Adriana Levandowski

/My focus

I represent clients in high-stakes commercial litigation across the entertainment and media industries, handling disputes involving breach of contract, defamation, intellectual property enforcement, trade secret misappropriation, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition, and other complex business torts.

In addition to my litigation practice, I advise clients on labor and employment compliance, helping them navigate the unique regulatory and workplace challenges of the entertainment landscape. I am passionate about supporting innovators and entrepreneurs, particularly those in the entertainment and media sectors.

Litigation

I represent clients through all phases of litigation—from taking and defending depositions to negotiating favorable resolutions—with a particular emphasis on high-profile cases presenting media concerns.

In the courtroom, I successfully argued and won a motion for attorney’s fees and costs in a lien case, helping to deliver a strong financial result for the client. I have obtained various restraining orders for prominent public figures and employers, supporting multi-day evidentiary trials involving numerous witnesses and extensive testimony. I helped defeat an anti-SLAPP motion against a high-profile client, securing attorney’s fees and costs and gaining deep experience with the strategic and procedural complexities of anti-SLAPP litigation.

I second-chaired a wrongful termination arbitration hearing in the labor union context, where I examined witnesses and prepared the brief supporting the decision to uphold the termination.

Employment Counsel—Entertainment

I advise clients on a range of labor and employment matters impacting the entertainment industry, including the creation of employee policies, management training materials, employment contracts, and Human Resources compliance strategies. My experience includes guiding a talent management firm through employee terminations and severance negotiations, creating key policies and procedures—such as employee handbooks, offer letters, and independent contractor agreements—as well as conducting sexual harassment training sessions for production companies and independent studios.

My practice often involves close collaboration with in-house human resources professionals to ensure labor law compliance and effective personnel management to proactively mitigate exposure to future litigation.

On the talent side, I’ve negotiated executive employment terms for a senior hire at an emerging record label.

/Representative experience

• Resolved copyright dispute for an SXSW award-winning documentary filmmaker
• Obtained arbitration award sustaining union employee’s termination
• Advised a well-known visual artist on the resolution of a sexual harassment claim
• Negotiated merchandise licensing agreement between apparel brand and top women’s tennis player.

/Looking ahead

California’s Civil Harassment code was originally designed to address physical, in-person harassment but is now being adapted to offer protection against online threats like cyberstalking and digital harassment on social media. Similarly, Coogan’s Law, which safeguards child performers’ earnings, was amended to account for young influencers, vloggers, and digital content creators. Navigating the ever-changing regulatory landscape remains crucial in the new media era.