Lawrence B. Steinberg
Los Angeles, CA
Shareholder
phone (310) 460-4481
fax      (310) 282-8213
email LSteinberg@buchalter.com
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Biography

Larry Steinberg is a Shareholder and a member of the Litigation Practice Group in the firm's Los Angeles office. He focuses his practice on complex business litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in all aspects of civil litigation. He has had dozens of bench trials, jury trials, appeals and arbitrations in state and federal courts around the country.

Mr. Steinberg also serves as outside general counsel to a number of small and medium sized companies. In that capacity, he provides legal advice and assistance on the types of issues that businesses confront on a day-to-day basis, including employment matters, creditor and vendor issues and disputes, intellectual property rights management and corporate and business governance issues.

Mr. Steinberg's practice encompasses a diverse array of industries, and includes representation of clients in the entertainment industry, private equity and venture capital firms, advertising agencies, commercial real estate developers, landlords and tenants, businesses accused of false advertising, and industrial manufacturing and distribution companies. Mr. Steinberg has successfully litigated matters involving unfair competition, agreements for the purchase and sale of businesses, theft of trade secrets (including customer list cases), intellectual property rights, false advertising, the California Talent Agencies Act, the right of publicity, business torts, real estate issues, securities violations, RICO, ERISA, class actions and wrongful termination defense.

Mr. Steinberg has extensive expertise in California's Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code 17200, and with the voter's recent reform of that law, Proposition 64. In addition to handling numerous lawsuits involving these issues, Mr. Steinberg has written and lectured widely in this area, speaking at, among others, programs sponsored by the Practicing Law Institute, Mealey's, the Promotions Marketing Association and numerous bar associations. Mr. Steinberg has also participated as a trial lawyer in the annual program sponsored by the State Bar of California entitled Champions of the Courtroom: The Masters in Action.

Mr. Steinberg is active in bar related and civic organizations. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and is a former President of the Los Angeles Copyright Society. He also currently serves as a Lawyer Representative to the annual Judicial Conference of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and is a member of the United States Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Previously, he has served as President and longtime board member of Public Counsel, the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the country, and has served on the boards of the Inner City Law Center and the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Mr. Steinberg is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Mr. Steinberg has been selected as one of Southern California's Super Lawyers five times from 2007 to 2011 and was also selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer, Corporate Counsel Edition from 2008 to 2011. Mr. Steinberg is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Prior to joining Buchalter Nemer, Mr. Steinberg was a partner at the Los Angeles law firm of Wyman Bautzer Kuchel & Silbert, and managed the west coast litigation practice for Hall Dickler LLP.

Mr. Steinberg graduated magna cum laude from Yale College with distinction in political science, and earned his J.D. at Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.


Representative Matters:

The following are examples of some of the types of matters Mr. Steinberg has handled:

Represented a multi-level marketing company in a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission accusing the company, which sold digital music and music related products, of false advertising and operating as an illegal “pyramid scheme,” through all phases of pre-trial motion practice and discovery, and acted as lead counsel in a three week bench trial in Los Angeles federal court. Case is currently on appeal to the Ninth Circuit.

Represented a major private equity firm and buyers of a leading provider to the aerospace industry against the sellers of the business and 25 financial institutions in a lawsuit for breach of contract, fraud and rescission, and in a related post-closing purchase price adjustment arbitration. The arbitration resulted in a decision in favor of Mr. Steinberg's client for 100% of all disputed accounting issues, laying the groundwork for a multimillion-dollar payment to the client.

Represented seller of a small chain of retail closeout stores, including handling issues related to valuation, due diligence, assumption of real estate leases, security interests, subordination and financing issues and insurance issues.

Represented advertising agency in purchase of minority owner’s shareholding interest, including handling of all issues regarding due diligence, financing, indemnities, assignments of intellectual property, and receivable and payable issues.

Represented a major motion picture studio and its parent company in $70 million dispute against another major motion picture studio for breach of an output deal pursuant to which the second studio had given Mr. Steinberg's client a 10 year exclusive license to distribute the second studio's entire film library on basic cable television. The lawsuit involved complicated accounting issues, issues related to corporate restructuring of the parent company and assignability of license agreements. Case settled on favorable terms with the second studio buying out all remaining obligations under the license agreement.

Defended a publicly owned international distributor of exercise equipment in a case brought by a foreign competitor for false advertising under the Lanham Act. Also assisted in representation of the same clients in a concurrent investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Summary judgment was entered by the trial court in favor of Mr. Steinberg's clients, and an agreement was negotiated with the FTC that did not require the client to pay any money to the government or to consumers.

Represented a television production company against local O&O television station and national television network in action pertaining to rights to nationally syndicated television show and ownership of field cassette videotapes. Issues included profit distributions, packaging allocations and allegation that syndication revenue was not maximized due to network's packaging of show with other less successful properties. Case settled on favorable terms after prevailing on motions for preliminary injunction and writ of possession and after defeating television network's motion for summary judgment.

Represented a major real estate developer and operator of hotels against a savings and loan association in a trial for specific performance of a contract to buy a hotel and for promissory fraud, resulting in a decision ordering sale of the hotel to Mr. Steinberg's client. A preliminary injunction was entered by the trial court allowing Mr. Steinberg's client to remain in possession of the hotel pending trial. The decision was appealed up to, and sustained by, the California Supreme Court.

Represented the executive producer of a successful television series against a major motion picture studio in a case arising out of a dispute over interpretation of the client's profit participation in the television series. After intensive deposition discovery, the studio made a multimillion dollar payment to Mr. Steinberg's client and agreed to rewrite the producer's profit definition so that, 15 years later, the producer still receives profit participation payments from the studio.

Represented one of the leading chains of motion picture theatre exhibitors in Southern California in a variety of business and real estate disputes, including defending the theatre exhibitor, its principals and partners in a series of related cases alleging breach of numerous joint venture agreements for the development, construction and leasing of "built to suit" theatre complexes. After two years of discovery and motion practice, the case settled with the parties' exchanging mutual releases and without the payment of any money by Mr. Steinberg's client to the plaintiffs.

Represented production company and writer of major motion picture in JAMS arbitration brought by unauthorized writer of draft screenplay alleging plagiarism, unjust enrichment and breach of settlement agreement. Case settled for nominal amount of money in the middle of trial.

Lead member of a team of attorneys representing the former chief executive officer and members of the board of directors of a failed savings and loan association in a series of lawsuits arising from the savings and loan's failure, including a shareholder derivative action, a regulatory enforcement action brought by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation and a suit for breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA. Case settled with insurance carrier funding entire settlement amount.

Part of team that represented two major motion picture studios and screenwriter in action for copyright infringement related to motion picture with $500 million in worldwide revenues. Case went to jury trial; defense verdict.

Member of the team that represented a major, publicly-owned entertainment company and its international lenders in a trial in Delaware Chancery Court against an insurgent group of investors who had purchased a controlling interest in the company under false pretenses, resulting in foreclosure by Mr. Steinberg's client and its lenders for breach of numerous covenants of the stock purchase and loan agreements. A decision was issued by the court after a two-month trial, ousting the insurgent investors and returning ownership of the company to the lenders.

Represented showrunner of prime time television series against major motion picture studio in claim alleging studio's breach of contractual agreement to shoot television pilot. Case settled on favorable terms without the necessity of filing lawsuit.

Represented a major Hollywood motion picture studio in jury trial against well-known actor for breach of contract resulting from actor's failure to appear as per his contract in a movie. The resulting settlement reached during trial required the actor to pay a substantial sum of money to the studio.

Represents both artists and personal managers in disputes involving California Talent Agencies Act and the alleged "procurement of employment" before the California Labor Commission and in California state court.

Represents both entertainment companies and celebrities on matters involving claims for right of publicity under California Civil Code Section 3344.

Represents production companies and individual writers, directors and actors in connection with guild proceedings and arbitrations, including before WGA, DGA, SAG and AFTRA.

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Section 17200 Litigation After Proposition 64, Class Action and UCL Conference, Sponsored by Bridgeport Continuing Education, May 29, 2008

Has the Worm Turned? Personal Managers and Procuring Employment: Recent Developments Under The Talent Agencies Act, Los Angeles Copyright Society, April 2, 2008

Strategies in Defending Against 17200 Claims (Seminar Co-Chair), California Section 17200 Conference sponsored by Bridgeport Continuing Education, April 7, 2005 - April 8, 2005

Doing Business in California Under the Shadow of California's Unfair Competition Law: Has Prop 64 Solved the Problem?, Business Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association , March 17, 2005

Defense Strategies for Section 17200 Actions, Mealey's 2004 California 17200 Conference, Sponsored by Lexis-Nexis Mealey Publications, November 8, 2004 - November 9, 2004

Strategies in Defending a Section 17200 Action, 17200 Litigation in California, Sponsored by Bridgeport Continuing Education, September 10, 2004

Anatomy of a 17200 Claim and Who Can Bring It, Unfair Competition Claims 2004: California Section 17200's Impact on Consumers & Businesses Everywhere; Sponsored by Practicing Law Institute, August 2, 2004 - August 3, 2004

Advertising Under the Shadow of California's Unfair Competition Law: The Infamous Section 17200, Aggressive Advertising & The Law; Sponsored by NorthStar Conferences, April 15, 2004 - April 16, 2004

Advertising & Promotions Under the Shadow of California's Unfair Competition Law, Promotion Law Conference 2003: The Magic of Promotion Marketing; Sponsored by Promotions Marketing Association, December 9, 2003

Strategies in Defending a Section 17200 Action, Mealey's 2003 California Section 17200 Conference; Sponsored by Lexis-Nexis Mealey Publications, December 8, 2003

Defending Against False Advertising Claims, False Advertising: Proving It & Avoiding It; Sponsored by Commercial Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association, August 28, 2003 -Present

Remedies for False Advertising Under Unfair Competition Law and Lanham Act, Unfair Competition Claims 2003: California Section 17200's Impact on Consumers & Businesses Everywhere; Sponsored by Practicing Law Institute, August 4, 2003 - August 5, 2003

Champions of the Courtroom: The Masters in Action, Annual Trial Symposium; Sponsored by Litigation Section, State Bar of California, April 25, 2003 - April 27, 2003


Published Works:

Regulating Personal Managers in the Entertainment Industry Under California's Talent Agencies Act, Los Angeles Daily Journal, November 9, 2007

Tensions Between Class Actions and the Liberal Standing Requirements for Private Attorney General Actions Brought Under California's Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code Section 17200 (co-authored with Thomas W. Casparian), Practicing Law Institute, August 2004 (also available on Westlaw)

Remedies Available for False Advertising Under California Business & Professions Code Section 17500 and Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act (co-authored with Alison G. Naidech), Practicing Law Institute, August 2003 (also available on Westlaw)

Areas of Practice

• Litigation
• Business Litigation
• Entertainment Litigation
• Real Estate Litigation
• Unfair Competition

Bar Admissions

• California