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"The entire legal profession, lawyers, judges, law professors, has become so mesmerized with the stimulation of the Courtroom that we tend to forget that we ought to be healers of conflicts. For many claims, trials by adversarial contests must in time go the way of the ancient trial by battle and blood. Our system is too costly, too painful, too destructive, too inefficient for a truly civilized people."
-- Chief Justice Warren E. Burger |
James S. Mulholland, Esq.
Chairman, Advisory Board
Co-Founder and Managing Director
James S. Mulholland is an attorney, as well as a certified Mediator and Arbitrator, with over 25 years experience in private law practice as an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles, California. He was a Partner at the prestigious Entertainment Law Firms of Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman, Kuchel & Silbert in Century City and at Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz in Beverly Hills.
Mr. Mulholland's practice has included representation of major individual and corporate entertainment clients, domestically and internationally, involving complex contract negotiations, production financing, "negative pick-up" arrangements, production insurance, completion bonding; production, distribution and net profit agreements for motion pictures, television, cable, and stage plays; intellectual property issues and protection of copyrights; options and acquisitions of literary properties; literary publishing agreements; music protection, licensing and publishing; employment agreements for screenwriters, actors, directors, producers, and studio executives; name and likeness protection; agency and management agreements; product licensing agreements; artist/corporate endorsement arrangements; sale of theatrical, syndication, and ancillary rights; licensing of emerging technology rights; establishment of corporate business relationships, joint ventures, strategic alliances and global expansion strategies; entertainment agreements for SEC public and private offerings; union/guild labor negotiations and mediations; advice to non-profit organizations; and legal advice to and participation on corporate boards of directors.
Ron Mardigian
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
Ron Mardigian was born in Pasadena, California. He attended Stanford University and then the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Theater, with a minor in Economics. He is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Following a stint in the US Army, Mr. Mardigian began working for the William Morris Agency in the now famous William Morris mailroom as an agent trainee. Many of his “classmates”, including Mr. Mardigian, matriculated to becoming senior agents, running various departments of the William Morris Agency over time.
After Mr. Mardigian spent several years as a literary agent in the television and motion picture literary departments, he was made Senior Vice President and Head of the William Morris Motion Picture Literary Department, West Coast. In that capacity, he supervised the Beverly Hills literary operation in an administrative capacity while he continued to serve as an agent with emphasis on screenwriters and directors. During his years at the William Morris Agency, Mr. Mardigian represented a great number of well-known film and television clients and was involved in structuring and packaging many major motion pictures projects throughout his career.
John Schulman, Esq.
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
John Schulman is a partner and chairman of the entertainment department of Los Angeles-based law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp. Mr. Schulman retired in 2009 after a 25-year career at Warner Bros., where he was the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the studio. One of the most respected attorneys in the entertainment industry today, Mr. Schulman joined Warner Bros. in 1984 as Vice President & General Counsel, charged with building the Studio's in-house legal department. In 1989, he was promoted to Senior Vice President & General Counsel, and he served as Executive Vice President & General Counsel since 1991.
After graduating from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, Mr. Schulman started his legal career by working in private practice at the law firm of Kaplan, Livingston, Goodwin, Berkowitz and Selvin. During his nine years at the firm, he worked on a variety of Warner Bros. assignments, including some of the litigation and negotiations regarding the "Superman" franchise and first "Superman" movies. In 1981, he became a founding partner of the law firm then known as Weissman, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman & Schulman, where he continued to serve as one of Warner Bros.' primary outside litigation counsel.
Mr. Schulman was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Music Center, which includes oversight over The Music Center, The Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, The Mark Taper Forum, The Center Theater Group and The Ahmanson Theatre. He is also developing an entertainment law program in conjunction with the Dean of the USC Law School.
Jerry West
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
During his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, West became synonymous with brilliant basketball. He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). He was an All-Star every year of his career and led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals nine times. He left the game holding records for career postseason scoring and the highest average in a playoff series.
Despite a level of intensity on the court so high it could melt lead, West was one of the most admired and well-liked figures in professional basketball. His ferocity rarely, if ever, rubbed players, coaches or fans the wrong way. After the Lakers' heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals, John Havlicek walked up to West and said, "Jerry, I love you." Such comments were not uncommon.
West left the game as the NBA's third-leading career scorer, then became the Lakers' head coach for the 1976-77 season. He became general manager in 1982, helping to build the Lakers' dynasty of the 1980s. West was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. West was named the NBA Executive of the Year for 1995 after the Lakers posted their best record in four seasons. Under his reign, Los Angeles won seven championship rings.
West is currently retired from basketball; he serves as the Executive Director of the PGA Northern Trust Los Angeles Open. He is a Senior Mediator with Entertainment Mediation Institute in Beverly Hills where he brings to the table his vast experience and ability to work with people in resolving disputes in the sports and entertainment world.David Wardlow
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
David Wardlow has been a well-known theatrical agent and studio executive in the entertainment industry for over 30 years.
Mr. Wardlow began his career at Warner Bros Studios where he worked with Studio Production Head Walter MacEwan and served as Personal Assistant to Warner Bros President Ben Kalmenson.
Following owner Jack Warner’s sale of the studio to Seven Arts, the Chairman of the William Morris Agency, Abe Lastfogel, and his chief lieutenant and Senior Agent Stan Kamin solicited Mr. Wardlow to join the agency as an agent in the William Morris Motion Picture Department.
Partnering with another Senior Agent Phil Kellogg, Mr. Wardlow represented such actors as Dustin Hoffman, Liza Minnelli, Roger Moore, Maximillian Schell, Malcolm McDowell and many other William Morris theatrical clients. Mr. Wardlow also represented Dale Wasserman, author of “Man of La Mancha”, Leslie Bricusse and other authors and screenwriters of note. Mr. Wardlow was also involved in the financing and packaging of many hit motion pictures, including “Ryan’s Daughter” and “Lenny”, Dustin Hoffman’s breakthrough performance as the doomed comedian Lenny Bruce.
Mr. Wardlow is currently the head of Wardlow & Associates, a boutique agency in Los Angeles that represents writers, producers and directors. The agency also represents the Estate of Truman Capote, the Estate of Joseph E. Levine, the flamboyant owner of Embassy Pictures, and the Estate of Leslie Charteris, the creator and author of the internationally well-known property “The Saint” series of novels, movies and televisions series.
Ralph Kamon, Esq.
Member, Advisory Board
Senior MediatorRalph Kamon is an Attorney and Mediator with over 40 years of Legal Experience, serving as Entertainment Production and Corporate Counsel to United Artists Corporation and Paramount Pictures Corporation, responsible for Studio Legal and Business Affairs for Motion Pictures produced and distributed during his tenure. Mr. Kamon received his Undergraduate Degree from St. John's University and his Law Degree from Brooklyn Law School and is licensed to practice law in both New York State and the State of California.
During his studio tenures, Mr. Kamon negotiated and prepared numerous innovative motion picture production agreements, financing agreements, and employment agreements for major writers, directors, actors and producers. Mr. Kamon was extensively involved in the acquisition of rights in all media, including ancillary rights in film, television, music and merchandising. He has negotiated numerous complex distribution agreements with all of their variations and facets for the studios.
Gregory Bernstein, Esq.
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
Greg Bernstein began his legal career as an attorney at the prestigious national law firm of O’Melveny & Myers. While at O’Melveny he litigated cases on behalf of a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Ford Motor Company, CBS Television and Exxon Corporation, as well as the City of Los Angeles.
Mr. Bernstein then became vice president of business affairs at Columbia Pictures and later at Tri-Star Pictures. During this time he negotiated more than two hundred agreements, including agreements with major motion picture directors, producers, actors and writers, as well as extensive rights acquisition agreements. Those agreements often involved complicated net and gross profit participations and also included co-production agreements with other financing entities. He also participated in on-going contract negotiations with the Writers Guild of America.
Mr. Bernstein subsequently served as the assistant executive director of the Writers Guild and was responsible for managing a number of Guild activities. These included the Guild’s legislative affairs efforts, its member outreach programs, and its various publications, including the magazine “Written By,” the Guild’s monthly newsletter, and all of the Guild’s web content. In addition, Mr. Bernstein worked with the Guild’s general counsel on a variety of legal matters, conducted strategic planning, and participated in all WGA board of directors meetings.
Mr. Bernstein’s twenty-five years of entertainment business and creative work has allowed him to become extremely familiar with and sensitive to a wide variety of issues often faced by people working in the entertainment industry. As a mediator, he can offer a unique perspective and broad understanding of issues that involve both sides of the table.
Frederick Kuperberg, Esq.
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
Fred Kuperberg joined The Walt Disney Company in November of 1987 and was Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for the Disney/ABC Cable Networks group when he most recently transitioned to mediation and consulting in the entertainment and media arenas. Mr. Kuperberg has over 30 years of entertainment industry experience and brings exceptional business acumen to complex legal and business situations. He has extensive knowledge in domestic and international production, distribution, and digital media agreements. His expertise extends to intellectual property and licensing contracts, as well as writer, director, producer and talent deals. He was a former litigator and a certified mediator with experience in both mediation and arbitration. He is known for building consensus and driving collaborative relationships with business partners.
Mr. Kuperberg has vast network and cable television expertise, and intimate familiarity with original programming, co-productions, third party acquisition agreements for linear networks, and new media platforms. He has negotiated and closed carriage distribution agreements with cable operators and DBS affiliates.
Franklin R. Johnson
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
Frank Johnson spent 36 years with the international accounting firm Price Waterhouse LLP, serving as the Managing Partner of the firm’s entertainment industry practice. In that capacity, he oversaw the balloting for the Academy Awards for 22 years. Mr. Johnson also held the position of Chief Financial Officer of Rysher Entertainment, the producer and distributor of theatrical films and television programming originally owned by Cox Enterprises and sold to Paramount Pictures in 2000. Mr. Johnson now works as a business consultant and expert witness in entertainment industry litigation and also serves on the boards of two public companies.
Johnson has served on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Board for 11 years including his term as Chairman of the Board and President for 2005-06. Johnson also is Vice President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and a member of the ITF Board and the ITF Finance Committee, as well as the Chair of the ITF Media Commission. He was also a member of the Grand Slam Committee, 2003-06.
David E. Altschul
Senior Mediator
David Altschul has been a well known entertainment attorney and record company executive for over 35 years. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Altschul & Olin, LLP in Encino, California.
Mr. Altschul graduated from Amherst College, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. After teaching on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona for two years, he attended Yale Law School, graduating in 1974. He then clerked for the Honorable M. Joseph Blumenfeld, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
After a year practicing general commercial, real estate and corporate law in Los Angeles, Mr. Altschul spent the rest of the 1970’s engaged in the private practice of entertainment law with a focus upon the music industry. During that period, Mr. Altschul provided legal services for such law firm clients as Eagles, ELO, Neil Diamond, George Harrison, Jimmy Buffett, Irving Azoff and Chaka Khan.
In 1980 Mr. Altschul began a 21-year career at Warner Bros. Records Inc., initially as Director of Business Affairs, then as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Business Affairs. In 1996 he was promoted again to Vice Chairman and General Counsel. During his tenure at Warner Bros. Records, Mr. Altschul was the principal negotiator in shaping agreements and overseeing business dealings with such artists as Madonna, Prince, Frank Sinatra, and many others. He also negotiated agreements and oversaw business relationships with such ventures as Qwest Records, Maverick Records and Def American Recordings.
In 2003 he opened his own law office and soon partnered in 2004 with Milton Olin to form Altschul & Olin, LLP. Mr. Altschul today actively practices law, representing such clients as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol, Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne and A&M/Octone Records.
Gary J. Casson
Senior Mediator
Gary Casson has been working in the music industry for nearly 35 years. He was a well known record company executive at CBS Records and the Elektra Entertainment Group for 26 of those years. He is currently working as a business consultant and has been an expert witness in a number of music industry litigations.
Mr. Casson was educated in England and graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a B.A. Honors in Law. He attended the College of Law, Lancaster Gate, in London in 1974 and passed the Law Society Final Qualifying Examinations with Honors. Mr. Casson was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature in 1976 and he is still on the Roll of Solicitors in the United Kingdom. He is also currently a member of the Law Society in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Casson worked as an associate at the firm of Radcliffes & Co in Westminster, London, then left Radcliffes to join CBS Records UK in January 1977, was transferred to CBS Records in New York where he became Director, Business Affairs for CBS Records International. In 1981, Mr. Casson became Director, Business Affairs for CBS Records US. where he negotiated numerous major artist recording agreements with artists such as Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
In 1983, Mr. Casson joined Elektra/Asylum Records as Vice President, Business Affairs, becoming Executive Vice President of the company in 1994. During his tenure at the Elektra Entertainment Group, Mr. Casson oversaw dealings and negotiated numerous artist related agreements including recording agreements, joint venture agreements, licensing agreements, distribution agreements , DVD distribution agreements as well as many film soundtrack and Broadway cast agreements. Mr. Casson left the Elektra Entertainment Group in early 2003 and has been acting as an independent consultant in the music industry since then.
Mr. Casson is a Senior Mediator with the Entertainment Mediation Institute conducting mediations for the Institute in New York. He is someone who has represented companies, talent and management and hence thoroughly understands all aspects of the music business. He has the requisite knowledge and experience to understand all sides and aspects of a dispute and serve effectively as a neutral mediator.
Elliot H. Brown
Senior Mediator
Elliot Brown practices in all areas of the entertainment field with special emphasis on theater, motion pictures, television, and book publishing. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo, as well as a Senior Mediator with the Entertainment Mediation Insitute.
Among the Broadway and Off-Broadway shows Elliot has represented are "Barnum," "Nine," "My One and Only," "The Kentucky Cycle," "Tommy," "Wait Until Dark," "Jekyll & Hyde," "I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change," "Death of a Salesman," "Dirty Blonde," "Fosse," "Ragtime," "Seussical," "The Producers," "The Sweet Smell of Success," "I Am My Own Wife," "700 Sundays," "Young Frankenstein," "Grease" and "Billy Elliot." Among the motion pictures he has represented are "Places in the Heart," "Star 80" and "Private Parts."
A former reporter for United Press International, Mr. Brown received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University (with distinction). He later received his law degree from Yale Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1976 and the Pennsylvania bar in 1977. Elliot has taught entertainment law at Columbia University and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He recently ended his term as a Governor of the Theatre Division of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries (prior to that he had chaired the Theatrical Section), and has also served on the Entertainment Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Peter J. Dekom
Senior Mediator
Peter Dekom practices law in Los Angeles, California, and is also "of counsel" with the Beverly Hills law firm of Weissmann Wolff Bergman Coleman Grodin & Evall. He formerly was a partner in the firm of Bloom, Dekom, Hergott and Cook. Mr. Dekom's clients include or have included such Hollywood notables as George Lucas, Paul Haggis, Keenen Ivory Wayans, John Travolta, Ron Howard, Rob Reiner, Andy Davis, Robert Towne and Larry Gordon among many others, as well as corporate clients such as Sears, Roebuck and Co., Pacific Telesis and Japan Victor Corporation (JVC). He has been listed in Forbes among the top 100 lawyers in the United States and in Premiere Magazine as one of the 50 most powerful people in Hollywood.
Mr. Dekom has been a management/marketing consultant, and entrepreneur in the fields of entertainment, Internet, and telecommunications. As a consultant to the state of New Mexico for almost a decade, he was instrumental in creating, writing and implementing legislation to encourage film and television production in the state and supervised the film loan program portion of that incentive structure.
Mr. Dekom served on the board of directors of Imagine Films Entertainment while the company remained publicly traded and was a board member of Will Vinton Studios and Cinebase Software, among others, leaving upon change of ownership. He has also served as a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Academy Foundation, Board of Directors, Chairman (now Emeritus) of the American Cinematheque, and on the Advisory Board of the Shanghai International Film Festival.
The Beverly Hills Bar Association honored Mr. Dekom as Entertainment Lawyer of the Year in 1994, the Century City Bar Association accorded him the same honor in 2004, and the Family Assistance Program named him Man of the Year in 1992 for his work with the homeless.
Mr. Dekom graduated from Yale in 1968 (BA), and graduated first in his class in 1973 from the UCLA School of Law (JD).
Senator Steve Peace
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator
Steve Peace is a film writer and producer and formerly served in the California State Senate and Assembly. Senator Peace was elected to represent the 40th Senate District in December of 1993 after serving in the State Assembly since 1982. Senator Peace's 40th District in San Diego County includes the cities of Chula Vista, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, La Mesa, National City, Spring Valley, and the San Diego communities of Encanto, Nestor, Paradise Hills, and San Ysidro.
Early in his political career, the native San Diegan signaled both his independence and his willingness to take on tough fights, when, in 1988, then-Assemblyman Peace joined four Democratic colleagues in an effort to reform the California Legislature itself. Taking on powerful leaders from both parties, the "Gang of Five" and their year-long battle for reform led to many significant changes, including subjecting legislative committees to the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.
Senator Peace earned a reputation as the person the Legislature turned to on particularly difficult and complex issues. He is credited with presiding over forums that were "bipartisan, exhaustive and open to a full airing of views."
Irwin E. Russell, Esq. (dec.)
Member, Advisory Board
Senior Mediator (2002-2013)Irwin Russell began his legal career as an attorney after receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) in Economics from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce from the University of Pennsylvania, and his Juris Doctorate Degree (J.D.) from Harvard University. He is a member of the New York and California State Bar Associations.
Mr. Russell initially served in the U. S. Army Air Corps and was assigned to the Administrative Inspector in the Office of the Air Inspector General at Gunter Field in Alabama.
He subsequently served as an Associate to the prominent New York Labor Relations attorney and arbitrator Robert Feinberg in New York City. Soon thereafter, he became an attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel at the National Wage Stabilization Board in Washington, D.C., where he drafted, interpreted and administered National Wage Control Regulations, supervised Regional Offices and served as a Congressional Liaison.
Entertainment Law Practice: Mr. Russell served as Vice President, General Manager and Counsel for Bob Banner Associates, a major independent television production company for many years. He later served as Counsel and Vice President of the Elektra Records Corporation, a major independent Record and Music Company from inception until after its sale to Warner Bros, Inc.
He also served as Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Director of The Wolper Organization, Inc., a quasi-public company controlled by the well-known and honored producer David L. Wolper. Mr. Russell had executive responsibility for the operations of the entire company. When the company was sold to Warner Bros., he remained on retainer with Warner Bros. for an additional 5 years. David Wolper, in his many years in show business, made over 700 films which won over 150 awards including 2 Oscars, 50 Emmys, 7 Golden Globes and 5 Peabodys for his outstanding body of work, many of which were produced while Mr. Russell was associated with the company.
Mr. Russell had a private practice in Beverly Hills, representing major entertainment clients involved in the Entertainment Industry. He represented production companies, independent producers, executives, and other types of firms and individuals in connection with their business, financial and legal matters.
He served as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Walt Disney Company from 1987 to 2001 and currently represents The Eisner Foundation, which has been funding innovative non-profit organizations that enrich the lives of underserved children in Southern California since 1996, and is dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people, starting and ending their lives in Los Angeles County.
Mr. Russell also served as an ad hoc arbitrator and mediator in many labor and commercial cases as a member of the Panels of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the American Arbitration Association. He currently serves as a Senior Entertainment Mediator for the Entertainment Mediation Institute (EMI) in Beverly Hills, CA.
EMI is grateful to Irwin Russell for his important participation, guidance and inspiration to all over the years. He was truly a gentleman, a great attorney and a wonderful addition to our EMI Panel. He will be greatly missed by all.