May 8, 2024, Los Angeles, CA - After nearly 30 years, Pierce Law Group LLP, one of Los Angeles' preeminent boutique entertainment law firms, will be closing its doors. Effective immediately, key Pierce personnel, including Managing Partner Aditya Ezhuthachan, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) veteran and Pierce Law Group partner, Tony Hanna, and Controller Ben Kuerschner, will join elite Beverly Hills boutique Pessah Law Group, PC (PLG), which instantly bolsters its transactional entertainment practice to compliment its robust litigation practice.
Over the years, Pierce represented prestigious entertainment industry companies such as Lionsgate, Netflix, The Comedy Store, and the Slamdance film festival, which recently announced its move to Los Angeles from its longstanding Park City location.
PLG’s Maurice Pessah, an established litigator, is currently representing Alan Elliott, producer of acclaimed Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace against distributor Neon in a highly contested lawsuit claiming accounting and other malfeasance by the distributor. PLG has also long served as the go-to firm for Happy Place, an established creative content studio that collabs with the likes of Billie Eilish. Happy Place announced its expansion into film and television with the $14.3 million acquisition of a Creative Production Campus in North Hollywood; Pessah repped the company in both the acquisition and a related litigation ending an effort by the seller to stop the transaction. In 2022, Pessah was appointed by a federal judge to serve on a Plaintiffs’ steering committee in a multi-district litigation against tech startup broker, Robinhood.
“David Pierce was a prolific entertainment lawyer, and I was beyond honored when Aditya approached us about joining forces. I immediately thought that this would be a great marriage since we had been talking about bolstering our transactional capabilities. David was a legend, known around legal and industry circles as a great person and gifted attorney. We are humbled by the opportunity to keep his legacy alive,” says Maurice Pessah, Founder of PLG.
“While we are sad to see Pierce Law Group LLP close, we are thrilled to carry on David’s legacy of stellar legal work, uncompromising ethics, and fierce dedication to our clients. There is no better place for us to do this than Pessah Law Group, with its talented slate of lawyers, where our clients will benefit from the expanded legal services,” said Aditya Ezhuthachan.
Renowned child labor and ratification specialist, Tony Hanna, who handles such matters for all Lionsgate Film & Television produced films, and spent eight years at SAG, says “Pierce Law Group’s studio and production company clients will now enjoy a broader scope of services at a larger firm with an established reputation in the community. We will have all the necessary resources to adeptly navigate the unique maze that often surrounds film, television, and music production,” he adds.
With the move, Pessah Law Group cements itself as an entertainment powerhouse. The firm will continue to assist both individuals and companies navigate complex challenges with skill and precision in both the courtroom and around the negotiating table.
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