Greenberg Glusker has announced that Douglas E. Mirell has joined the firm as a partner in the firm’s litigation group.
Mirell will continue his corporate and business litigation practice working with companies and individuals in media, entertainment and sports on First Amendment, invasion of privacy and defamation claims; publicity rights disputes; anti-SLAPP motions; copyright and trademark infringement actions; new and traditional media law issues; enforcement of civil rights statutes; voting rights litigation; freedom of information, public records and other government access statutes.
“We are proud to have an attorney of Doug’s stature and reputation join our firm,” said Greenberg Glusker’s Managing Partner Bob Baradaran. “We always welcome attorneys who are best in class in their fields as well as those who live the values of our firm by representing clients who uphold First Amendment values and who work to ensure equal access to justice.”
Mirell has held several leadership positions during many decades of service on the boards of directors of both the ACLU and ACLU Foundation of Southern California. From 2005-2011, he served as a City-appointed Commissioner of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, including terms as its Chair and Vice-Chair. Mirell was a founder of the California-based Progressive Jewish Alliance and a founding board member of its national successor, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice.
He has taught Constitutional Law (First Amendment) at the USC Gould School of Law and Legal Journalism at Loyola Law School. Mirell has also undertaken pro bono litigation on behalf of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, Society of Professional Journalists, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, Bet Tzedek Legal Services and Public Counsel.
“I have long admired the attorneys at Greenberg Glusker, and consider many of them my friends,” said Mirell. “My practice and clients will feel at home here.”
Because of his prominence in the entertainment industry, Mirell was instrumental in providing the legal analysis that helped win passage of two important pieces of California legislation affecting the rights of celebrities in the entertainment community: Senate Bill 771 (2007), authored by former State Senator Sheila Kuehl, which clarified that the statutory post-mortem right of publicity applies to those celebrities who predeceased that law’s original effective date of Jan. 1, 1985; and Senate Bill 606 (2013), authored by State Senator Kevin de León, which significantly enhances the criminal penalties and creates a new civil remedy for the harassment of celebrity children under the age of 16 caused by the conduct of aggressive paparazzi.
Before co-founding Harder Mirell & Abrams LLP in January 2013, Mirell was an attorney with the international law firm of Loeb & Loeb LLP for 32 years, and a partner in the litigation department of its Los Angeles office since 1987.
About the Firm’s Work in the Sports Industry
Greenberg Glusker’s Sports Group represents professional sports franchises, athletes and sports-related businesses. The Group is comprised of skilled attorneys from multiple practice groups within the firm, including: Bankruptcy, Corporate, Entertainment, Emerging Technology & New Media, Employment, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Real Estate, Taxation, and Trusts & Estates. The firm has particular expertise in handling the financing and construction of new stadiums and sports arenas.
Representative engagements for Greenberg Glusker’s Sports Industry Group include the following:
Serve as lead counsel on the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers professional basketball franchise to Steve Ballmer
Represent the Oakland Athletics professional baseball franchise in the acquisition and development of approximately 140 acres of land for a new baseball stadium and entertainment and residential project to be located in Fremont, California
Represent Tyus Edney, 14-year NBA and international professional basketball player, starting point guard for 1995 NCAA basketball champion UCLA Bruins, UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame and PAC-12 Hall of Honor Member and current Director of UCLA Basketball Operations
Represented the Los Angeles Kings professional hockey franchise in various business matters
Represented Wayne Gretzky in connection with the Phoenix Coyotes professional hockey franchise Chapter 11 bankruptcy case
Advise San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer franchise in the construction of their $90 million stadium
Represented Chicago Fire professional soccer franchise in connection with the design and construction of its VIP club
Served as special counsel to the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission as to CEQA and related regulatory matters in its negotiations with the National Football League
Represented Wayne Gretzky in connection with a consumer goods joint venture, including negotiation of joint venture agreements, secured financing agreements and license/endorsement agreements
Represented professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez in various business matters
Represented the World Boxing Council in various business matters
Represented Major League Baseball player Pete Rose in various business matters
Represented professional tennis stars Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport in various business dealings
Represented Olympic gold medalist and World Champion boxer Oscar De La Hoya, as well as his boxing company Golden Boy Promotions, in a variety of matters including business acquisitions, strategic alliances and grants of equity interests to boxers and key executives
Represented All American Heavyweights/King Sports Worldwide in connection with multimillion-dollar offering to pursue boxing promotion business and related corporate, employment and real estate activities
Represented OPI Products in connection with its sports-related lines of products and endorsements, including professional athletes Serena Williams and Danica Patrick
Represented sports clubs in raising capital and counsel for an online athletic recruiting platform on capital raising
Represent players in connection with tax advice regarding foreign real estate investments
Represented an Olympic gold medal figure skater in connection with his involvement in the production and staging of a professional figure skating touring company
Represent numerous professional athletes in connection with estate plans, premarital agreements and wealth transfer planning
Represented Fox Sports regional sports network in complex litigation against TBS and Time Warner arising out of breach of non-compete agreement with respect to the cable distribution of regional sports programming in the Southeast region of the country
Represent Total Golf Adventures for intellectual property counsel and endorsement/sponsorship deals
Represent OnDeck Digital, a media company owned by a former professional baseball pitcher
Represented one of the largest golf course owners in the United States in the disposition of a portfolio of golf courses in South Carolina for a purchase price in excess of $50 million
Arranged sponsorship deals for motorsports events
Advised companies and executives in the martial arts business
Served as real estate counsel to Antonio Esfandari, one of the world’s top poker players
Represented The Sports Club/LA in a series of credit facilities, totaling approximately $80 million, in connection with the refinancing of its health clubs in Southern California and eventually in its sale to Equinox
