Sara Jasper Epstein
Top rated Entertainment & Sports attorney in Santa Monica, California
SJE Law, PC
Practice areas: Entertainment & Sports, Business & Corporate, Intellectual Property; view more
Licensed in California since: 2005
Education: University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2027 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2013 - 2020 Call today:
310-579-9566
Free Consultation SJE Law, PC
520 BroadwaySecond Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401 Visit website
As an attorney at SJE Law, PC, located in Santa Monica, California, Sara Jasper Epstein offers legal representation to individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses in a wide range of entertainment, sports and corporate legal matters. Through her practice, she provides strategic legal counsel to clients navigating business formation, intellectual property protection and commercial transactions, helping them establish and grow successful ventures while safeguarding their creative and business interests.
Ms. Epstein focuses her practice on entertainment and sports law, corporate business formation and planning, partnership agreements, contracts and intellectual property matters. She advises clients on copyright and trademark issues, offering guidance on protecting valuable intellectual assets and addressing the legal challenges that arise in today's evolving business and entertainment industries. Her practice is centered on delivering practical legal solutions tailored to each client's unique goals and circumstances.
Ms. Epstein earned her Bachelor of Science from Stanford University in 2002. She went on to receive her Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law in 2005. Her academic background provides a strong foundation for advising clients on the complex legal and business issues that intersect in corporate and entertainment law.
Admitted to practice in California since 2005, Ms. Epstein is also admitted before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California. Her broad admissions enable her to represent clients in both state and federal legal matters.
Ms. Epstein remains active in several professional organizations, including the Intellectual Property Section of The State Bar of California, the Beverly Hills Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Practice areas
Entertainment & Sports, Business/Corporate, Intellectual PropertyFocus areas
Business Formation and Planning, Contracts, Copyrights, Entertainment, Sports & Leisure Law, Intellectual Property Law, Partnership, Trademarks
- 60% Entertainment & Sports
- 20% Business/Corporate
- 20% Intellectual Property
First Admitted: 2005, California
Bar / Professional Activity
- Admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Central, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California
- Admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Drafted the motion that resulted in the reversal of a $65 million jury verdict based on jury misconduct, affirmed on appeal, in a real estate dispute involving over $1 billion in property
- Prosecuted a profit participation action on behalf of the producer and creator of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
- Successfully defended the Screen Actors Guild in a corporate governance dispute, achieving dismissal of the related appeal.
- Won dismissal of a Morgan Stanley subsidiary from a federal class action alleging unlawful call recording under California's Invasion of Privacy Act
- Successfully defended a medical products company against Lanham Act claims involving false advertising, false designation of origin, and false patent marking.
- Successfully represented a Fortune 500 beauty company in internal and employment-related matters, including a forensic investigation involving potential fraud claims.
- Successfully represented a university in a high-stakes real estate lease dispute.
- Negotiated a settlement governing the allocation of intellectual property assets between the heirs of an internationally renowned author
- Negotiated settlements of profit participation audits for an Academy Award-winning actor
- Successfully represented a global company in a complex assignment of U.S. trademark rights.
- Successfully prepared H-1B and O-1A visa applications enabling a professional services firm to employ foreign workers.
- Negotiated favorable resolutions of partnership disputes for a publishing company and CPA firm
- Advised and defended a publishing company executive in a partnership dispute involving dozens of literary titles
Transactions
- Drafted, negotiated, and enforced talent agreements for film and television clients
- Negotiated executive employment agreements for film and television executives
- Registered trademarks for new and growing businesses
- Served as production counsel for live-action and animated feature-length films and television programs
- Negotiated a talent agreement for an Academy Award-winning actor
- Drafted and negotiated option, purchase, and development agreements for writers and rightsholders
- Spearheaded production legal work for a large-scale History Channel miniseries
- Provided outside general counsel services for growing businesses
- Negotiated and drafted client service, nondisclosure, employee, independent contractor, strategic partnership, and referral fee agreements
- Registered and licensed intellectual property
- Negotiated employment, severance, and non-compete agreements
- Assisted with business entity formation and corporate documentation
- Counseled clients on business strategy, corporate communications, and business agreements
Educational Background
- Bachelor of Science in Symbolic Systems, Stanford University (Departmental Honors)
- Juris Doctor (J.D.), UCLA School of Law; Extern to the Hon. Stephen V. Wilson, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; Member, Moot Court Honors Program.
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- "Slam Dunk or Personal Foul? A dispute over an advertiser's tribute to Michael Jordan makes new law" – Published in California Lawyer Magazine's Expert Advice column.
- "Too Clever by Half?: The Tension Between Section 203 of the Copyright Act and Freedom of Contract" – Published in BNA's Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Over a decade of experience handling high-profile entertainment, intellectual property, and business disputes
- Extensive experience representing clients in multimillion-dollar, high-stakes litigation
- Experience as trial counsel in a three-week jury trial involving more than $1 billion in real estate
- Extensive experience in entertainment transactions, intellectual property protection, and pre-litigation dispute resolution
Honors
- Selected to Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2027
- Selected to Rising Stars: 2013 - 2020
- Up-and-Coming 50: Women Southern California Rising Stars: 2015 - 2018
- Up-and-Coming 100: Southern California Rising Stars: 2015 - 2017
Office location for Sara Jasper Epstein
520 Broadway
Second Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: 310-579-9566
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2027
- Rising Stars: 2013 - 2020
