Top Usa Lawyers

"No envelope mix-up here! Meet the lawyers behind the 'Moonlight' Oscar winner, Melania's litigation, Bill O'Reilly's downfall, the year's most significant media megamergers and pretty much anything that matters in Hollywood. Extortion. Messy divorces. Nine-figure deals with Chinese media conglomerates. It's been a busy year for Hollywood's power attorneys, who once more gather in THR's pages for the magazine's yearly Power Attorneys issue. The women and men on this listing manage a variety of cases, from simple gift contracts to complex corporate mergers that take weeks to iron out, however they all have things in common. All of them love working in the entertainment industry. They all play a vital part in maintaining Hollywood's wheels turning. They're all at the very top of their field. And -- judging from THR's poll -- they all drink too much coffee (a mean of 5.5 cups a day, if calculations incorporate the man who promised to down 97 cups). Beneath, the Power Lawyers of 2017 talk about their most significant instances, disclose their private political beliefs (only 14 percent think Donald Trump will get impeached) and answer the age-old question, "Which superhero would you most want to reflect? ""

Joshua Grode

Irell & Manella Alma mater Loyola Law School He matters Grode is a specialist on China, helping customer Dalian Wanda Group purchase Legendary in 2016 and ink a broad strategic marketing and co-financing deal with Sony Pictures which will bring future releases, such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, to China. In addition, he has brokered a tv financing agreement on behalf of Bank of America and has begun work at the virtual reality space, assisting Ghost in the Shell producer Avi Arad deliver his abilities into the immersive medium. Last TV series binged "I saw Planet Earth II on a plane. "

John Burke

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Alma mater Southwestern Law School Why he matters The media fund guru recently helped Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and The Lives of Others helmer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck type a indie production company, Allegory Movies (fueled by a co-financing agreement with the Chinese company Beijing Cultural Investment Holding Ltd.). Burke also reps Abu Dhabi entertainment firm Image Nation and RatPac-Dune Entertainment's co-financing agreement with Warner Bros. and oversees Assured Guaranty's part of The Weinstein Co.'s film library. Cups of coffee a day "Five cappuccinos. "

David Fox

Myman Greenspan Fineman Fox Rosenberg & Light Alma mater Western State College of Law Why he matters Fox repetitions among the busiest producers in town, Dan Lin, who this season has The Lego Batman Movie, Lego Ninjago, Death Note and also an adaptation of Stephen King's It. Christopher McQuarrie is coming for a second Mission: Impossible film, while the other client, James Wan, who is presently directing Aquaman, proceeds to expand his Conjuring movie universe. Most dangerous thing I've accomplished in a decade "Get remarried. "

Mathew Rosengart

Greenberg Traurig Alma mater Boston University Why he things Rosengart repped Sean Penn in his high profile defamation case against Lee Daniels -- winning an official apology letter along with a generous donation from Daniels into Penn's charity. The former federal prosecutor is representing producers of this film London Fields at a $10 million lawsuit against Amber Heard (she co-starred from the film with ex-husband Johnny Depp) and another against Terrence Howard on behalf of Howard's former supervisors regarding the actor's Empire deal. Cups of coffee a day "Three, unless I'm at a deposition or in court -- in which case, six. "

Anthony Oncidi

Alma mater University of Chicago Law School He matters Oncidi is leading the charge for CAA in its continuing agent-poaching legal conflict with UTA, which might upend business employment practices. Oncidi claims the case -- which goes into arbitration in January -- reflects a tendency in lawsuits which are challenging the legality of employment contracts each movie and TV studio has used for decades. "The lawyers that are assaulting fixed-term contracts have to be careful what they wish for," he warns. "Should they succeed, a lot of employees may be disappointed. " Supervillain that I 'd most want to represent "Kim Jong-un -- I think that the guy just needs someone to speak to..." Most dangerous thing I've done in a decade "Offered to represent Kim Jong-un. "

Joseph Calabrese

Courtesy of Gittings Photography Alma mater Cornell Law School Why he matters Calabrese is one of the best Hollywood-Asia dealmakers. He led the group informing Legendary Entertainment in its $3.5 billion purchase by China's Dalian Wanda Group but also helped Warner Bros. in its acquisition of DramaFever, a video streaming service which has Korean content. He continues to operate with the International Olympic Committee on the progression of its over-the-top TV platform. Most dangerous thing I've done in a decade "The Cresta [sled] run. It's headfirst down a twisting kilometer-long ice chute in St. Moritz, Switzerland. "