Raw TV

US production counsel for Raw TV, a multi-award winning production company with a reputation for gripping narrative, visual innovation and journalistic vigour.

THE MAURITANIAN

Executive Produced by Russell Smith and Zak Kilberg for our joint venture, Convergent Media. With Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Benedict Cumberbach, and Shailene Woodley.

Make Or Break

ASHLEY MADISON

We are production and business affairs counsel on this hit Netflix documentary series.

Bruno

Production and litigation counsel to Sacha Baron Cohen's award-winning film "Bruno."

THE MOST HATED MAN ON THE INTERNET

We were production counsel for this legally difficult, hugely popular Netflix series by Raw TV.

TIGER KING

We are outside counsel for the directors and producers of the most popular documentary series in history.

CHEER

We are among the production counsel for Season Two of this Triple-Primetime-Emmy-Award-winning series on Netflix.

Gold Rush - Raw Television

Production counsel for all nine seasons of Discovery's popular observational documentary television series, "Gold Rush."

LEAVING NEVERLAND

We are counsel for this explosive two-part film about Michael Jackson, by Dan Reed for HBO Documentary Films.

LAST CHANCE U

We're counsel for this award-winning, very popular Netflix series that goes behind the scenes at the top junior college football programs in the US.

THE FINAL YEAR

An insiders' account of President Barack Obama's foreign policy team during their final year, as they set out to define their legacy, promote diplomacy - and react to the rise of Donald Trump.

BRANDY HELLVILLE

We're counsel to this hugely popular Max series produced by Lightbox.

DON'T F**CK WITH CATS -- HUNTING AN INTERNET KILLER

We are counsel to this hit Netflix true crime series that follows internet sleuths who attempted to track down Luka Magnotta after he reportedly shared a graphic video killing cats.

NOBODY SPEAK

We have been counsel for producers of this Netflix documentary about the Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker Media case and its outside funding, showing how big money can be used to silence the media.

STUTZ

We're counsel for Jonah Hill's remarkable documentary feature about his therapist and how the therapy transformed him.

Vogue 2

Fifa Uncovered 2

CITIZENFOUR

We're among the counsel for this Oscar-winning (Best Feature Documentary) about Edward Snowden and national security in post 9/11 America.

Unprecedented

TINA

We're counsel for this definitive HBO biopic of Tina Turner, produced by our Academy Award winning client, Lightbox.

FREMANTLE MEDIA

We are among the outside counsel to one of the world's largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of outstanding entertainment brands.

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

Production counsel for the late Malik Bendjelloul's sensational, Oscar-winning "Searching for Sugar Man," released by Sony Pictures Classics.

THE TINDER SWINDLER

We were production counsel for this Netflix true crime series.

STARZ

Owned by Lionsgate, our client Starz is a leading global media and entertainment distributor/producer, with over 5,000 TV episodes and feature films each year on its several channels.

CBS CORPORATION

We are among the outside counsel for the CBS television network.

ENDEMOL SHINE GROUP

We are among the outside counsel for Endemol Shine Group, a global production powerhouse. Endemol Shine has 120 companies across all the world’s major markets.

THE HATCHET WIELDING HITCHHIKER

We're counsel for this sensational Netflix documentary that has taken the internet by storm.

ITV

US counsel to the largest and most popular commercial television network in the United Kingdom.

PASSION PICTURES

We are US and UK counsel to this multiple Oscar winning film and television company behind Searching for Sugar Man, The Imposter, and Project Nim, to name a few.

Fear Thy Neighbor

Production counsel to this Investigation Discovery series about what happens when a homeowner unwittingly takes up residence next to psycho or when evil minds decide to lay down roots right next door.

NATIONAL BIRD

We are honored to be production counsel for this scathing, "bird's eye" documentary, directed by Sonia Kennebeck and exec produced by Wim Wenders and Errol Morris, about the US military drone program.

ALL THREE MEDIA AMERICA

We're among the US and UK counsel for All3Media America, the LA-based, multi studio production hub for one of the world's leading creators of high-quality content.

OCTOBER FILMS

We are US and UK counsel to October Films, one of the world's most respected and longest established factual television production companies. They have won over 100 international awards.

PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT

Among the counsel for Brad Pitt's production company, acclaimed for SELMA, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE BIG SHORT, THE DEPARTED, and other important films.

Trainwreck Woodstock 99

SPACEY UNMASKED

We're counsel to this hard-hitting biographical documentary series on the distributed by Max and Channel Four.

100 FOOT WAVE

We're counsel for this HBO Original Series

NETFLIX

We are outside counsel for Netflix.

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE

We are counsel for KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE, the acclaimed documentary by Rachel Lears, which was purchased by Netflix at Sundance for a record $10 million.

THE BBC

We have been among the outside counsel for the BBC, where SmithDehn's Philip Wheeler was a senior in-house solicitor for 11 years.

UNTOUCHABLE: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE HARVEY WEINSTEIN SCANDAL

We are counsel for the Hulu Documentary, UNTOUCHABLE: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE HARVEY WEINSTEIN SCANDAL

AMAZON STUDIOS

We are among the litigation defense counsel for Amazon Studios

The Princess

FEDERER: 12 FINAL DAYS

We are counsel to this stirring feature documentary by Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia, on Amazon Prime.

Channel 4

U.S. counsel to Channel 4, Britain's second largest broadcast network and one of the world's most challenging and creative producers of television programs and films.

SELMA

Honored to be representing the director and producers of this important, Academy-Award-winning film.

LIGHTBOX ENTERTAINMENT

We are US and UK counsel for this LA-and-London based production company founded by multiple Oscar and Emmy Award winning Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, and funded by Channel 4.

RADICAL MEDIA

We are counsel to film/TV production company Radical Media. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Shanghai, Radical is one of the premiere companies in the industry.

Borat

Production and claims counsel for the multi-Oscar nominated comedy, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

We are production and claims counsel to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Break Point 2

Web of Lies

We are production counsel for this compelling Discovery series that reveals stories of deception and homicide triggered by online interactions.

SHOWTIME NETWORKS, INC.

We are among the outside counsel to Showtime Networks, Inc. At the moment, we are production and claims counsel for their hardhitting, controversial new Sacha Baron Cohen series, WHO IS AMERICA?.

Paramount Pictures

We are among the outside counsel for Paramount Pictures.

UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA

We are production counsel for this Primetime Emmy-Award-wining hit CNN series that follows comedian and political provocateur W. Kamau Bell as he explores communities and challenges across America.

BUZZFEED

We are outside counsel to BuzzFeed.

Sprint 2

BAFTA

Handling contract drafting and negotiations for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts

THE LONGEST WAR

We are counsel to this definitive Showtime Documentary by the creators of HOMELAND and director Greg Barker, which unpacks the human stories and drama behind America's involvement in Afghanistan.

NAVALNY

We're handling business affairs and production counsel work on this hard-hitting CNN/HBO documentary by Fishbowl Films.

1971: THE YEAR THAT MUSIC CHANGED EVERYTHING

Honored to be production counsel for this Apple+ series from the Oscar award-winning team who created the acclaimed documentary, AMY

FORMULA 1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE

We're counsel for this Netflix documentary series.

A24

We are honored to be legal and business affairs counsel to A24, winner of dozens of Oscars, and the producers behind EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, MOONLIGHT, LADY BIRD, THE WHALE, and much more.

The Imposter

Production counsel for "The Imposter," an astonishingly true story about a French man who fools everyone into believing he is a missing Texas boy, including the boy's family.

Virunga

We are production counsel for this Oscar-Nominated 2014 documentary about the fight to save Virunga National Park, the last refuge of moutain gorillas.

All That Breathes

LISTEN TO ME MARLON

We are production counsel to this 2015 Sundance-selected, 2016 Oscar-Short-Listed, Marlon Brando biopic released by Universal Studios and Showtime.

Dirty Wars

We served as production counsel for this award-winning, widely acclaimed investigative documentary about U.S. covert operations across the globe.

Sins Of Our Mother

WHO IS AMERICA?

We are production and claims counsel for Showtime, Sacha Baron Cohen, and their hardhitting, controversial new series, WHO IS AMERICA?, a reincarnation of DA ALI G SHOW in the Trump era.

Sony

Among counsel for Sony Pictures and Sony Pictures Television, producers and/or distributors of some of the most successful motion pictures and programs in the world.

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX

We have been among the outside counsel to Twenty-First Century Fox.

CHIMP CRAZY

We are counsel to CHIMP CRAZY, the most watched HBO documentary series of the last four years.

MURDER MOUNTAIN

We're counsel for this acclaimed and popular documentary series.

THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS

We are production counsel to this most successful documentary film since Fahrenheit 9/11.

WELCOME TO WREXHAM

We are counsel to this five-time Emmy Award Winning hit television series starring Ryan Reynolds.

PHILIP GLASS

One of our partners, Russell Smith, has provided legal advice and related services for Philip Glass, the world's most successful living music composer.

Ghosn

American Nightmare 2

SOPHIE: A MURDER IN WEST CORK

We are counsel for this controversial and compelling Netflix documentary series by our Academy Award winning client, Lightbox.

Da Ali G Show

Production and litigation counsel to Sacha Baron Cohen's multiple-Emmy-nominated, path-breaking television series, "Da Ali G Show."

HBO

Our attorneys have been among the production and claims counsel to Home Box Office, Inc.

BECKHAM

We are counsel for this four-part documentary series that reached number one on Netflix in the US and the UK.

AMERICAN ANIMALS

We were production counsel for this "wildly entertaining" (Variety) scripted feature film that captivated the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

The Ford Foundation

ORIGIN

As counsel to The Ford Foundation, we handled negotiations and drafting for the funding of this film by Ava DuVernay, which is inspired by the life and work of Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson.

Our Great National Parks

We were counsel for Netflix on this documentary series narrated by President Obama and produced by his production company, Higher Ground Productions.

WHITNEY

We are production counsel for this definitive biopic of Whitney Houston, directed by Oscar-winner Kevin MacDonald and produced by double-Oscar winner Simon Chinn.

THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY

We are production counsel to this Oscar short-listed film, which the New York Times has ranked among the top ten films of 2019 in all categories.

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE

We are counsel for KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE, the acclaimed documentary by Rachel Lears, which was purchased by Netflix at Sundance for a record $10 million.

Media Rights Capital

Among counsel to MRC, the industry’s largest independent film, TV and digital studio.

UNTOUCHABLE

We are US production counsel for the BBC/Lightbox film, UNTOUCHABLE, about the rise and fall of Harvey Weinstein, premiering at Sundance 2019.

JURY DUTY

We're counsel to this insane and hilarious Amazon FreeVee series.

News Round-Up: Hbo Chief Counsel Joins SmithDehn in Teaching Media Law Course; Oscar Nod and Ratings Coup for SmithDehn Clients; SmithDehn Lawyers on Google Film Panel

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The burgeoning television and film production industry in Northern Ireland soon will get a further boost, as international media and entertainment lawyers, led by SmithDehn LLP and joined by top attorneys at HBO, arrive in February 2014 to teach law students and graduates and train recruits for a possible new office of SmithDehn in Derry. In that connection, the Law School at the University of Ulster is now accepting applications from students and graduates throughout Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Great Britain for an innovative, industry-collaborative, media law course that will be taught by some of the best professionals in the field.

The teaching team will include two of the leading in-house lawyers at HBO, namely, Viviane Eisenberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel for Programming and Marketing, and Peter Rienecker, Vice President for Legal Affairs. Leading the team will be New York-based Russell Smith, co-founder of SmithDehn, which is now seeking to establish a second foothold in Europe through a Derry-based operation. Also teaching the UU module in the city will be Laura Farina, now a member of SmithDehn, but until recently Vice President for Legal Affairs at Discovery, in charge of all claims and litigation for Discovery's dozens of television networks worldwide. Other "Visiting Professors" tentatively planning to assist are legendary media insurance expert Chad Milton, as well as SmithDehn attorneys Frank Dehn, Michael Delehanty, Andrew Baker, Michael Cleaver, and Abhinav Chandan.

Overseeing and helping to design the course is Dr. Eugene McNamee, Head of the Law School. Says Dr. McNamee: "Partners from SmithDehn already have made multiple trips to the campus, and they've interacted with dozens of law students here. The American lawyers told me they were very impressed with the energy, intelligence, and enthusiasm of the potential recruits available. I understand that SmithDehn can hardly wait to educate, train, and hire participants in the module." Derry/Londonderry Chamber of Commerce President Philip Gilliland reacted to the news as follows: "This breakthrough for Derry is further proof of how our city is fast becoming an exciting, go-to place for globally-literate, world-class, tech-savvy talent to live, teach, work, study, and expand or start a business."

The principal goal of the course is to create student employability to service the growing media and entertainment sector. The teaching will be problem-based and practical, with an aim to create a "work-ready" group of graduates for legal services in the film, television, and sports industries. The attorneys at SmithDehn, who are spearheading the course, already have been retained by hundreds of film and television studios, production companies, and broadcast networks. Their client list stretches from HBO to Ali G/Borat; from Sony Pictures to Graham Norton; to Paramount Pictures, ITV and Channel 4, to mention just a few out of many.

The target applicants for the course are law students and graduates (not necessarily professionally qualified) seeking to enhance their employability or upgrade their skills in relation to media law practice. Potential employers might include specialist media law firms such as SmithDehn, law firms seeking to develop an expertise in this area, and media/entertainment companies looking to bolster their in-house legal team.

The course module will run on the Magee (Derry/Londonderry) campus over one semester on six alternate Saturdays, starting February 8th, 2014; with class-times from 10am to 5pm (two 3 hour sessions with 1 hour lunch break). Interest in this module is expected to be high, and places will be restricted to 25. Applications for a place should come in the form of a CV with a one-page covering letter explaining interest and motivation. Applications will be accepted by email toe.carlin@ulster.ac.uk, with the message subject line, "Media Law Module." Thedeadline for applications is January 10th 2014.

RATINGS COUPS AND OSCAR NODS FOR SMITHDEHN TV AND FILM CLIENTS:

In other news, "Gold Rush," the RawTV/Discovery hit television series legally shepherded by production counsel Mike Cleaver of SmithDehn, is currently (a) the most popular show on cable television among all demographics, and (b) the most popular show among men, across all TV platforms.

We are also happy to report that one of the television series we've been working on for All3Media America, "The People's Couch," this week was picked up by Bravo/NBC for a full season, after a trial run of three episodes in October. The People's Couch "turns the cameras on households in America as they laugh, cry, talk, gasp and scream at their TVs. Whether it's a group of sorority sisters doing their nails or grandparents watching with their technology-obsessed grandchildren, each group will bring their hilarious, unique commentary about TV's hottest moments to the small screen." According to Lara Spotts, Vice President of Development at Bravo: "The People's Couch is a funny, unfiltered comment on America's current TV viewing habits."

Last but not least, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just announcedthat "Dirty Wars," the hard-hitting feature documentary film on which SmithDehn co-founder Frank Dehn has been production counsel, has moved into the list of top 15 contenders for an Oscar for 2013.

SMITHDEHN ATTORNEYS TO LEAD GOOGLE+ FILM LAW PANEL:

In other news, SmithDehn attorneys Russell Smith and Abhinav Chandan will join Lathrop & Gage partner Lincoln Bandlow on the law panel for the Unofficial Google+ Film Festival this Saturday December 14. These three legal professionals will talk about many of the legal issues involving content and filming. With "war stories" from movies such as Borat, Muscle Shoals, Big Boys Gone Bananas, and Searching For Sugar Man, the panelists will explode the myths about what contributor agreements should look like, what constitutes fair use in film, and various "do's" and "don'ts" when shooting and editing a film.