Leadership

Officers

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

CHAIR-ELECT
Judy Tint (2020-2021)
New York University
New York, NY

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Leonard Glickman  (2019-2021)
Cassels Brock & Blackwell, LLP
Toronto, ON

Members-at-Large

Scott Bain
USPTO
Washington, DC

John F. Bradley
Bradley Legal Group, P.A.
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Travis Life
Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP
Chicago, IL

Mark Tratos
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Las Vegas, NV

Tim Warnock
Riley Warnock & Jacobson, PLC
Nashville, TN 

Laura Warren
Chicago Fire FC
Chicago, IL

Operations Committees

BOOK PUBLISHING/WEBINAR CHAIR
Robert G. Pimm
Law Office of Robert G. Pimm
San Francisco, CA

BUDGET CHAIR
Steven D. Sills, CPA, CFE, CFF
Green Hasson Janks
Los Angeles, CA

EDITOR-in-CHIEF
Entertainment and Sports Lawyer
Brian Rosenblatt
Attorney at Law
Bryce Downey & Lenkov LLC
Chicago, IL

MEMBERSHIP & COMMUNICATIONS
Stephanie Furgang Adwar, Chair
Furgang & Adwar, L.L.P.
New York, NY

Victoria Fernandez, Vice Chair
Greater Boston, MA

DIVERSITY CHAIR
Neeta Ragoowansi
National Performing Rights Exchange (NPREX)
New York, NY

NOMINATING CHAIR
Kirk T. Schroder
Schroder Brooks, PLC
Richmond, VA 

SPONSORSHIP CHAIR
Polina Ivko
Ivko LLC
New York, NY

SPECIAL PROJECTS CHAIR, ENTERTAINMENT
Peter Dekom
Peter J. Dekom, A Law Corporation
Los Angeles, CA

2021 Annual Meeting Planning Committee

Co-Chairs

• Scott Bain, United States Patent and Trademark Office
• Aalok Sharma, Stinson

Members

• Peter Strand, Mandel Menkes (Forum Chair)
  
• Judy Tint, New York University (Forum Chair-Elect)
  
• Len Glickman, Cassels Brock (Immediate Past Chair)
• Alexandra Darraby, The Art Law Firm
• Peter Dekom, Peter J Dekom, a Law Corporation
• Kenneth Freundlich, Freundlich Law
  
• Polina Ivko, Ivko, LLC
  
• Ken Kaufman, Harvard University
• Henry Root, Lapidus, Root & Sacharow, LLP 
  
• Kirk Schroder, Schroder Brooks Law Firm, PLC
  
• LeAnn Sheldon, Rockwell Group
• Justin Sievert, Vela Wood
• Seth Steinberg, Digital Arts Law
• Mark G. Tratos, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  

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

Elke Suber, Chair
Microsoft
Redmond, WA

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

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

Emily Evitt, Vice Chair
Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp
Los Angeles, CA

Motion Pictures, Television, Cable and Radio 

Steve Weizenecker, Chair 
Barmes & Thornburg
Atlanta, GA 

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

Music and Personal Appearances

Danny Walvick, Chair
Vevo, LLC
San Francisco, CA

Monica Zhang, Vice-Chair
Reed Smith, LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Non-Profit / Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Cynthia Sanchez, Chair
Los Angeles, CA

Sports

Aalok Sharma, Chair
Stinson
Minneapolis, MN

Justin Sievert, Vice Chair
Vela Wood
Miami Beach, FL

Theater and Performing Arts

Ari Solotoff, Chair
Solotoff Law Group
Portland, ME

Liaisons from ABA Entities

ABA Board of Governors Liaison
Laura Sharp
The Sharp Firm
Austin, TX

Law Student Liaison
Andrienne E. Washington
University of Florida 
Gainsville, FL

Young Lawyers Liaison
Emily Behzadi
California Western School of Law
San Diego, 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
  Lapidus, Root & Sacharow, LLP 
• Vered Yakovee
  Yakovee Law, Marina del Rey, CA
  

Past Forum Chairs

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)
Phillips & Salman
Los Angeles, CA 

Jay Cooper (1983-1986)
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Santa Monica, CA

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