Manatt senior partner L. Lee Phillips and partners Lindsay Conner and John Gatti were named 2018 “Power Lawyers” by The Hollywood Reporter. This prestigious annual list recognizes Hollywood’s top 100 lawyers who are behind the deals and trials shaping the industry. Now in its twelfth year, the 2018 list highlights Hollywood’s leading legal minds who help stars “capitalize on their success, guide industry-shaping mergers and deal with high-profile disputes amid the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.”
In its profile of Phillips, the publication notes that he isn’t afraid to embrace the future—client Randy Jackson is paying part of his consulting fee in cryptocurrency. Phillips also represents music legends including Journey front man Steve Perry, Burt Bacharach and Eagles co-founder Don Henley. Phillips is one of only 11 music attorneys to be featured this year.
Conner, who co-chairs the firm’s entertainment and media practice, is recognized in his profile for his representation of China’s Perfect World Pictures in a $250 million loan facility with East West Bank and JPMorgan, part of a major co-financing deal with Universal Pictures. The publication also notes that Conner has guided Tornante Co. through all five seasons of its Bojack Horseman deal with Netflix and the sale of animated adult series Undone to Amazon.
The publication noted that Gatti, who co-chairs the firm’s entertainment, sports and media litigation practice, is representing longtime client CBS in a profit-participation lawsuit against Chuck Norris. He is also representing AT&T/DirecTV in several matters, including a programming dispute involving the hit Netflix show Black Mirror. “There’s nothing like being in front of a jury and presenting a case,” said Gatti. “I think that may be a dying art.”
Read the Power Lawyers feature here.
Read the Top Music Attorneys feature here.