The Legal 500

Within Copyright, Loeb & Loeb LLP is a first tier firm,

Loeb & Loeb LLP handles both counseling and litigation for entertainment clients. IP protection co-chair Barry Slotnick and commercial litigator Jonathan Zavin have extensive experience in copyright litigation. The team continues to represent leading names from the entertainment field including EMI, Sony/ATV Music, Rainbow Media and major film studios, as well as brands such as Harley Davidson Motor Company. Recent highlights include defending MGM Studios and Twentieth Century Fox against an infringement allegation brought by one of the authors of the book Raging Bull, claiming the film version infringed their rights. A district court ruling granted judgment in the clients’ favor. The firm also represented Sony/ATV Music as defendant in a long-running copyright ownership suit brought by the widow of country music singer-songwriter Roger Miller.

Within Marketing and advertising, Loeb & Loeb LLP is a second tier firm,

Loeb & Loeb LLP’s advanced media and technology group is ‘best in class on all fronts’. Providing expertise on marketing and advertising/regulatory, consumer protection defense and unfair competition, it combines litigation and regulatory strength with transactional prowess. Nineteen partners in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington DC focus on technology and emerging media, regulatory matters, Lanham Act false advertising cases and related litigation and are commended for their ‘business-centered approach’. Michael Mallow in Los Angeles heads the recently established consumer protection defense and unfair competition group of experienced litigators who defend government enforcement actions and investigations and private class-action lawsuits that allege violations of consumer protection and unfair competition laws. Recent highlights include advising SC Johnson on social media and emerging media initiatives as well as brand integrations into traditional and online programming, and assisting Amazon.com and Facebook with international promotions. The practice continues to advise Canoe Ventures – a collaborative platform for the distribution of targeted advertising – on regulatory compliance, privacy safeguards, promotional strategies, IP exploitation and protection, and technology agreements for the launch of this interactive service provided by several cable companies. It is advising longstanding client Comcast on numerous social media promotions and mobile marketing initiatives. Contentious work included representing the National Pork Producers Council before the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in successfully challenging an application to register “The Other Red Meat” based upon a claim that the mark would dilute the distinctiveness of the mark “The Other White Meat”. This was the first TTAB decision upholding a trademark dilution claim in seven years. The team successfully defended Toyota Motor Sales USA in two class actions. Other clients include IPG Companies, Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas, Dell, Canon, T-Mobile, Seagate Technology and Visa. Clients recommend New York-based practice co-chair Kenneth Florin as ‘extremely smart, timely, client-friendly and cost effective’. Practice co-head James Taylor ‘can always find a reasonable solution that works for all parties’. Rob Andalman in Chicago is ‘creative, exceptionally smart, strategic and responsive’. Clients have ‘absolute confidence’ in trademark litigator Tamara Carmichael. Daniel Offner, who heads the interactive entertainment practice, joined from Nixon Peabody LLP.

Within Technology: data protection and privacy, Loeb & Loeb LLP is a second tier firm,

Loeb & Loeb LLP’s multi-jurisdictional practice combines the international expertise of group head Ieuan Jolly, who wins praise for his ‘impressive knowledge and friendly and commercial approach’, with the firm’s strength in technology and communications law, outsourcing and interactive media and is commended for keeping ‘ahead of the curve in the quickly changing privacy environment’. The 22-lawyer practice is heavily involved in optimizing data on interactive and mobile platforms and working with clients to develop global privacy compliance strategies and address-related technology and data security issues. Highlights included advising leading telecommunications, cable and network clients on behavioral advertising, targeted and location-based marketing initiatives. The group advises technology and other clients on privacy compliance strategies around the use of enterprise-wide data analytics, customer transactional data and database development and targeting. The team was strengthened by Michelle Gross from Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., Rosa Walker from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP. Walter Steimel in Washington DC joined from Greenberg Traurig LLP. Regulatory and international compliance work included advising high-profile financial services, leisure and communication clients on domestic and international cross-border data flows, multi-jurisdictional privacy audits and the implementation and management of information security programs. Key clients include Comcast, Canoe Ventures, Facebook, Preferred Hotel Group, Visa and Promotions.com.

Within Technology: outsourcing, Loeb & Loeb LLP is a third tier firm,

Clients are ‘absolutely delighted with the work and business acumen’ of Loeb & Loeb LLP’s five partner outsourcing practice, led by Kenneth Adler, Akiba Stern and Steve Semerdjian, which in 2010 was strengthened by Michelle Gross from Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. and Rosa Walker from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP. Walter Steimel in Washington DC joined from Greenberg Traurig LLP. Recent instructions have focused on software as a service, and application development and maintenance, benefits, finance and accounting, broker-dealer, treasury, facilities management and asset management outsourcings for global and national companies, notably advising clients with respect to managing the risks of cloud computing. Attorneys are recognized for their ‘contract innovation’. Adler represented Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare in a cutting-edge agreement for Oracle to develop a next generation, US-based version of its European healthcare claims processing software. Stern wins the respect of the market for ‘creating world-class contracts which the industry recognizes as benchmark’. Other clients include Dr Pepper Snapple, Société Générale, Hartford, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and American Modern Insurance Group.

Within M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m), Loeb & Loeb LLP is a second tier firm,

Loeb & Loeb LLP runs offices from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Nashville, Washington DC, as well as a representative office in Beijing. New York-based Andrew Ross and Mitchell Nussbaum lead a team described as ‘first rate, smart, experienced, creative, responsive, and having exactly the right mix of toughness and flexibility’. Clients also find the firm’s rates to be ‘good value for money, and can be creatively structured to drive efficiency gains for the client’. The M&A team handles the full range of M&A activities for public and private companies, from very large to small transactions. With a new presence in Beijing, which draws upon the larger firm’s multidisciplinary strengths, the practice is now well situated to advise US and multinational clients in complex, cross-border transactions in China and Asia, as well as providing side-by-side, on-the-ground service to Chinese clients on their acquisitions in the US. Recently, the firm represented the shareholders of privately held Hong Kong Mandefu Holding (CME) in a business combination with TM Entertainment and Media, a special purpose acquisition corporation. CME is China’s largest television advertising operator on intercity express buses. China Holdings Acquisition was assisted in its purchase of Jinjiang Hengda Ceramics and related re-domestication merger with its wholly owned subsidiary to form China Ceramics. The practice also counseled Spring Creek Acquisition in its $68m acquisition of AutoChina Group, and represented BBV Vietnam SEA Acquisition Corp in a $69m SPAC acquisition by Migami to form Pharmanite Holdings. In other M&A matters, it acted for the Welspun family of companies in the acquisition of certain assets of KOJO Worldwide, involved in designing and manufacturing soft goods for the hospitality industry. Another significant transaction was the representation of Bank of New York in its $2.31bn acquisition of PNC’s Global Investment Servicing business, a provider of custody, fund accounting, transfer agency and outsourcing solutions for asset managers and financial advisors. As part of the firm’s cross-collaboration strength, it provided transactional representation, as entertainment counsel, in the following matters: representing ARC Music Corporation in its sale to Fuji Media Holdings subsidiary Fuji Entertainment America for an undisclosed amount, and advising Saban Capital Group in the sale of its music catalogs. New York managing partner and chair David Schaefer is one client’s ‘highest recommendation for mid-market M&A’.

Within Domestic tax: West Coast, Loeb & Loeb LLP is a third tier firm,

Loeb & Loeb LLP’s strongest suit is in trust and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals and closely-held family businesses. Stuart Tobisman has built an expert trust and estates group, which regularly handles the most complex advisory instructions and disputes. In January 2011, Tobisman and estate planning specialist Leah Bishop, who is ‘top notch – her response time is terrific and she knows her craft cold’, were members of the team which represented the trustees of the charitable trusts of the late Margaret Cargill, the largest individual shareholder of privately held food giant Cargill, through a series of stock exchange agreements which will over time release an estimated $9bn to the charitable foundations. Paul Frimmer is also recommended for estate, trust and charitable instructions, and John Arao for corporate tax planning and transactions. All lawyers named practice from Los Angeles. The firm has advised Bertelsmann, Frontline Management and the Hilton Foundation.