Variety Names Five Akin Gump Partners, One Associate to Legal Impact Report
(Los Angeles) – Variety has once again named five Akin Gump partners to its annual Legal Impact Report—a list of the “legal eagles [who] made an impact in entertainment, helping showbiz artists in their endeavors.”
Entertainment practice head Christopher Spicer, along with fellow partners Marissa Román Griffith, Alissa Miller and Vanessa Roman, were all recognized, continuing a string of appearances for some members of the group that goes back to 2013. Litigation partner Susan Leader was also named to the list this year.
Speaking for her entertainment practice colleagues, Ms. Miller discussed the group’s work seeking government guarantees to overcome COVID-19 insurance issues on behalf of the American Coalition for Independent Content Production.
“What we are trying to do is establish an immediate bridge and government backstop fund to get production back up and running in a meaningful way,” Ms. Miller said. “We’re making progress.”
Variety’s profile of the group noted that lender clients include Bank of America, Comerica Bank, East West Bank, JPMorgan Chase, MUFG Union Bank and Truist Bank (SunTrust). Those on the entertainment side, the publication reports, include Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Media Rights Capital, Portfolio Funding Co., which administers the Weinstein Co. catalog, and XYZ Films.
Ms. Leader spoke about the clogged court system following the shutdowns, saying, “attorneys and clients who don’t agree on the facts or the law are collaborating to identify creative ways to resolve their disputes,” such as bench trials, mediations, arbitrations and mini-trials before a neutral party to evaluate cases.
Entertainment associate Christopher Maddox was also recognized in the Variety report, as part of its Up Next list. The publication notes that Mr. Maddox has been a part of Akin Gump teams representing clients in deals totaling more than $625 million, including financings for motion pictures, television and digital projects.
Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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