Laverne Berry

Laverne Berry is a solo practitioner, working exclusively in the entertainment field in the new center of media arts in New York City --- Brooklyn.  Whether working on long term projects for individual media makers and small production companies, or tackling specific short term projects for larger companies like Consumer Union (Publishers of Consumer Reports) and the Tribeca Film Institute or non-profits like the Anti-Defamation League, Ms. Berry brings the strong combination of business experience and legal knowledge to her work.  For many years, before pursuing a law career, she acted as a media professional for such diverse companies as The New York State Cable Television Commission, WNET/Thirteen (the preeminent PBS station in New York), RKO General Television, Avon Books, and others.  She focused on the development, production, distribution and licensing of television programs and related ancillary products.  Since becoming a lawyer, she has worked both in-house at A+E/The History Channel and in private practice.  She is fond of saying to her film and television producers and directors "there's not a mistake you can make or a legal problem you can have, that I didn't have myself when writing for and producing television." This leads her to be very realistic about how things get done and what legal provisions are needed to support the creative process.  She was admitted to the bar in 1996.   Her clients have earned numerous awards, including prestigious film festival awards, Oscar® nominations, several Emmy's® and Peabody Awards®.

Ms. Berry has been involved in Alternative Dispute Resolution for more than 25 years. She is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s (“AAA”)  Commercial and Mediation Panels, and the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration Panel.  She has been an arbitrator for more than 200 film, television, theater, and music disputes.  As a mediator, she has mediated an equal number of cases, both in court and private mediation settings.

She has served on several boards including being Board President.

www.berryenterntainmentlaw.com