dispute resolutions.

Ginam Lee has been a California licensed attorney since 1999. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Central District of California as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His areas of practice are litigation, real estate, entertainment, intellectual property, alcoholic beverages, franchises, and business affairs. Mr. Lee began his legal career as a legal assistant at a boutique criminal defense firm of Beck & DeCorso in downtown Los Angeles. Since then, he has worked in various legal capacities at major firms such as O'Melveny & Myers in...

Music and entertainment law was a natural progression given my background. Having had jobs / positions in production, publishing, artist and label management, I have unique perspective. I love helping artists with their business issues so they can focus on developing their craft.

Russell Sommers is a seasoned transactional attorney who helps individuals and businesses maximize the value of their Intellectual Property (IP) through the strategic application of copyright, trademark, trade secret, patent, and other IP laws. The Law Office of Russell Sommers offers quality legal services tailored to meet the specific IP needs of businesses and individuals in the spheres of business, technology & entertainment. The Law Office of Russell Sommers: Creative Legal Practices for Creative Legal Minds. TM

Mr. Alves's practice focuses on advising startups, emerging growth and middle market companies across a spectrum of industries in corporate, finance and business transactions with emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, entertainment, contracts and project finance. Licensed in Brazil and the U.S., he practiced for several years at major law firms in Brazil and the U.S. advising domestic and international clients on, among other things, corporate, mergers and acquisitions and investments matters.

Daniel R. Freytag is Of Counsel with Meyer Wilson, LPA. He was born in Napoleon Ohio and earned his B.A. at Wittenberg University where he graduated magna cum laude. He went on to attend the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University and earned his J.D. summa cum laude. Mr. Freytag has been a trial lawyer for more than thirty-four years and has represented hundreds of large corporations, small businesses, professionals, and individuals in a variety of complex tort, insurance, and business cases. He has personally examined or cross-examined more than 1000 lay witnesses and more than 150 expert...

I practice transactional entertainment and technology law and was a also a journalist at The Hollywood Reporter from 2010-20, where I covered entertainment labor, law and business. A former computer scientist, I was also active in local politics for over a decade. A preeminent expert on Hollywood unions and guilds, I'm the author of several books on the subject. I'm also an adjunct professor at USC and Southwestern law schools, and previously at UCLA Law School, and a non-resident research fellow at Rutgers University. I've worked as a talent lawyer; guild attorney; and as a litigator. I've been a member of the...

Mr. Wroan is president of The Wroan Law Firm, Inc. where his practice focuses exclusively on sports and entertainment, technology and new media, business, real estate and related litigation. Mr. Wroan has negotiated, drafted and closed numerous production financing, sponsorship, licensing, talent, endorsement and related agreements on behalf of individual clients, companies and brands both here in the U.S. and internationally for over fifteen years. In addition, Mr. Wroan has consulted for and advised several Fortune 500 companies on their branded entertainment, integration and licensing strategies including: Brunswick, Life Fitness, Volkswagen of America, Zippo Manufacturing, Razor USA LLC, AllSteel and Bebe...

We are dedicated to providing quality legal services at reasonable rates. Our attorneys are experienced, business-oriented and responsive to client needs. We have experience in licensing and other technology transactions, intellectual property counseling, product distribution and marketing, contracts, corporate organization and governance, mergers and acquisitions, financings, employment, real estate, entertainment law and general business and corporate matters.

Ms. Slaughter has over 20 years of trial and litigation experience in Employment and Labor Law, Civil/Business Law, Trademark Infringement, and Personal Injury. Ms. Slaughter is also a mediator and has successfully bridged the gap to resolution of hundreds of cases. Ms. Slaughter is an adjunct Professor, teaching English, English to Foreign Learners, and Paralegal instruction.

Having previously practiced at an American Law 100 firm as well as in-house counsel for a multi-national corporation, Mr. Hakala brings both legal expertise and business sense to the business transactions that clients seek to accomplish and the complex legal problems that they seek to litigate and resolve. Mr. Hakala has not only litigated various complex business and employment matters on behalf of Fortune 100 clients, he also provides general business, technology, and media law representation to various companies, including start-up businesses and those in the renewable energies sector.  Mr. Hakala is an experienced business litigator who has also...

Jeannine Stepanian is a versatile transactional attorney. Her diverse practice includes entertainment law, intellectual property law, and business transactions. She has represented clients in the entertainment industry, including actors, writers, producers, and directors. She has also represented a wide variety of corporate clients, from small businesses and tech start-ups to non-profit organizations, production companies, and film studios. Prior to forming SLF in 2019, Ms. Stepanian practiced litigation. She has experience in family law, appellate law, and insurance defense. As a former litigator, she is uniquely suited to drafting and negotiating contracts with an aim to protect her clients from future...

I am a 25 year veteran attorney specializing in representing music, film and television entertainment industry clients in a variety of intellectual property and complex business related disputes and transactions.

We are a boutique law firm with attorneys that specialize in personal injury, criminal defense and business law services, as well as entertainment law. We provide aggressive and efficient legal representation for each of our clients and work hard until we get you the results you need and want. Our attorneys will also travel to you if needed.

Allan is an Attorney and CPA whose practice focuses on legal and business management services for passionate clients in the entertainment/media and fashion/apparel industries. His unique background allows him to service clients with all aspects of transactional entertainment matters, copyright and trademark matters, licensing, and financial and tax consulting. Allan serves as counsel to musicians, records producers, managers, record labels, music publishers, actors, film and photography production companies, designers and apparel companies. His past professional experience includes EMI Music, Woods & Middleton, LLP, Deloitte (tax, licensing, royalty audits), and Tommy Hilfiger. He also has experience...

Neama is a prestigious California personal injury attorney. He is the President and co-founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers. Neama graduated from UCLA at the age of 19 and Harvard Law School at the age of 22, making him one of the youngest graduates in the 200-year history of the law school. Upon graduation, Neama was hired by O’Melveny & Myers, the largest law firm in Los Angeles at the time, where he represented companies such as Disney, Marriott, and the Roman Catholic Church. But Neama wanted to help ordinary people, not corporations, so he joined the United States Attorney’s Office, where...

Attorney Bryan Freedman has a practice dedicated to entertainment, business, copyright, employment, Internet, real estate, and sports law. Bryan represents clients locally in Southern California, as well as throughout the United States and around the world.

Recognized as a renowned entertainment litigator, the Hollywood Reporter named Mr. Freedman one of the “most influential entertainment litigators in the country” for over 10 years in a row. He has also been featured on the publication’s “Top 100 Power Lawyers” list and has been listed in Variety magazine’s 2015 Legal Impact Report, a selective list comprised of only 22 chosen individuals.

Recognized as a renowned...

Ethan D. Kirschner is an experienced litigator with clients in California, throughout the United States, and overseas. Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Kirschner was a champion high school and college debater. He has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and received an LL.M. in intellectual property law from the University of California, Berkeley.


Mr. Kirschner has been practicing law since 2005. He is licensed to practice law in California.

Mick Longo is an attorney licensed to practice law in the States of California, Florida, North Carolina and Oregon. Motivated by an entrepreneurial desire to change the way law firms operate, Mr. Longo founded Longo & Alach LLP with partner Patrick Alach in 2009. In 2013, Mr. Longo orchestrated and oversaw Longo & Alach LLP’s expansion to Miami, Florida and then in 2015 he expanded the firm again to Charlotte, North Carolina. His practice areas include Entertainment Law, Sports Law, Business Law, Cannabis Law, Hospitality Law, Real Estate Law, Privacy Law and Legislative Advocacy.

Mr. Longo represents a myriad...

Michael Machat is one of the few private attorneys that has taken a case to the U.S. Supreme Court and won. His practice covers all aspects of trademark law from the selection and filing of trademarks to fighting all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect his clients' rights.

Mr. Machat represents various types of clients, including start ups, artists, entrepreneurs, wealthy businessmen and even other lawyers. In addition to working on transactional matters, he has tried numerous jury trial cases to verdict, most recently winning over $700,000 representing a client suing for trademark infringement. ...

With degrees from both UCLA and Loyola Law School, and a specialty from UCLA in Entertainment Studies with an emphasis in Film and Film Finance, Mitra has worked in legal affairs at MTV, has worked on the merger of 2 major record labels, and has been of-counsel to several high-profile copyright infringement cases involving artists and major studios. Her entertainment practice specializes in film and entertainment financing, negotiating and structuring artist and production deals, and all Intellectual Property matters, including rights clearance, licensing, copyrights, trademarks, and patents. Mitra’s film practice specializes in intellectual property, film finance, corporate law, and production...