Joining Feig/Finkel entertainment law boutique

I'm now Senior Counsel to a transactional firm specializing in film, television, new media, sports, branding, licensing and publishing.

Very excited to be joining a great group of lawyers including two friends and several new friends, effective immediately. Below is the official release!

Separately, I’ll continue writing for Puck, appearing in the media, and pursuing my creative endeavors, including some planned books, working to get my Trump stage musical produced (know a potential producer? LMK), writing poetry and seeking traction on a spec feature once the WGA strike resolves.

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BEVERLY HILLS, CA. (Sept. 21, 2023)—Feig/Finkel LLP announced today that noted transactional and entertainment labor lawyer Jonathan Handel will join the Firm as Senior Counsel, effective immediately, bringing his expertise in entertainment, Hollywood guilds, journalism and technology to the Firm’s transactional practice that spans film, television, new media, sports, video games, endorsements, branding, licensing and publishing.

Handel’s clients include writers, book authors, directors, actors, production companies, technologists and the guilds themselves, having served as Outside Special Counsel to SAG-AFTRA and Associate Counsel at the Writers Guild. Feig/Finkel is a partnership of Eric Feig, Harry Finkel, Panayiotis “Pano” Spanos, Andrew T. Barcello and Riccardo Maddalosso whose clients include producers, writers, actors, directors, production companies, influencers, athletes, rights holders, financiers and high net worth individuals.

“We’re excited to welcome Jonathan to our Firm,” said Feig. “His expertise and relationships in Hollywood labor, journalism and technology complement our focus and his nearly three decades of entertainment transactional work are a perfect fit for our practice.”

Handel has been much in the news lately, as television, radio and print media have actively sought his commentary on the ongoing Hollywood strikes almost 200 times in the last several months, and over 1,300 times in the last 16 years on entertainment and technology law and business subjects generally. Handel is also a journalist: he wrote over 1,400 stories for The Hollywood Reporter from 2010-20 and now writes for Puck news, a subscription newsletter covering Hollywood and other verticals.

“I’m delighted to be joining my friends Eric, Harry and their partners in an exciting and energetic dealmaking practice,” said Handel. “Their Firm’s principles—integrity and creativity—and dedication to personalized service perfectly align with my values as well.”

A preeminent expert on the Hollywood unions and guilds, Handel created a now industry-standard color residuals chart; has written four books on the guilds; taught Hollywood Unions and Guilds courses for a dozen years at UCLA, USC and Southwestern Law Schools; is a non-resident research fellow at Rutgers University in recognition of his work on residuals; and has presented numerous industry webinars and investor calls on the subject of Hollywood labor.

Handel is a member of the Television Academy, and was named by the Daily Journal as one of the top 100 lawyers in California in 2008. He has been profiled in the book social.lawyers and by the Los Angeles Business Journal and on the journalism site Muck Rack. He also writes scripts and poetry, and is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild and the Society of Composers & Lyricists. For several years, he taught a film appreciation and screening class of approximately 400 students for UCLA Extension.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College in applied math and computer science, Handel worked in technology before, during and after college. He was also involved in local Democratic and gay politics; initiated, drafted and lobbied for the Cambridge, Mass. human rights (civil rights) ordinance; and served on the human rights commission that the law established. Handel then attended Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude in 1990, did a federal appellate clerkship, and served as a federal Associate Independent Counsel (special prosecutor). He was a litigator early in his career, and that experience along with entrepreneurial endeavors and business savvy, inform his approach to counseling and negotiation.

About Feig/Finkel
Feig Finkel LLP is a transactional entertainment law firm dedicated to protecting its clients’ interests with two underlying principles: integrity and creativity. At Feig Finkel, we understand that every client’s legal and business needs are unique, and provide a personalized concierge approach. The firm specializes in the areas of film, television, new media, sports, branding, licensing, and publishing We represent a wide variety of award-winning writers, actors, directors, producers, athletes, rights holders, production companies, studios, financiers, Web3 companies, and distributors, in all aspects of the entertainment and media business. We are licensed to practice law in California and New York. Visit Feig/Finkel at https://feigfinkel.com/.