Sidley Austin has appointed Daniel Clivner, who has headed Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s Los Angeles office since 1998, as co-managing partner of Sidley’s office in L.A. Clivner is a corporate attorney specializing in telecom, media, and retail sector deals, often involving private equity. Concurrent with Clivner’s hiring, the firm announced the opening of an additional L.A. office, in Century City. Clivner will head the new office and oversee a decisive push into the media and entertainment sectors.
In an exclusive interview with IFLR1000, Mike Kelley, a member of Sidley’s executive committee, said that he and his colleagues had made a judgment that a law firm seeking to be credible in the market cannot avoid having a presence on the city’s west side.
“The opening of the Century City office is a key element of our broader strategy to be a more important player in the media and entertainment industry here in L.A.,” Kelley said.
By Kelley’s count, Sidley’s lawyers have done more than 50 film finance deals over the years. At the same time, they are attuned to shifts in the market, and are primed to compete for deals in the evolving digital media space.
“We’ve been in L.A. for 35 years, and we’ve obviously seen changes in the legal market over the years, some of the most notable changes being that many of the large banks are no longer headquartered here. Much of the major manufacturing base among large public companies has left, but there’s still a very dynamic business community and it includes media and entertainment,” Kelley continued.
Larry Barden, a Chicago-based corporate partner who also serves on Sidley’s executive committee, discussed the firm’s strategy with respect to a media and entertainment space in a rapid state of evolution in California and beyond.
“There’s so much more we can do in media and entertainment as it continues to evolve, whether that’s on the capital side, the transactional side, and the protection and exploitation of IP rights, whether it’s in joint ventures and collaborations, whether it’s evolving and generating new businesses in the form of startups,” Barden said.
“Within firms that serve the industry, there is some changing of the guard, moving of personnel. With Dan, we have added significantly to our talent in this area,” he added.