Overview
April 8, 2026 – International law firm McDermott Will & Schulte is delighted to share that Tom Conaghan, Alexei Cowett, and Maria Rodriguez have once again been recognized in Variety‘s 2026 Legal Impact Report.
The report profiles the top entertainment and media lawyers across the US who are making a significant impact on the legal industry, featuring litigators and transactional lawyers who focus their practices on film, television, music, theater, and digital media.
McDermott’s Media, Entertainment & Sports Group continues to represent clients on groundbreaking deals and precedent-setting litigation across the entertainment landscape, including representing:
- Disney, ABC, and Twentieth Century Fox in a high-profile Hollywood case brought by actor Rockmond Dunbar following his departure from 9-1-1. Over three years, the team dismantled 12 of 13 claims, defeated punitive damages, prevailed on 15 of 16 pretrial motions (including ABC’s dismissal), and secured a complete defense verdict for Fox after a two-hour jury deliberation.
- Aditya Mittal and the trustees of the Mittal family trusts in the William Chisholm–led buying group’s $6.1 billion acquisition of the Boston Celtics, the largest sale of an American professional sports team.
- MrBeast in several high-profile deals, including the opening of the Beast Land amusement park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and various matters relating to Season 2 of Beast Games, the most-watched unscripted show in the history of Amazon Prime.
- Monumental Sports & Entertainment in connection with minority investments by Arctos Partners and the Qatar Investment Authority.
- Octagon in a federal court case against sports agent challenging industry standard fee tail provision as restraint on trade under California law.
- Calvin Ford in his acquisition of a controlling stake in Livingston Football Club, marking a significant milestone in Ford’s investment portfolio and underscoring McDermott’s cross-border capabilities.
- Kewsong Lee and BellTower Partners in the establishment and capital raise for a single-purpose investment vehicle and its investment in United Soccer Leagues, LLC, the largest and fastest-growing U.S. soccer organization.
- Stephen Curry’s companies, including Unanimous Media, Underrated Golf, and SC30, in corporate governance, transactions, intellectual property, tax, and employment matters.
View McDermott’s honoree profile.
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Leading organizations turn to global law firm McDermott Will & Schulte for a better way to address legal challenges, connect with those at the forefront, and drive stronger outcomes. Working across more than 20 offices globally, our 1,750+ lawyers act on data-driven insights, deep relationships, and unmatched industry experience to deliver on our commitment of Always Better.