Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Matthew C. Thompson, a prominent media and entertainment lawyer, has agreed to join Sidley as a partner and as co-head of Sidley’s media and entertainment practice. He will play a key role in leading the firm’s media and entertainment practice as it continues to expand as part of its new Century City office. Mr. Thompson’s arrival further demonstrates Sidley’s commitment to continued growth in Los Angeles and the active expansion of its media and entertainment resources following Sidley’s announcement that Dan Clivner, a leading M&A and private equity lawyer who has handled major transactions in the media and entertainment industry, joined the firm. More >>

Barnes & Thornburg LLP, a national law firm, announced today that prominent entertainment attorney, Carolyn Hunt, will join the firm as partner. Known as a savvy dealmaker, Hunt has deep experience representing clients in entertainment-related transactions, with an emphasis on film and television finance and distribution.

Having been involved in more than $2 billion in financing for hundreds of film, television and gaming projects, including many award-winning films, Hunt recently represented the financiers of the first major feature film to premiere on the world’s leading Internet TV network and in select IMAX theaters globally on the same day. She also worked on behalf of the financier of the largest Chinese language film ever shot in Los Angeles. Hunt comes to the firm from Loeb & Loeb LLP. More >>

Thompson Coburn is pleased to announce that Melanie Joo has joined the firm as a partner in our Los Angeles office. Melanie previously was Counsel at Arent Fox LLP. She is the 20th attorney to join Thompson Coburn’s growing Los Angeles office since the firm’s 2013 combination with Freedman Weisz LLP.

Melanie focuses her practice in two main areas: The representation of automotive companies, including vehicle dealerships and manufacturers, and the representation of Korean companies and other Asia-based clients entering the U.S. market.

Melanie, who speaks Korean, counsels Asian companies across a host of industries, including automotive, electronics manufacturing, fashion and hospitality. She serves as a partner and advisor to such clients on all aspects of doing business in the United States, from market entry, formation and cross border transactions, to intellectual property, advertising and complex litigation. Melanie guides Asia-based companies through corporate formation, advises executives on all aspects of franchising, licensing and regulatory laws, and offers continuing counsel as they expand in the U.S. market.

For nearly a decade, Melanie has represented automotive industry clients on a variety of federal and state regulatory matters, class action and consumer litigation, and transactional matters. She counsels automotive clients on multi-agency government investigations and has a team ready to provide clients with multi-state mapping of applicable laws and regulations across the country. Melanie also has extensive experience representing startup electric vehicle manufacturers, Internet-based automotive advertising companies and national automotive retailers.

Melanie is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Korean American Bar Association, the International Association of Korean Lawyers, and the Korean American Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles.

She earned her law degree from Tulane University School of Law and her B.A. degree from the University of Southern California.