Adjunct Faculty
LLS' ranking as one of the top entertainment law schools in the nation would not be possible without the lawyers and alumni who serve as adjunct professors. The diversity of knowledge and industry-specific expertise allows the Entertainment & Media Law Institute to offer a robust schedule of entertainment-related courses. Learn more below about this dedicated group of industry professionals who serve as the backbone of our entertainment law program.
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- Litigating a Copyright Case Seminar
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Background
Joanna Ardalan represents clients in intellectual property cases, including copyright, trademark, counterfeiting, unfair competition, patent, trade secret, and idea theft cases. Her practice focuses on disputes in the entertainment, internet, biotechnology/pharmaceutical, and advertising sectors. Her work includes litigating cases in trial and appellate courts and in arbitrations through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). She also advises clients on how to avoid litigation—and how best to position themselves in case litigation becomes inevitable.
Before Jo became an attorney, she was an entrepreneur. She founded and managed a music and software company, where she took her company’s products from initial conception to worldwide distribution. Jo understands the practical realities of business and the high stakes her clients face in litigation. Her litigation strategies are tailored to her clients’ business needs.
Jo closely follows developments in intellectual property law, and she frequently speaks on related topics. Jo teaches “Litigating a Copyright Case” at Loyola Law School, where she is an adjunct professor. She has also served on the Board of the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, for which she oversaw both the Copyright & Trademark and Public Interest Committees. Jo has also taught intellectual property law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.
Jo is the Chair of One LLP’s Internet Law Practice Group and has expertise in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, domain disputes, online defamation, and e-commerce issues.
Jo is an avid enthusiast of martial arts. She earned a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is currently studying Krav Maga.
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- Sports Law I: Survey of Legal Issues
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Background
Mark Bloom is the founder of Bloom Injury Law. He has more than a decade of experience litigating high-stakes cases in the trial courts, federal courts, and courts of appeal. Mark worked at several prominent plaintiff law firms where he proved himself as an aggressive trial attorney by securing multiple multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts. Early in his career, Mark represented some of the largest corporations in the world. He has now brought the knowledge and experience he has gained to the representation of individuals and small businesses seeking full and fair justice in the courts.
Mark primarily focuses on bringing his litigation experience and skill to bear on complex and highly contested liability issues. Mark is licensed to practice in both state and federal court in California. Mark is also adjunct professor in Sports Law at LMU Loyola Law School. He is a Certified Contract Advisor with the National Football League Players Association and has championed injury settlements totaling upwards of eight figures for over 40 professional football players. Mark earned his law degree in two years from California Western School of Law, serving as a member of the Law Review/International Law Journal. An alumnus of University of Texas at Austin, Mark graduated with honors in two and a half years with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.
A native of New Orleans, Mark now resides in El Segundo, CA with his wife and son. Mark is a former national, as well as world racquetball champion and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He enjoys playing sports- tops on the list are tennis, squash and pickleball. Mark is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Hebrew.
Mark is also on the board of directors for Next Step Fitness and Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities.
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- Copyright
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Background
Elliot Brown is a member of Phillips ADR’s distinguished panel of neutrals. He is the former managing partner of Irell & Manella LLP. Before transitioning to a full time mediation and arbitration practice with Phillips ADR, Elliot spent nearly three decades immersed in a broad gamut of IP litigation, counseling, and licensing as part of one of the premier IP practices in the nation.
Before embarking on his legal career, Elliot received his A.B. degree cum laude from Harvard College in 1985 where he was a John Harvard Scholar and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was awarded a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities to continue his studies in the philosophy of science in Princeton University’s doctoral program.
In graduate school, Elliot was introduced to game theory and the early works of Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman on bargaining and cognitive bias. Those studies sparked his enduring interest in the empirical study of decision-making and bargaining, a field that he has found to be an invaluable source of tools for resolving complex disputes.
After obtaining his MA in 1987, Elliot left Princeton for Harvard Law School. He was an editor of the Harvard Law Review and a research assistant for Dean Robert Clark. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1990.
Elliot subsequently clerked in S.D.N.Y for the Hon. Pierre N. Leval (now on the Second Circuit), a renowned scholar of U.S. copyright law and author of the transformative fair use test adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Following his clerkship, Elliot joined Irell. He became a partner in 1996, and the firm’s managing partner in 2009.
Elliot has represented plaintiffs, defendants and third-party intervenors in disputed matters involving patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, rights of publicity, idea theft, and unfair competition as well as in matters involving business torts, antitrust, and breach of contract. His clients have ranged from Fortune 50 technology companies, movies studios, major record labels, and the world’s top video game companies to privately held startups, law firms and individuals. He has led matters in federal trial and appellate courts around the nation, in California’s state courts, in ITC proceedings and in ICC and AAA arbitrations. He has handled numerous matters involving business and consumer software, semiconductor design and packaging, video games, consumer electronics, advertising, motion pictures, search engines, social media sites, music, publishing, non-operating entities, memory and storage, fine art, medical devices and pharmaceutical delivery systems.
While he was his firm’s managing partner, Elliot assumed additional responsibility for his firm’s business including strategic and financial planning, a technology overhaul, lease negotiations, risk management and insurance matters, lateral acquisitions and expansion, and alternative fee arrangements. He was the firm’s designated tax partner and “client” in firm-related legal matters. During his tenure, Irell was named to Amlaw’s A-List in recognition of the firm’s financial performance, pro bono work, associate satisfaction and diversity.
Elliot’s professional accolades include being recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of IP litigation, Patent, and Copyright law (since 2006) and being named as a California Super Lawyer (since 2004). In 2017, Best Lawyers named him the Los Angeles Copyright Lawyer of Year.
Elliot has taught at numerous CLE events and has done presentations on IP law and the business of law firms at Harvard Law School. He recently co-taught the advanced copyright seminar at UCLA Law School with Professor David Nimmer. He has periodically acted as a legal consultant on motion pictures including Runaway Jury and Fair Game.
Throughout his career, Elliot has volunteered substantial pro bono time to help veterans, victims of domestic violence, and the elderly poor. He has been a member of the board of the LA Legal Aid Foundation for over a decade.
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- Cyber Risk Management and Incident Response
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Background
Pierson has conducted extensive academic research at the forefront of cyber risk, most currently on changes of investigative significance in Mac and mobile device hardware and software. Prior to this emphasis, he focused on the dynamics within the complex framework of protecting critical national infrastructure as well as intelligence, espionage, and terrorism. In addition to working on analytical projects with members of the Intelligence Community and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Pierson has provided sophisticated digital forensic services for a wide range of private sector clients and law enforcement agencies.
Prior to joining Kroll, Pierson was with Maryman & Associates, where he was a senior forensic examiner specializing in Apple and Linux desktop and server environments; mobile devices including iOS and Android; virtualized environments; and network forensic and security investigations. He has assisted clients that range from major corporations with large network breaches to small businesses with unique software and infrastructure, to federal, state, and local law enforcement and government agencies. His casework has included investigations on such matters as employee malfeasance, intellectual property theft, data loss, and network data breaches, including the loss of personally identifiable information and private health information. He is also well-versed in the privacy and notification implications of data leaks. Before joining Maryman, Pierson worked with the U.S. Intelligence Community in Virginia and Washington, D.C., on a joint analytical project with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the wider U.S. Intelligence Community.
Pierson has also had a long-standing association with the University of Southern California (USC), where he is an Industrial Advisory Board Member for the university’s Information Technology Program, a division of the Viterbi School of Engineering. He is a graduate of USC’s selective Interdisciplinary Degree program, where he blended studies in intelligence, espionage, and terrorism with technical courses in cyber security and computer forensics. During this time, he was the first USC student to work in the United States Secret Service’s Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force (LA ECTF). Currently, Pierson is an adjunct faculty member in the Viterbi School of Engineering, where he has developed the curriculum and teaches introductory and high-level courses in forensics and cyber security related to the Mac and mobile device environments. -
- California Privacy and Data Security Law
- European Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
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Background
Tanya Forsheit is Senior Counsel, Data Privacy, Information Security, and Consumer Compliance, at The New York Times. Tanya has more than 20 years of experience advising on high-profile matters involving confidential data and other sensitive information. She previously led the privacy practice at several law firms, most recently as Co-Chair of Loeb & Loeb LLP’s Privacy, Security & Data Innovations Group. Her practice as outside counsel focused on the protection, processing and monetization of data, including matters related to interest-based advertising, privacy policies, mobile apps, cloud computing, smart devices, and data analytics. Tanya is a past President of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, a past Trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), and was the Founding Chair of LACBA’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Section. Tanya graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1997.
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- Entertainment Law Advocacy
- Entertainment Law Moot Court
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Background
David B. Jonelis, (Member) is a skilled and zealous litigator who helps plaintiffs and defendants in the entertainment industry successfully navigate their disputes at all stages of civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution, including at trial, in arbitration, and on appeal.
A firm believer in the notion that avoidance of litigation can often be the most effective path to resolution, David has established a reputation for obtaining favorable results for his clients without even having to file a lawsuit.
When litigation is inevitable, however, David has passionately guided his clients to victory in numerous high-stakes lawsuits involving complex issues of intellectual property, breach of contract, corporate governance, defamation, and labor law.
In addition to his litigation practice, David is also an Adjunct Professor at Loyola Law School, where he teaches Entertainment Law Advocacy and coaches the Entertainment Moot Court team.
David has been named as a "Rising Star" by Southern California Super Lawyers for six years straight.
- Served as lead counsel in a copyright and trademark lawsuit concerning the rights to the name and image of "Grumpy Cat", obtaining a $710,000 trial verdict for his client (plus recovery of attorneys' fees), the first-ever verdict rendered in favor of a viral meme, while also defeating the defendants' $13 million counterclaims.
- As lead counsel, successfully represented the executive producer of a network television show in a claim for substantial unpaid royalties, ultimately recovering hundreds of thousands of dollars for the producer.
- As lead counsel, successfully defended a renowned advertising spokesperson in a commission dispute with his former manager, resulting in the dismissal of all claims against the spokesperson and a finding that the manager had acted as an unlicensed talent agent.
- Successfully defended a reality television personality in a dispute with her former manager, serving as lead counsel in both trial court and appellate proceedings, and ultimately obtaining a complete defense victory.
- Secured a substantial monetary settlement for an up-and- coming writer whose idea for a motion picture was misappropriated by a major production company.
- Successfully resolved a partnership dispute between the members of a well-known rock band.
- As lead counsel, successfully defended a talent agency and its principal against numerous claims alleging violations of the Talent Agencies Act, obtaining a dismissal of all claims after a hearing before the California Labor Commissioner.
- As lead counsel, successfully represented two motion picture producers in an arbitration against their former financier, obtaining a very favorable settlement for the producers immediately after taking the deposition of the financier.
- Successfully defended a well-known Los Angeles restaurant against breach of contract allegations, obtaining the dismissal of all claims.
- As lead counsel, obtained prompt dismissal of claims alleged against an entertainment industry insurance broker.
- Successfully defended a law firm in both trial court and appellate proceedings against allegations that the firm should be disqualified.
- As lead counsel, successfully defended a production company against numerous alleged violations of the SAG collective bargaining agreement, obtaining a complete victory against SAG-AFTRA after an arbitration hearing.
- Successfully represented a limited liability company and two of its members in a corporate governance dispute against the third member, obtaining a complete victory for the company and a $365,000 judgment against the third member.
- Successfully represented a major recording artist against false and defamatory claims of alleged misconduct, resulting in a complete exoneration of the artist and a retraction of the defamatory statements.
Education/Background: University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 2002); Loyola Law School Los Angeles (J.D., cum laude, 2009).
Memberships: Beverly Hills and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California.
Practice Areas: Entertainment Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Libel, Slander and Defamation; Copyright.
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- Technology and Privacy
- Cyber Risk Management & Incident Response
- Incident Response & Investigation (Cyber Forensics)
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Background
As the first in-house cyber & national security lawyer in the US electric sector, Robert is innovating business, legal, and legislative policy solutions to some of the biggest risks facing the nation.
Robert created and run one of the first, and one of the most sophisticated, enterprise-wide cyber law, risk management and compliance programs in the nation. The program is designed to tackle (I) conventional threats such as data breaches and (II) advanced threats from cyber terrorists and nation-states seeking to cripple the country’s Critical Infrastructure.
Robert played a leading role in launching Southern California’s first cyberlaw and privacy concentration at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, training the next generation of attorneys to answer questions such as how cyber threats, cloud, AI, and other disruptors will impact the nation.
For fun, Robert teaches business law classes about Godzilla, Korea Dramas, and Hello Kitty (recovering entertainment lawyer).
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Courses Taught- The Law of the Metaverse
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Background
Charles Lew was raised and educated in Scotland, before his journey across the pond to Florida for University. With a strong influence from his already successful brother who was an attorney, he packed up his 1995 Dodge Ram and headed straight to LA to attend Loyola Law School. Working as a bouncer in Hollywood, Charles quickly cultivated lasting and impactful relationships that set him firmly on his path as an entrepreneurial attorney. Today, Charles has over 21 years of experience representing high-profile clients and celebrities in a multitude of industries. In addition to being the founder of his own practice, The Lew Firm, and an operating partner at Twist Capital, Charles is actively involved on both city and state levels as LA City’s Small Business Commissioner, and also serves on the board of Mental Health America Los Angeles. As the owner of Huckleberry fine jewelry, Stout Burgers and Beers, and Boomtown Brewery, Charles offers unparalleled wisdom to his clients who wish to expand their hospitality concepts nationally and globally. This year, Charles founded the first NFT exclusively for attorneys, “Lawyer Friends” and is in talks with multiple cities throughout California about entry into the metaverse. Through teaching his Web3 metaverse course at Loyola in the Fall of 2022, Charles hopes to usher in a new age of legal technology, helping students understand and embrace the nascent space that is filled with unlimited potential for the future of law.
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- Sports Law I: Survey of Legal Issues
- Baseball Arbitration Competition Team
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Background
Joe, approaching his third decade as an agent, maximizes his clients’ talents on an off the field. His record in representing 22 first round draft picks, winning landmark arbitration cases, and negotiating record breaking free agent deals is second to none. Moreover, he has been a practicing attorney for almost 30 years, with a long history of successful and vigorous representation.
Joe grew up in San Marino, CA. He graduated from Brown University, where he was a starting safety on the University’s football team in 1984 and 1985. Joe later received his Law Degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
Joe’s knowledge of labor law issues and the various Collective Bargaining Agreements in professional sports, coupled with his success as a trial lawyer, equip him with the skills necessary to obtain maximum value for his clients. He is a member of the Sports Lawyers Association, State Bar of California, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, and The Wealth Counsel. He has been an expert panelist at 1) the Loyola Sports Law Institute: Collective Bargaining & Individual Contract Negotiation, 2) the USC Gould School of Law: Entertainment Law and Business forum, and 3) State Bar of California Certified: Negotiation For Lawyers: Lessons From Baseball Salary Arbitration Cases. Joe also teaches Sports Law and Baseball Arbitration courses as an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School.
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- Fashion Law
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A seasoned intellectual property attorney, Mr. Nulud has assisted clients in developing, protecting, and licensing their valuable ideas by providing critical freedom to use clearance and infringement opinions for patents and trademarks, while also preparing, prosecuting, and enforcing their patents, trademarks and copyrights. He is also very experienced with the enforcement and prosecution of trademarks overseas and in particular in China.
Mr. Nulud also engages in negotiating and drafting license agreements as well as influencer agreements and endorsement deals for many brands, fashion houses, celebrities, retailers, artists, and consumer product companies.
Mr. Nulud has also successfully represented clients in high-stakes intellectual property litigation in both Federal and California state courts, Mr. Nulud has also assisted clients with complex infringement and counterfeiting matters domestically and worldwide. He regularly represents clients in connection with ICANN domain name arbitration proceedings and has acquired hundreds of domain names for his clients that are critical to their business success.
Apparel & Textiles
Mr. Nulud has extensive experience serving clients in the apparel and textile industry. He has represented global fashion companies in brand protection, trademark clearance, international expansion, enforcement, and licensing transactions, including risk assessment of advertising campaigns and social media posts. Representative clients include:
- Contemporary clothing brands
- Sports brands, from traditional, to contemporary and action sports
- Footwear brands
- Clothing retailers with hundreds of stores nationwide
- Celebrities and Influencers
- Premium denim brands
- Couture fashion and bridal wear brands
- Up-and-coming casual wear brands
- Up-and-coming contemporary brands
The Los Angeles Business Journal has recognized Mr. Nulud as one of the 2019 “Most Influential Minority Attorneys” and a nominee for “Service Provider of the Year” at the 2018 Fashion & Beauty Awards. He was awarded Best Under 40 by NAPABA. He was also selected as a 2020 and 2021 “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.
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- Entertainment Law
- Motion Picture Contract Drafting
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Professor Jeffrey Robin (’70) began his entertainment law practice as an in-house record lawyer with Capitol Records. From there he moved to Paramount Studios expanding his skill set into the area of television. After Paramount Robin joined the Buchalter Law Firm where he concentrated on motion picture and television matters, representing both talent and production entities. Leaving Buchalter as a partner, Robin made his final career move by joining the William Morris Agency, then the world’s largest and oldest talent agency. During his 21 years at WMA Robin’s substantive focus was on all facets of the motion picture industry. As a Senior Vice President and the Worldwide Head of Business Affairs, his responsibilities also included legal oversight, administration, and management of the agency.
Since leaving the full-time practice of law, Robin offers his professional experience, knowledge, and expertise as a consultant on various entertainment industry matters. Robin also serves as an expert witness on artist representation and commission issues.
Robin has been an Adjunct Law Professor since 2010. He joined LMU, Loyola Law School in 2013 and currently teaches at Loyola and California Western School of Law.
Professor Robin teaches Entertainment Law and Motion Picture Contract Drafting. He incorporates experiences and incidents from years of practice into his class discussions to make them more relatable to the students. Robin’s Entertainment Law course is a core requirement for Loyola’s Entertainment Law Concentration.
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- Trademark Law
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David focuses much of his time protecting famous and well-known trademarks from infringement of all types, especially online infringement. He has successfully handled hundreds of cybersquatting matters, including numerous federal cybersquatting cases. David understands that the client’s business objectives play an integral role in every legal matter he handles—and he is driven to provide exceptional service, results, and value.
Ranked in World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 in the Gold band, David is an “online enforcement mastermind in hot demand among household name companies.” Clients comment that “David is knowledgeable, hardworking, responsive and handles small and large matters with the same degree of urgency and care. He always puts clients’ interests before his own and has unmatched expertise in internet-related matters. He is also very diligent; there is never a loose end which is not attended to. David thinks outside the box and is exceptionally creative. His insight on cyber issues is highly beneficial and the quality of his service is great – he is responsive on all matters, large and small.’
Before attending law school, David worked on the design and implementation of high-speed computer networks and Internet engineering as an engineering manager at Fibertron Corporation. He formerly served as a technical advisor and member of Networld+Interop’s Network Advisory Board. As a member of the Boston working group, he worked alongside the United States Government to transfer the technical coordination of certain aspects of the Internet to ICANN (the organization responsible for coordinating important aspects of the Internet, including the domain name system). David’s strong technical understanding of the Internet allows him to provide both practical and creative solutions to online infringement.
David is an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he has taught trademark law and Internet law since 2001.
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Courses Taught-
Music Law
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Background
Rachel's law practice focuses on entertainment, intellectual property, licensing, and commercial transactions. Rachel represents artists, creators and producers of music, film and television in transactions with content providers and distributors. She advises and negotiates on behalf of businesses and artists on complex intellectual property matters and business transactions.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Rachel held executive positions with several top record labels, including Verve Music Group, where she ran Verve's multi-format radio promotional department, supervising all radio activities and promotional tours.Rachel serves on the Board of Directors of the Future of Music Coalition, a nonprofit music advocacy think tank. She is an active member of the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter's Advocacy Committee.
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- Art and the Law Seminar
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Margot Stokol is Assistant General Counsel of the J. Paul Getty Trust. Before joining the Getty, Ms. Stokol worked at the Hammer Museum at UCLA for eleven years, first as Associate Director of Legal Affairs and ultimately as Director of Legal Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Directors. Prior to that time, she practiced business litigation in Los Angeles. She received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and B.A. from Pomona College, where she double majored in International Relations and Studio Art. She has presented and published on a wide variety of legal issues affecting arts institutions through the American Law Institute-American Bar Association and Los Angeles County Bar Association and has been teaching art law as an adjunct faculty member of Loyola Law School since 2013.
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- Business & Legal Affairs for Alternative TV Programming
- Business & Legal Affairs for Scripted TV Programming
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- Entertainment Law Advocacy
- Entertainment Law Moot Court
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Professor Kim Thigpen Tyler is an experienced entertainment attorney practicing in Los Angeles. Her current practice involves representation of clients on a wide range of entertainment and business transactions, from option deals through distribution. Before moving into transactional work, she spent nearly two decades in entertainment litigation. She was a founding partner of the boutique litigation firm of Pfeiffer & Thigpen, where much of her practice involved arbitration of film distribution disputes, along with business litigation and appellate work. She began her legal career an associate with the international law firm of Bryan Cave LLP (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP) in its Santa Monica office, where she worked with the Corporate Litigation and Labor and Employment groups.
Professor Tyler received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1992, majoring in Humanities in International Affairs, with a Minor in Latin American Studies. She received her J.D. degree from Georgetown in 1997, graduating cum laude.
Professor Tyler enjoys teaching as an adjunct at Loyola Law School, where she currently teaches Entertainment Law Advocacy, Introduction to Negotiations, and the Summer Moot Court Writing Program. She has also taught Appellate Advocacy, Legal Drafting, and worked as a Writing Specialist.
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- Law and Practice with the Hollywood Guilds
- Trade Secret Law
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Brian Walton is currently an adjunct professor of law in southern California, an attorney, an occasional consultant and expert witness. In addition to teaching, he has spent much of his time in the last decades in the nonprofit world, including as Deputy Chair of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles, as Chair of the Board of Directors of Gardens Regional Hospital and Medical Center and as director of the Freedom Light Prison Ministry at the Agape International Spiritual Center.
