Leadership

Officers

CHAIR
Judy Tint (2021-2023)
Judy Tint, Counselor at Law / New York University
New York, NY
[email protected]

CHAIR-ELECT
Mark Tratos (2023-2025)
Greenberg Traurig
Las Vegas, NV

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Peter Strand (2021-2023)
Mandell Menkes
Chicago, IL

Governing Committee Members
(3-year terms; two term limit)

Stephanie Furgang Adwar
Furgang & Adwar, LLP
New York, NY 

Travis Life
VSA Partners LLP
Chicago, IL

Timothy L. Warnock
Loeb & Loeb LLP
Nashville, TN

Laura D. Warren
Chicago Fire
Chicago, IL

Stephen Weizenecker
Barnes & Thornburg
Atlanta, GA

Vered Yakovee
Yakovee Law
Marina del Rey, CA

Operations Committees

Book Publishing / Webinar Chair

Robert G. Pimm
Law Office of Robert G. Pimm
San Francisco, CA

Budget Chair 

Ilan Haimoff
Green Hasson Janks
Los Angeles, CA

Editor-in-Chief

Entertainment and Sports Lawyer
Brian Rosenblatt
Bryce Downey & Lenkov LLC
Chicago, IL

Nominating Chair 

Kirk T. Schroder
Schroder Brooks, PLC
Richmond, VA

Membership & Communications Chair 

Victoria Fernandez
Greater Boston, MA

Diversity Task Force

Neeta Ragoowansi, Co-Chair
New York, NY

Emily Behzadi, Co-Chair
California Western School of Law

Special Projects - Entertainment Chair

Peter Dekom
Peter J Dekom, a Law Corporation
Beverly Hills, CA

Sponsorship Committee Chair

Polina Ivko
Ivko, LLC
New York, NY

Strategic Planning Committee Chair

Gary Greenstein
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Washington, DC

Division Chairs and Vice Chairs

Arts & Museums

LeAnn Shelton, Chair
Rockwell Group
New York, NY

Cheryl Davis, Vice Chair
The Authors Guild
New York, NY

Cannabis in the Entertainment and Sports Industries

Daniel Shapiro, Chair
Greenlane Holdings LLC
Boca Raton, FL

Marco Ciarlariello, Vice Chair
Cassels Brock
Toronto, Canada
 

Digital Media New Technologies

To Be Determined

Electronic Gaming and eSports

Seth J. Steinberg, Chair     
Digital Arts Law
San Francisco, CA

Ben Golant, Vice Chair
Entertainment Software Association
Washington, DC

International

Alexandra Darraby, Chair
The Art Law Firm
Los Angeles, CA

Emily Behzadi, Vice Chair
California Western School of Law
San Diego, CA

Licensing, Merchandising and Branding

Jennifer Ko Craft, Chair
Dickinson Wright, PLLC
Las Vegas, NV

Shauna Norton, Vice Chair
Dickinson Wright, PLLC
Las Vegas, NC

Literary Publishing

Dirk Vanover, Chair
Vanover Legal, LLC
Milwaukee, WI

R.J. Inawat, Vice Chair
R.J. Inawat, Attorney
Chicago, IL

Litigation

Kenneth Freundlich, Chair
Freundlich Law
Encino, CA

Angela C de Cespedes, Vice Chair
Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
Miami, FL

Motion Pictures, Television, Cable and Radio 

New Chair - To Be Determined

Aaron Gothelf, Vice Chair
American Arbitration Association
San Francisco, CA

Music and Personal Appearances

Danny Walvick, Chair
Pandora Media
San Francisco, CA

Matthew Wilson, Co-Vice Chair
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Atlanta, GA

Andrew G. Tavel, Co-Vice Chair
Eisner LLP
Atlanta, GA

Non-Profit / Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Cynthia Sanchez, Chair
Los Angeles, CA

Sports 

Ryan Christopher Garka, Chair
The IRONMAN Group
Tampa, FL

Kate Porter, Vice Chair
Vela Wood PC
Dallas, TX 75206

Theater and Performing Arts

Ari Solotoff, Chair
Solotoff Law Group
Portland, ME

2023 Annual Meeting Planning Committee

Co-Chairs

• Tim Warnick, Loeb & Loeb LLP
• Polina Ivko, Ivko, LLC

Members

• Chardae Davis
• Peter Dekom, Peter J Dekom, a Law Corporation
• Stephanie Furgang Adwar, Furgang & Adwar, LLP
• Angela de Cepedes, Saul Ewing LLP
• Kenneth Freundlich, Freundlich Law
• Ryan Garka, The IRONMAN Group
• Len Glickman, Cassels Brock & Blackwell, LLP
• Sapna Lal
• Katie Porter, Vela Wood PC
• Henry Root, Smith Entertainment Law Group, LLP
• Peter Strand, Mandel Menkes (Immediate Past Chair)
• Judy Tint, Counselor at Law (Forum Chair)
• Mark G. Tratos, Greenberg Traurig, LLP (Chair-Elect)
• Laura D. Warren, Chicago Fire

Liaisons from ABA Entities

ABA Board of Governors Liaison
Carlos A Rodriguez-Vidal
 Goldman Antonetti & Cordova LLC
San Juan, PR

Law Student Liaison
Rohun Reddy
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL

Young Lawyers Liaison
Chardae Davis
Newport Beach, CA

Forum Liaison to the Section of Intellectual Property
Kenneth Kaufman
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Liaison from the Section of Intellectual Property
John Polito
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Liaisons to SOC Forums Working Group

• Henry Root
  Smith Entertainment Law Group, LLP
• Vered Yakovee
  Yakovee Law
  

Forum Staff

Forums Director
Lee Swanson
312.988. 5878 
[email protected]

Project Associate
Antoinette Gray
312.988.6140
[email protected]

Past Forum Chairs

Peter Strand (2019-2021)
Mandell Menkes
Chicago, IL

Len Glickman (2017-2019)
Cassels Brock & Blackwell, LLP
Toronto, ON

Janine Small (2015-2017)
Janine Small, PLLC
New York, NY

Richard J. Idell (2013-2015)
The Idell Firm
San Francisco, CA

Christine Lepera (2011-2013)
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLP
New York, New York

Kirk T. Schroder (2009-2011)
Schroder Davis, PLC
Richmond, VA 

Lon Sobel (2007-2009)
Santa Monica CA 

Gary A. Watson (2005-2007)
Gary A. Watson & Associates
Los Angeles, CA

Kenneth Abdo (2003-2005)
Lommen, Abdo P.A.
Minneapolis, MN

David M. Given (2001-2003)
Phillips, Erlewine & Given LLP
San Francisco, CA

Joel A. Katz (1999-2001)
Greenberg Traurig
Atlanta, GA

Pam Lester (1997-1999)
Lester Sports and Entertainment, Inc.
Skillman, NJ

Michael Rudell (1995-1997)
Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo
New York, NY

Edward Pierson (1992-1995)
Edward Pierson, Attorney at Law, PLLC
Seattle, WA

David Nochimson (1989-1992)
Ziffren, Brittenham LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Gerald Phillips (1986-1989)
Jay Cooper (1983-1986)
Robert G. Woolf (1982-1983)
Seymour Bricker (1980-1982)
Edward Rubin (1978-1980)*

* 1st Forum Chair appointed by the ABA President

American Bar Association

Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries
321 North Clark Street
18th Floor
Chicago, IL 60654