Miami, Fla. – January 25, 2016 – Leslie José Zigel , a prominent entertainment attorney, has joined Greenspoon Marder Law’s Miami office as a shareholder. He will Chair the firm’s newly-formed Entertainment Law Group . Previously, Zigel was the principal and founder of his own boutique entertainment law firm, ZIGLAW.
Zigel is an innovative attorney who embraces new technologies and then works with his clients to exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities in the rapidly-changing entertainment industry. His practice is particularly focused on deciphering the complex royalty opportunities that exist today, and negotiating the contractual protocols needed to secure revenues from domestic and international sources, social media-related data, product endorsements and new technologies.
Representing clients on the creative and business sides of both the entertainment and technology sectors, he is especially well positioned to understand the competing concerns of traditional entertainment businesses (music, television and film) and the rapidly-emerging technology companies that are challenging the status quo. This diverse background enables him to guide his creative industry clients into the new 360 degree paradigm, where direct relationships with fans via social media has become such a game changer. And with over 30 years in the entertainment industry and a long history of representing global superstars, media companies, media executives and business clients, he possesses an exceptional network of industry leader contacts across the entertainment and technology verticals to tap for deal opportunities.
“Our Miami office, which will now combine the firm’s Alcohol Beverage Group, criminal defense practice led by David Kubiliun, the sophisticated real estate capabilities of attorney Manny Crespo who joined the firm last month, with the new Entertainment Law Group established by Zigel, amounts to a very compelling and relevant client offering,” commented Robert Lewis, who is both Co-Chair of the Alcohol Beverage Group and Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Miami office.
“Our new Entertainment Law Group will be augmented in powerful ways by our firm’s wider capabilities and traditional strengths in important areas such as real estate, hospitality and litigation, not to mention our sophisticated private client offerings in areas such as trusts and estates and marital law,” added Gerald Greenspoon, Co-Managing Director of the firm.
As a deal lawyer in the entertainment industry, Zigel’s strength lies in his ability to connect people in ways that can create new, profitable and sometimes unexpected business opportunities for his clients. It is an entrepreneurial approach that is very much shared by Gerry Greenspoon and Michael Marder, the firm’s co-founders. “Greenspoon Marder’s business-minded focus is central to the character of the firm,” said Zigel. “What attracted me to the firm is its reputation as a valued legal and business advisor, and emphasis on taking a big-picture approach to solving its clients’ problems.”
During his career, Zigel has received a variety of accolades, including a Martindale-Hubbell’s “AV” Preeminent rating and being named among Billboard Magazine ’s “Super Lawyers, 50 Attorneys of Note in the Music Biz, 2014,” Best Lawyers in America 2008-2015, American Registry ’s “Top Attorneys in Florida” 2011-2014, and more. He has also received mentions in Bloomberg Businessweek , the Miami Herald , and the Rochester Review and made multiple appearances on both Univision and Telemundo.
