Primary Practice Areas: Intellectual property (copyright, trademark, trade secret, counterfeiting, right of publicity & privacy, music publishing rights), commercial business litigation, business torts, partnership and corporate disputes, entertainment, first amendment, real estate, and contract law.Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Extensive experience as lead counsel in all stages of litigation and high-stakes business disputes in State and Federal Court, alternative dispute resolution, mediation & pre- litigation legal analysis and risk management.Transactional Matters: Review, draft and negotiate corporate agreements, commercial contracts, IP licenses, distribution agreements, talent film and television contracts, and employment contracts. Frequently revise agreements for clients to mitigate future risk.Legal Counseling and IP Management: Counsel clients regarding legal and business issues, IP, labor and employment, advertising and marketing compliance, and state and federal regulatory compliance. Conduct intellectual property chain of title analyses, infringement and secondary liability counseling, IP rights clearance, and draft and respond to cease and desist correspondence.Highly skilled in negotiation, motion practice and legal research. High success rate with discovery motions, pre-trial and post-trial motions, dismissal of client lawsuits at initial stages and at summary judgment, and settlement or avoidance of litigation through negotiation.Clients include international media and marketing companies, film distributors, sales agents, music publishing companies, screenwriters, Oscar-winning director, TV producers, actors and musicians.COURT ADMISSIONSCalifornia (2015)Florida (2010)Southern District of FloridaMiddle District of FloridaCentral District of CaliforniaNorthern District of CaliforniaUS Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Generate new client and business development strategies for small businesses.Review, draft and negotiate legal documents, including employment contracts, leases, licensing agreements, marketing and contractor agreements, privacy policies and corporate documents.Oversee and execute the ideation, design and core messaging of branding and marketing projects, including development of brand identity and logo design, web design and web presence, and social media campaigns.Supervise and implement event and trade show design and planning.Create print and digital marketing materials.

Worked with top litigation and transactional attorneys to advance their careers through strategic law firm and in-house corporate placements. Assisted in the entire process of a lateral career move - from the initial planning and inquiry stage to actual candidate submission, resume drafting and interview preparation.

Founded and operated all aspects of a medical-legal consulting firm that grew to a network of 150+ physicians throughout California.Heavy Case Management: Managed all marketing, business development, and day-to-day operations; Oversaw extensive client litigation docket and client matters; Drafted and negotiated all independent contractor agreements, licensing agreements, privacy notices and commercial contracts.Risk Management and Legal Counseling: Provided law firms and insurance companies with medical experts for risk management consultations, medical record reviews, medical examinations and trial; Strategized with attorneys regarding litigation and expert witness strategy in the areas of labor and employment, personal injury, and medical malpractice.Cross-Functional Collaboration: Counseled California state agencies, large corporate employers, HR firms, and property, casualty and health insurers regarding ADA issues, HIPAA compliance, employee privacy rights, medical and psychological employee fitness for duty evaluations and implementing employee safety programs.Team Leadership & Development: Led seminars, conferences, and trainings for doctors and lawyers regarding medical-legal industry trends and best practices, in the areas of regulatory compliance, healthcare law, privacy law and employment law.

Circle of Friends is a school inclusion program for students with special needs of all ages that establishes true friendships and understanding of differences on school campuses nationwide.

Managed all day-to-day in-house legal matters for a medical-legal workers compensation company with 150 locations, 50+ employees and 200+ medical professionals. Executive Engagement and Legal Counseling: Regularly counseled CEOs regarding legal issues, including corporate governance, ethics and compliance, privacy, labor and employment, real estate, advertising, contract and IP law. Corporate Contract Negotiation and Drafting: Reviewed, drafted and revised all company agreements including office leases, confidentiality agreements, vendor agreements, and employment agreements. Responsible for creating and updating all company contract templates. Negotiated contracts for all new medical expert hires. Legal Compliance & Policy Development: Worked with company executives to develop, implement and review company policies and procedures to ensure they align with legal requirements and industry standards; Monitored State and Federal regulatory law and implemented company-wide policy and contract changes accordingly.Company Growth and Team Leadership: Oversaw expansion of company through acquisition of administrative and medical office space throughout California; Built out infrastructure, hired personnel and recruited medical doctors for company expert witness and medical litigation division.Business Development and Marketing: Created all company print and digital marketing and advertising; Oversaw rebranding of company, through website design, online presence and messaging. Planned and executed all conferences, marketing events and employee trainings.Employee Care, Diversity and Inclusion: Worked with HR to implement diversity and employee programs. Planned company employee appreciation events.

Areas of Experience: Litigation experience in the areas of labor and employment, healthcare and insurance fraud and general commercial disputes. Litigation in State and Federal Court: Represented clients in multiple jurisdictions, both state and federal, including in Florida, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and New York.Legal Research and Writing: Extensive drafting of pleadings, motions, internal and external legal research memorandums, opinion letters and briefs at all stages of litigation. Fact Investigations: Conducted witness interviews and worked with private investigators and local and state agencies to conduct fact discovery.Formal Discovery: Managed all aspects of discovery, including drafting and responding to discovery requests, Drafted and prepared deposition outlines and exhibits, Supervised paralegals and staff, and handled large-scale electronic and hard copy document collections and productions.Pre-Trial Motion Practice and Discovery: Prepared and drafted jury instructions, motions in limine, voir-dire, opening statements, and direct and cross-examinations for both lay and expert witnesses; Designed and assisted in preparation of trial exhibits.Post-trial Motion Practice and Discovery: Managed post-judgment discovery efforts and execution of judgment; Engaged in post-trial motion practice, including, drafting opposition to motions for directed verdict and motions for new trial.Trial Experience: Served on three-person trial team representing large insurance carrier in prosecution of insurance fraud scheme in federal court, which resulted in favorable jury verdict for client.

Intellectual Property Counseling: Assisted clients in trademark searching, clearance and prosecution, as well as, copyright procurement and protection; Negotiated and drafted intellectual property license agreements; Drafted trademark applications and cease and desist correspondence; Provided legal support for mergers and acquisitions through evaluation of buyer/seller IP portfolios; Managed client intellectual property portfolios; Provided infringement and validity opinions; Revised existing and drafted new technology licenses.TTAB and USPTO Practice: Engaged in opposition and cancellation practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.Intellectual Property Litigation: Assisted in representation of internet auction company in the defense of patent infringement action; Represented pop band seeking to recover royalties owed from publisher.

Researched third party and internal usage of copyrighted works to assess and defend against possible claims; Reviewed composer, artist, producer and music licensing agreements to clear new media rights for future uses of Sony film and television catalog products.

Drafted memos, agreements, and long form contracts for writer, producer, talent, voiceover actor, development and production of animation and live TV; Assisted in negotiation of talent deals under supervision of Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs.

Drafted deal memos including producer, director and writer agreements and amendments; conducted legal research; Prepared and distributed general legal correspondence; Handled all administrative support duties to VP.