"No envelope mix-up here! Meet the lawyers behind the 'Moonlight' Oscar winner, Melania's litigation, 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 lawyers, who once more gather in THR's pages for its magazine's yearly Power Attorneys issue. The men and women on this list manage a range of instances, from simple talent contracts to complex corporate mergers which take months to iron out, but they all have things in common. All of them love working in the entertainment market. They all play a very important role in maintaining Hollywood's wheels turning. They're all at the very top of their area. And -- judging from THR's survey -- they all drink a lot of coffee (an average of 5.5 cups every day, if calculations incorporate the guy who claimed to down 97 cups). Beneath, the Power Lawyers of 2017 discuss their most significant cases, disclose their personal political beliefs (just 14 percent think Donald Trump will get impeached) and answer the age-old question, "Which superhero would you want to reflect? ""
Ken Ziffren
Ziffren Brittenham Alma mater UCLA School of Law Why he matters The talent attorney and UCLA professor -- and L.A. film czar -- helped the Academy negotiate an eight-year extension of ABC's deal to broadcast the Oscars via 2028. "It was a complicated discussion that required six months," he states. Negotiating a new affiliation agreement between client Tribune Media and The CW took much longer: 18 months. UCLA's new Ziffren Center for Media, Entertainment Technology and Sports Law also keeps him occupied. Cups of coffee daily "I don't drink coffee, but I do share a bottle of wine almost every evening with my wife. "
Susan Zuckerman Williams
Loeb & Loeb Alma mater USC Gould School of Law Why she issues Relativity's bankruptcy intended constant work for Williams, that has been advocating on behalf of CIT Bank, which uttered the Ryan Kavanaugh studio millions during better days. Williams' media finance practice has included helping Crayhill Versa and VX119 form a film fund to finance A24's Under the Silver Lake and Open Road's Johnny Depp vehicle Labyrinth. Most dangerous thing I've done in a decade "Drive Benedict Canyon every day. "
Charles Ortner
Proskauer Rose Alma mater Brooklyn Law School He matters Long a litigator for music stars such as Madonna and Lady Gaga, and the guy who was involved in the crackdown on Grammys ticket scalping, Ortner recently has been pulled to the transactional side of legislation (he represented the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences in a bargain to set three Grammy museums in China). In 2016 (only before Obama left office), he obtained a rare instant six-year term on the board of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Superhero that I 'd probably want to represent Mighty Mouse
Steve Marenberg
Alma mater University of Chicago Law School He matters Marenberg has been involved in many lawsuits addressing the poaching of creative executives. One notable success was obtaining a court to issue a temporary injunction preventing a former Telemundo executive from beginning a job at TV Azteca SA de CV in Mexico. Marenberg also is tackling class actions over home video profits in addition to seeking to carry on the dismissal of an antitrust case over the manner UTA collects "packaging fees" on tv jobs. Who should play me in the movie of my life "No sane manufacturer would make a movie of my own life, but if one did, Idris Elba. (Go big or go home!) "
Kalpana Srinivasan
Susman Godfrey Alma mater Stanford Law School Why she matters From the ever-changing world of audio streaming services, Srinivasan makes sure artists get paid what they're due, particularly when long overdue. The litigator served as co-lead counsel to the legendary rock band The Turtles within their class-action copyright-infringement situation against satellite radio company SiriusXM, seeking royalty payments for songs recorded before 1972 -- and winning a settlement deal that was valued at as much as $99 million. Who should play with me in the picture of my life "Archie Panjabi. She brings just the right amount of sass and, clearly, the wonderful boots. "
David Hernand
Paul Hastings Alma mater Georgetown Law Why he things Hernand's most buzzed-about current deal entails an undisclosed client who turned into a direct investor in Jeffrey Katzenberg's new fund, WndrCo, that is expected to close at $750 million. In 2016, he worked on Wanda's projected $1 billion purchase of client Dick Clark Productions, which finally fell through. But he had better luck with other customers, including Germany's Tele Munchen Group, which spent in Santa Monica-based Storied Media Group in January. Most dangerous thing I've accomplished in a decade "Bungee jumping or skydiving. "
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