John Schulman, Former Warner Bros. General Counsel, Joins Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp in Los Angeles as Partner and Chair of Entertainment Department

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - December 16, 2009) - The Los Angeles-based law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (MS&K) today announced that renowned entertainment industry executive John Schulman will join the firm as a partner and the chairman of its entertainment department, effective January 1, 2010.

Schulman retired last year after a 25-year career at Warner Bros., where he was the executive vice president and general counsel of the studio. During that time, he created, staffed and built what is now recognized as one of the top in-house legal departments in the entertainment industry, and earned a reputation as a highly regarded entertainment lawyer and corporate executive.

"I've been fortunate to have had some professional opportunities presented to me over the past year, but I was particularly attracted to join Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp because I've known a number of the attorneys there for many years and have had great respect for them on both personal and professional levels," said Schulman. "I'm enthused about joining a law firm with a thriving, multi-disciplinary entertainment practice. There is a great deal of legal talent in the firm and I hope I can help their practice prosper and grow."

Earlier this year, Schulman was named executive director of the USC Gould School of Law's entertainment law program, which will launch an innovative new curriculum in fall 2010 for law school students interested in specializing in entertainment law. He will continue in this role at USC while joining MS&K.

In addition to joining MS&K as a partner in the law firm and the chairman of the firm's entertainment department, Schulman will also become a new member of the MS&K governing board.

"The firm's relationship with John Schulman goes back many years and we are honored that he has decided to join us in the practice of law," said MS&K Managing Partner Thomas Lambert. "John's unique perspective formed by his substantial experience as an in-house counsel will provide valuable insights that will help us better meet our clients' legal and business needs. As the chairman of our entertainment department, he will bring this valuable expertise to bear across all of our firm's areas of practice that serve entertainment industry clients."

After graduating from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, Schulman started his legal career by working in private practice at the law firm of Kaplan, Livingston, Goodwin, Berkowitz and Selvin. During his nine years at the firm, he worked on a variety of Warner Bros. assignments, including some of the litigation and negotiations regarding the "Superman" franchise and first "Superman" movies. In 1981, he became a founding partner of the law firm then known as Weissman, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman & Schulman, where he continued to serve as one of Warner Bros.' primary outside litigation counsel. He joined Warner Bros. in 1984 as vice president and general counsel, charged with building the studio's in-house legal department. In 1989, he was promoted to senior vice president and general counsel and from 1991 to 2008 he served as executive vice president and general counsel.

Schulman currently serves on the boards of directors for Bet Tzedek Legal Services and the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and is a trustee of the Southwestern School of Law. He's a former member of the boards of directors of California Legal Corps, the Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Youth Law Center, and is also a former member of the board of trustees of the Center for Early Education. He has served as a lecturer at UCLA School of Law, USC School of Law, Southwestern School of Law, and as a guest lecturer at his alma mater, U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law.

For more than 100 years, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP has maintained a reputation for excellence in providing sophisticated legal and business solutions for its clients in areas that include: Litigation, Intellectual Property & Technology, Labor & Employment, Entertainment & New Media, Immigration, Corporate Transactions, Homeland Security, Tax, Trust & Estates, Real Estate, and International Trade. Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP has offices in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.msk.com.

Contact Information: Media Contacts: Cheryl Bame 714.608.9790 or Daryn Teague 661.297.5292