P. John Burke, Marissa Román Griffith, Christopher Spicer Among The Hollywood Reporter’s Top Lawyers

(Los Angeles) – Akin Gump entertainment practice head Christopher Spicer and partners P. John Burke and Marissa Román Griffith have been recognized among the top lawyers in Hollywood by The Hollywood Reporter.

Ms. Román Griffith and Mr. Spicer were named to the Power Lawyers list of Hollywood’s top 100 attorneys, while Mr. Burke was named to THR’s inaugural class of Legal Legends.

Among Mr. Spicer’s spotlighted matters was his work with Bank of America in its $300 million credit facility for Miramax that played an “instrumental” role in restarting the Halloween franchise, in its $120 million refinancing of FilmNation Entertainment and a joint venture of Perfect World, Village Roadshow and WME/IMG-China for films in Australia and China.

Ms. Román Griffith is noted for her work representing lenders such as MUFG Union Bank on films such as Beautiful Boy and Paddington 2, but a new component of her client service was also spotlighted, as, in a more aware Hollywood environment, she now spends commensurately more time negotiating morals clauses for contracts.

As a Legal Legend, Mr. Burke was recognized as among those attorneys “whose career achievements and contributions to the entertainment industry are extraordinary” and “whose impact on Hollywood is so historic and lasting they transcend the Power Lawyers list.”

Among the clients he has represented, THR notes, are Disney, Atari, Mattel, Dune Capital and Bank of America, with current clients including Fosun International, Deutsche Bank and Content Partners. The recent engagements spotlighted in his profile are his representation of Lantern Entertainment in its purchase of The Weinstein Company’s assets out of bankruptcy and of the Mnuchin family—the current Treasury Secretary was associated with Dune Capital—in its sale of the RatPac-Dune Entertainment film slate to Warner Bros.

Burke noted, “When I started out, I thought of the practice of law as more of a job. I didn’t expect it to become a lifestyle. I really, thoroughly enjoy it, as opposed to looking at it as something to do for a living.”

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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