Areas of practice
commercial litigation.
Business vs. Business. Business vs. Person. Person v. Business. Person vs. Person. If the dispute is about money it’s commercial litigation. We handle commercial disputes with skill and alacrity, a fancy word for “promptness and zeal.”
employment law.
Employment law can involve a range of issues that involve workers. We represent both businesses and workers, which is somewhat unusual. But, in our view, being legally ambidextrous enhances our value to our clients because it provides us a broader perspective. On behalf of workers, we review and negotiate employment contracts and executive compensation packages. We go to bat for workers who are subjected to sexual or other forms of unlawful harassment, and we counsel and represent workers who are the victims of other forms of unlawful discrimination. On behalf of employers, we advise them about changes in the law (including the recent pandemic-related changes), we review employment policies and agreements, provide education about how to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and we effectively defend employers from bogus lawsuits.
entertainment law.
Entertainment law usually comprises drafting and reviewing contracts for performing artists and the companies that employ them. It can also include negotiating deals, forming business entities that will be used in the entertainment industry, and counseling artists and companies about entertainment industry issues. Most entertainment lawyers are part of a group called “transactional lawyers.” They make deals and review deals. What they don’t do is try cases or handle litigation. In our practice we do both: we draft and review and negotiate deals for performing artists, a/k/a the “talent,” but we’re trial lawyers first and foremost. So we also handle litigation in an entertainment context. Typically, this includes claims involving breach of contract, and intellectual property disputes about copyrights, trademarks, and misappropriation of an artist’s name or likeness.
motion picture production.
Ted’s involvement with entertainment law led to his serving as Executive Producer for his client, OSCAR®-nominee Stanley Tucci’s motion picture Final Portrait, starring OSCAR® winning actor Geoffrey Rush, Armie Hammer, and Tony Shalhoub. Ted was also honored to serve as Executive Producer for client Theresa Rebeck’s motion picture Trouble, starring Anjelica Houston and Bill Pullman.
teaching and writing.
Ted has taught contract law, and, at New York Law School, legal writing. He continues to lecture on legal writing and, recently, cross-examination in seminars for other lawyers. (See, e.g., https://www.lawline.com/course/the-ins-and-outs-of-cross-examination-at-deposition-trial)