JANUARY 17, 2023 – Recognizing the firm's track record of high-stakes wins for leading clients across digital media, music, streaming, advertising, book publishing, cable TV, and more, Law360 has named Davis Wright Tremaine a Practice Group of the Year in media and entertainment. It's the sixth time in seven years that the firm has received the honor.
Davis Wright's media and entertainment group is one of the largest in the nation and is widely recognized as top-of-market. The group's roster of clients includes many of the most admired traditional media organizations as well as the world's leading tech companies and other innovative players in streaming, digital media, marketing, and more.
The team's many client successes this past year include:
- Prevailing in a widely watched dispute over rights to the iconic song "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You."
- Defeating a $95 million libel complaint arising from the Sacha Baron Cohen series "Who Is America?" on Showtime.
- Securing a $7.8 million default judgment, on behalf of Amazon Publishing, Penguin Random House, and a long list of preeminent writers, against a global book piracy site.
- Successfully defending Netflix in an $80 million complaint filed by Alan Dershowitz arising from the docuseries "Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich."
- Winning a published decision from the 9th Circuit, affirming that California's anti-SLAPP law applies in federal court.
For years now, Davis Wright Tremaine's First Amendment litigation team has been the only one in the country ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA in all three of the major media and entertainment industry centers—L.A., New York, and Washington, D.C.
Other recent recognition for the group includes the following:
- The firm was named 2023 Law Firm of the Year in both Advertising Law and Media Law by Best Lawyers/U.S. News.
- Three members of the team were named Lawyers of the Year in their markets by Best Lawyers/U.S. News:
- Thomas R. Burke – First Amendment Litigation (San Francisco);
- Eric Stahl – Communications (Seattle); and
- Linda Steinman – Copyright Law (New York).
- Burke was named a Litigation Trailblazer by the National Law Journal.
- Rachel Strom, a partner in New York, was named a Law360 MVP of the Year.
- Kelli Sager, a partner in Los Angeles, was named to The Hollywood Reporter's Top 100 Power Lawyers.
- Gray Coleman and Liz McNamara, both partners in New York, were named to The Hollywood Reporter's list of Top 20 New York entertainment attorneys.
- Peter Anderson, a partner in Los Angeles, was named to Billboard's 2022 list of Top Music Lawyers.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with more than 600 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. Learn more at www.dwt.com.