LOS ANGELES – Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that Gail Migdal Title, head of the Firm’s Entertainment Litigation Practice and managing partner of its Los Angeles office, and Bruce G. Vanyo, co-chair of its Securities Litigation Practice, have been named among California’s Top 100 Lawyers for 2006 by the Daily Journal Corporation, publishers of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals. The full list of honorees was published in a special supplement to the September 21 issues of both publications.

The attorneys’ selections to this list are the latest honors in a year that has seen Mr. Vanyo named by the National Law Journal as one of the nation’s 100 Most Influential Lawyers, and Ms. Title selected by the Daily Journal Corp. as one of California’s Top Women Litigators. In addition, both were recently named among the nation’s top 3000 Leading Lawyers by Lawdragon, a list that is comprised of the top one percent of the country’s attorneys.

The Daily Journal Corp. based its selection of California’s Top 100 Lawyers on each nominee’s outstanding achievements in their field of practice, as well as their overall impact on the profession. The list was chosen by an independent editorial review board.

"Gail and Bruce are exceptional attorneys and their long-term records of success in representing some of the highest-profile clients in their respective areas of practice speak for themselves," said Vincent A.F. Sergi, Katten’s national managing partner. "Their selections to such a prestigious list highlight the strength and high level of talent in our Los Angeles office."

Gail Migdal Title

As head of the Firm’s Entertainment Litigation Practice, Ms. Title’s practice includes all aspects of the entertainment industry, from motion picture and television development, finance, and production, to distribution in all media worldwide. Her representation covers a broad range o f legal and business issues that arise in the entertainment industry, including copyright, trademark, unfair competition, contract, and business torts. Ms. Title has extensive experience in state and federal, trial and appellate courts and in arbitration tribunals. She also frequently provides non-litigation advice and counsel.

 

 

Ms. Title has been involved in numerous precedent-setting intellectual property cases, including representing several studios as amici in Grosso v. Miramax, a recent Ninth Circuit decision regarding copyright preemption, as well as representing petitioner Miramax in the United States Supreme Court in the same matter. She also represented Tom Clancy in Sohmer v. Clancy, a case that focused on the impact of the LMRA on the author's rights under the Copyright Act and has represented television exhibitors with respect to restoration of copyrights in foreign works under GATT and the Uruguay Accords.

Ms. Title has also handled many entertainment industry accounting disputes, primarily in defense of producers in actions brought by profit participants. She won judgments in favor of such producers in Anthony Yerkovich v. Universal; James Garner v. Universal; and DeGuere v. Universal. Additionally, Ms. Title prevailed in the case of Enright, et al. v. Universal, et al., in which she successfully defended a multi-billion dollar suit challenging the studio's distribution practices worldwide.

In addition to being named as one of the Top Women Litigators of 2006 by the Daily Journals, Ms. Title was the recipient of the Top Women Lawyers in Business WLALA Women of Distinction award. She was recognized as a "Super Lawyer" in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas in 2004 and 2005 by Los Angeles Magazine, Inc. Magazine and Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine. Ms. Title is also included in Marquis Who’s Who and was recognized in the 2006 edition of Chambers USA: America 's Leading Lawyers for Business. Ms. Title regularly lectures on a wide range of entertainment, business and ethics-related matters, and has served as a commentator on MSNBC and in various print publications.


Bruce G. Vanyo

Mr. Vanyo has practiced in the area of securities litigation for more than 30 years and has defended more than 200 major securities cases in 20 states. His practice includes the defense of securities class actions, defense of derivative litigation, representation before the SEC and representation of board committees in conducting internal investigations. Mr. Vanyo also provides counseling in corporate governance matters.

 

 

Although many of Mr. Vanyo’s clients have been technology companies, he has also served clients from such diverse industries as life sciences, airlines, motion pictures, banking, and insurance. His clients have included: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Dell Computer Corporation, The Boeing Company, Fluor Corporation, America West Airlines, Amdocs Limited, Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Genentech, Inc.

Mr. Vanyo has been highly successful in winning cases. In the last five years, he has achieved complete victory in 21 cases, including seven appellate victories in five different federal courts of appeal. Over his career, he has pioneered much of the securities law that has been favorable to defendants. In recognition of his experience in this area, he was asked by the technology industry to help lead its effort to accomplish securities litigation reform and, subsequently, by Congress to draft the pleading and safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

In addition to being named to the National Law Journal’s list of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America earlier this year, Mr. Vanyo was selected as one of the top 20 lawyers in California and one of the top 10 litigators in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also was included in the last three editions of the prestigious Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, where he was described as a "switched on litigator" who "continues to impress in the securities arena." Mr. Vanyo has also been recognized in The International Who's Who of Commercial Litigators (second edition), The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America (since 1984), and Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2005).