Top entertainment lawyer speaks to students

Larry Stein '69 is near the top of just about any list of entertainment lawyers. Each spring, Stein brings his expertise gleaned from more than 25 years as a litigator to the classroom at USC Law, as an adjunct professor of entertainment law.

Stein spoke to USC Law students about his work, and his class, on Feb. 22 during this year’s first installment of the Student Affairs Office’s annual Spring Panel Series, in which professors speak to students about a particular area of law.

Top entertainment lawyer Larry Stein '69

“My view of the world comes from who I represent,” said Stein, who heads Dreier Stein and Kahan LLP’s Entertainment and Media Department. “I represent talent: actors, musicians, directors, producers and writers – artists. I represent the people who create something.”

As a litigator, Stein deals with all the elements of the entertainment industry and interacts with all the people involved, from transactional entertainment lawyers representing studios and networks, to artists’ guilds, to managers, to security staff.

“The nature of the business has expanded,” he said. “A lot of the artists I represent (such as Ashley and Mary-Kate Olson and Eva Longoria) have massive businesses now, and we handle all their problems.”

Some of those problems include contract disputes, trademark issues and publicity – particularly defamation suits. (Stein said he sues the National Enquirer tabloid “on a very regular basis.”)

These days, Stein settles many more cases than he takes to court; as his reputation grew, fewer studios wanted to go to court with him. Also, the entertainment industry is wary of the exposure that comes with a public court case.

For students who are interested in entertainment law, Stein recommended a diverse course load that offers a basic understanding of intellectual property, copyright and trademark, because entertainment lawyers need to have a broad range of knowledge.

When looking for a job, he suggested, students should ask about more than salary or a firm’s level of prestige.

“The real questions are: Who are the firm’s clients? What side of the issue are the clients on? What will I be doing at that firm? Who will I be working with at that firm?” Stein said. “You have to realize where your heart is, where your values are, and you have to put yourself in a place that will honor those values.”