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Leadership

Officers

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

Chair-Elect
Stephen Weizenecker (09/01/23 – 08/31/25)

Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Atlanta, GA

Immediate Past Chair
Judy Tint (2023-2025)
Judy Tint, Counselor at Law / New York University
New York, NY

Governing Committee Members

Stephanie Furgang Adwar
Adwar Ivko LLC
09/01/22 – 8/31/25

Bryan T. Kroes
Hurtado Zimmerman SC
(09/01/2023 – 08/31/2026 )

Jennifer Roberts
WynnBET
(09/01/2023 – 08/31/2026 )

Vered Yakovee
Yakovee Law, P.A.
(09/01/22 – 8/31/25)

Two new GC members voting on in November

Operations Committees

Budget Chair
Ben Sheppard, CPA, CVA
Berkeley Research Group, LLC (BRG)
Los Angeles, CA

Diversity Task Force Chair
Emily Behzadi
California Western School of Law
San Diego, CA

Membership & Communications

Victoria Fernandez, 
Chair
Boston, MA

Kiana Parkes, Vice-Chair

Mentoring Program
Chardae Davis, 
Co-Chair
Roc Nation
New York, NY

Scott Bain, 
Co-Chair
Arlington, VA 

Nomination Committee
Kirk  Schroder, 
Chair
Schroder Brooks Law Firm, PL
Arlington, VA 

Publications - Entertainment and Sports Lawyer
Editor-In-Chief
Brian A. Rosenblatt
Chicago, IL

Associate Editor
Jacob M. Abdo
Wayzata, MN 

Special Projects Chair, Entertainment
Peter Dekom
Peter J Dekom, a Law Corporation
Los Angeles, CA

Sponsorship Committee
Polina Ivko, Chair
Adwar Ivko LLC
New York, NY

Vice-Chair - Open

Strategic Planning Committee
Gary Greenstein, Chair
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Washington, DC

Webinar/Podcast Chair
Ilan Haimoff, CPA, CFE, CIA, CFF
Green Hasson Janks LLP
Los Angeles, CA

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

Marco Ciarlariello, Chair
Cassels Brock
Toronto, Canada

Digital Media New Technologies

To Be Determined

Electronic Gaming and eSports

Seth Steinberg, Chair    
Digital Arts Law
San Francisco, CA

Ben Golant, Vice Chair
Entertainment Software Association
Washington, DC

In-House Counsel

Kate Porter
Bay FC
San Francisco, CA

International

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

Vice Chair - Open

Licensing, Merchandising and Branding

Lauri Thompson, Chair
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Las Vegas, NV

Literary Publishing

TBD

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 

Aaron Gothelf, Chair
American Arbitration Association
San Francisco, CA

Music and Personal Appearances

Matthew Wilson, Chair
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Atlanta, GA 

Peter Ajemian, Vice Chair
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP
Las Vegas, NV

Non-Profit / Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Cynthia Sanchez, Chair
Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center
Los Angeles, CA

Sports 

Ryan Garka, Co-Chair
The IRONMAN Group
Tampa, FL

Kate Porter, Co-Chair
Bay FC
San Francisco, CA

Alicia Jessop, Vice Chair
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA 

Theater and Performing Arts

Ari Solotoff, Chair
Solotoff Law Group
Portland, ME

2024 Annual Meeting Planning Committee Co-Chairs

Gray Greenstein, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Kate Porter, Bay FC

Members
Marco Ciarlariello,
Cassels
Chardae Davis, Roc Nation
Peter Dekom, Peter J Dekom. A Law Corp
Kenneth Freundlich, Freundlich Law
Ryan Garka, The IRONMAN Group
Jennifer Roberts, WynnBET
Ben Sheppard, BRG
Seth Steinberg, Digital Arts Law
Peter Strand, Mandel Menkes
Judy Tint, Counselor at Law
Mark Tratos, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Stephen Weizenecker, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Liaisons from ABA Entities

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

Section of Intellectual Property Liaison
Mark Tratos
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Las Vegas, NV

Law Student Liaison
Hailey Chase
Belmont University - College of Law

Science and Technology Law Liaison
Kenneth M. Kaufman
Moses Singer

Senior Lawyers Division Liaison
Jodi B Levine

SOC Forums Working Group Liaisons
Henry Root
Counsel LLP
San Francisco, CA

Vered Yakovee
Yakovee Law
Marina del Rey, CA

Young Lawyers Liaisons (1-year term)
Aristotle Alsua
Los Angeles, CA

Bakita Hill
Cleveland, OH

Past Forum Chairs

Judy Tint (2021-2023)
Judy Tint, Counselor at Law 
New York, NY 

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

Forum Staff

Forums Director
Lee Swanson
312-988-5878 
[email protected]

Project Associate
Antoinette Gray
312-585-6240
[email protected]

American Bar Association

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