I am a shareholder at Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, PA and currently serve as the head of the firm’s securities practice and as a member of its entertainment and intellectual property practice group. Before joining the law firm in 1989, I worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance in Washington, D.C. for almost 6 years, initially as a staff attorney and then as Special Counsel to the Assistant Director.

• B.S. in Management Science (a business degree) from SUNY Binghamton
• J.D. law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo
• LL.M. in Entertainment and Media Law from Southwestern Law School

After working on a number of media and entertainment projects, I decided to apply my skills to the entertainment and media industry and incorporate it into my practice. Several years after that decision, I then decided to further hone and improve my skills by seeking an advanced law degree in entertainment and media law.

My entertainment and media practice is multi-faceted and includes all types of clients and covers all aspects of entertainment, media and sports law, including the representation of clients in music, film, TV, theater, sports, literature, Internet apps, digital & interactive entertainment, video gaming and cyber law matters. I provide legal services to individual talent and artists; entertainment and media companies; production companies; single purpose entertainment related entities; and distributors; investors, sponsors, and other financiers. My legal services for these clients include the negotiation of agreements between talent and the media companies and the negotiation of various licenses and clearances (i.e., defamation & rights of publicity review); providing copyright, trademark, and e-commerce advice; and the negotiation and structuring of investment and bank financing transactions, including compliance with applicable securities and financing laws relating to the funding of projects. My entertainment and media practice also has crossed over into the realm of sports where I have negotiated various agreements on behalf of my clients.

My securities and corporate practice involves extensive experience in public and private offerings (representing companies & underwriters/private placement agents), mergers and acquisitions of private and public entities, venture capital formation and exit strategies, securities law and regulatory compliance (including assistance in preparing periodic reports & proxy statements filed with the SEC), and corporate governance matters (including situations involving contests for corporate control and structuring defensive mechanisms). Although my securities and corporate practice covers a variety of industries and businesses and have involved numerous financing vehicles, I have significant experience in niche areas representing financial institutions (including community banks), insurance companies, and REITs