Tamany Vinson Bentz > DLA Piper LLP (US) > Los Angeles (Century City), United States > Lawyer Profile

The Los Angeles-based team at DLA Piper LLP (US) represents a broad mix of high-profile individual artists and organizations from across the entertainment industry in copyright matters, rights of publicity cases and fraud suits.  The team is led by transactions specialist Tom Ara and New York-based sports financing expert Peter White . Seasoned practitioner Michael Garfinkel litigates across the industry; he is currently representing William Morris Endeavor Entertainment in a breach of contract dispute that continues a longstanding working relationship between Garfinkel and the major talent agency. Intellectual property expert Tamany Vinson Bentz takes a keen interest in present-day entertainment issues such as influencer liability and the value of hash tags, representing celebrity  fitness Tracy Anderson in a complex copyright dispute involving copyrighted choreography. Another name to note is Jason Taylor Lueddeke, a resourceful litigator who provides key support to Garfinkel and Bentz.

DLA Piper LLP (US) harnesses the bench strength of a global network spanning the Americas, and the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. The team is headed by Sean Cunningham in San Diego, seasoned litigator and tech and media sector specialist Gina Durham in San Francisco, and Tamar Duvdevani in New York, who brings expertise to trademark and right of publicity disputes. Other key figures include Melissa Reinckens in San Diego, who provides experience in competitor lawsuits (state and federal Lanham Act) and regulatory and administrative challenges, and Tamany Vinson Bentz in Los Angeles, who handles novel disputes relating to digital media and consumer products. Partner Michael Geller in Chicago was promoted in April 2022, while Kevin Fee in DC joined the firm from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in May 2022.