The Region’s Top Law Firms Go All-In on Tech, Sports, and Entertainment
Alongside staking out in expanded practice areas, these top law firms are expanding with increased CRE cases, as well as expanding into high-end office spaces for additional hires and return-to-work initiatives.
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Traditional litigation and corporate work have progressed to address new technologies, an evolving regulatory landscape, complex real estate transactions, and a slew of entertainment, sports, and media intellectual property issues.
Kahn Scolnick, partner-in-charge who co-leads Gibson Dunn’s local offices, said that the firm’s Los Angeles offices have many practice group leaders and continue to anchor the 135-year-old firm as it grows domestically and internationally. In one of the most notable cases of the past year, Gibson Dunn won a complete victory at summary judgment defending OpenAI in the first-ever defamation case arising from generative AI output, defeating allegations that a so-called ChatGPT “hallucination” was defamatory. The case was the first of its kind and involved new, complex technology.
“Gibson Dunn’s Los Angeles offices are seeing significant demand across the firm’s litigation and transactional practices. Our growth in Los Angeles has been consistent over the years and aligns with the firm’s strategy to build destination practices and industry expertise across our platform,” said Candice Choh, partner-in-charge.
The firm is the largest in Los Angeles County with 309 attorneys, according to the most recent data from LA Times Studios. Overall, Gibson Dunn has 2,200 lawyers in 23 offices worldwide. On the corporate side, the firm advised tennis star Serena Williams in the acquisition of an ownership stake in the Toronto Tempo, the first Canadian Women’s National Basketball Association team.
In a separate transaction, local Gibson Dunn attorneys advised actor Kevin Hart on his strategic partnership with Authentic Brands Group. Authentic Brands Group is an owner of sports, lifestyle, and entertainment intellectual property. In a separate transaction, Authentic Brands acquired 51% of Guess Inc.’s intellectual property as part of a take-private transaction for the Los Angeles apparel maker that closed earlier this year.
The transaction valued the company at $1.4 billion, including debt, with current management and investors, including co-founders Maurice and Paul Marciano, continuing to operate the business and own 100% of the 44-year-old company. The company was advised on the transaction by O’Melveny & Myers, which had served as longtime outside counsel. The O’Melveny team advising Guess was led by partners John Laco, Dan Petrocelli, Adam Ackerman, Brad Finkelstein and Jeff Walbridge, alongside associates Tae Ha, Sofia Panarella and Ryan Chow.
In the entertainment world, Latham & Watkins represented Paramount Skydance Corp. in its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. The agreement was announced after Netflix dropped its planned $82.7-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery last year. The Latham & Watkins M&A team is led by New York partner Ian Nussbaum, Chicago partner Max Schleusener, and Los Angeles partners Rick Offsay and Liliana Ranger.
Real Estate: Development Nationwide Brings Work to Firms
Real estate is another major source of transactional and litigation work for local firms. Loeb is currently representing Culver City-based Primestor Development in the largest modular residential construction project in North America, which is also one of the largest mixed-use projects to break ground in California this year. The project is located adjacent to the Norwalk City Hall and civic center. Dubbed “The Walk,” it is a $300-million development project slated for completion in late 2027 that will include 90,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 370 modular residential units, of which 55 are dedicated affordable housing units. The Loeb team is led by Paul Rohrer, deputy chair of the firm’s real estate department, along with partners Sophia Chang and Elizabeth Camacho.
Glaser Weil, a Century City-based regional firm, in conjunction with co-counsel Blank Rome and Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, secured a litigation victory for Chestlen Development, a real estate investment and development firm and owner of the 52-story, 755-room W Hotel and Element Hotel (Marriott) in Philadelphia. The recent decision awarded Chestlen $174.7 million for a complex dispute against Sylmar-based general contractor Tutor Perini Building Corp. and surety bond issuers.
“This award reflects the persistence and resolve of Brook Lenfest and Jared Wallace to see this case through and obtain justice for the harm caused,” said Peter Sheridan, chair of Glaser Weil’s construction litigation practice, in a statement.
Trading Spaces: Office Moves and Expansions
While firms are dealing with the legal challenges of new technology, they are also looking to leverage upgraded technology for their attorneys and employees. Several firms have relocated within Los Angeles at the expiration of prior leases to spaces that offer greater amenities. Venable is one of the most recent examples of a trend that has taken hold at some of the largest firms to add amenities that are flexible to collaborative spaces that include hospitality and wellness elements.
Venable moved into a new Century City office on January 5 but didn’t go far. Its new 45,000-square-foot space is in the same building—2049 Century Park East—but upgraded to a higher floor. The move allowed it to redesign its office with a variety of communal spaces and workplace amenities, including a high-end coffee bar, a café, a wellness/meditation room, a library nook, and an after-hours lounge. Its flexible conference spaces support meetings of all sizes and offer upgraded, state-of-the-art technology, including a video wall and the ability to broadcast events and meetings firmwide.
“We are excited to start the New Year in our new space,” said Dan Hoffer, partner-in-charge of Venable’s Los Angeles office. “It offers a better workflow, collaborative workspaces, upgraded technology and exceptional views.”
In Downtown Los Angeles, Sheppard Mullin’s offices relocated to California Plaza at the beginning of 2025. The new office features:
- 225 individual offices
- More than 100 individual workstations
- A café with a full-time barista
- Outdoor loggia and a Sheppard-only employee gym
It also incorporates technology-forward, sustainable, and inclusive design elements that support more than 400 staff and attorneys.
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