Irene is a labor and employment specialist and complex commercial litigator who leads the firm’s dedicated Esports and Gaming Industry Group. She is also the Vice President of the Esports Bar Association. She represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment and litigates high-stakes commercial disputes.
In 2015, I launched the firm’s Esports and Gaming Industry Group—one of the first dedicated Esports groups among AM100 law firms. As a lifelong gamer, I am incredibly passionate about this industry and thrilled to be a part of its ongoing evolution. Partnering with my esports and gaming clients, I counsel them on a full range of legal issues to ensure their businesses thrive. I regularly publish and speak on panels (see below for my recent work), and am active in the gaming community. I recently helped launch a professional Women in Gaming network in Southern California, which meets quarterly for programming and networking events. I was also appointed the Vice President of the Esports Bar Association.
I regularly advise health care, technology, and other industry clients on matters affecting their workplace and employees. During COVID, I counsel companies on the new related leave regulations and remote working arrangements. I also handle all phases of employment litigation from discovery to dispositive motion practice and trial. I litigate wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation cases, wage and hour actions, and workplace safety (OSHA) matters.
I litigate complex commercial disputes involving breach of contracts and fiduciary duty, trade secrets, and other high-stakes litigation, including art displaced during times of conflict. I have worked with clients across industries ranging from semiconductors and three-dimensional technology to biotechnology and health care. I excel at understanding complex businesses and processes in the context of legal issues, and resolving disputes in a manner that best serves my client’s interests.
Unionization is and will continue to be a topic of conversation in the esports industry. While the history and function of unions in traditional sports is instructive, for esports, there are also key differences that must be considered that make esports unique, such as the fact that there are multiple game titles instead of a single game that is played.
Law360 | December 18, 2020
This end-of-year review quotes Los Angeles Labor & Employment associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan on California’s A.B. 5, noting how court cases are beginning to define parameters of the statute and what it will mean on a practical basis.
ARTnews | August 19, 2020
This article discusses a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that unanimously affirms that NP’s Spanish client, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation, is the rightful owner of a prominent artwork by Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. The article quotes Los Angeles Complex Commercial Disputes partner and Arts & Cultural Institutions team leader Thaddeus Stauber on the decision. The NP team also includes Complex Commercial Disputes partner Sarah Andre, Intellectual Property counsel Aaron Brian, and Labor & Employment associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan, all of Los Angeles.
Artnet News | August 18, 2020
This article discusses a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that unanimously affirms that NP’s Spanish client, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation, is the rightful owner of a prominent artwork by Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. The article quotes Los Angeles Complex Commercial Disputes partner and Arts & Cultural Institutions team leader Thaddeus Stauber on the decision. The NP team also includes Complex Commercial Disputes partner Sarah Andre, Intellectual Property counsel Aaron Brian, and Labor & Employment associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan, all of Los Angeles. Click here to read the article.
LegalTech News | November 21, 2019
Los Angeles Labor and Employment associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan talks about the increasing sophistication of esports player contracts, a trend fueled in part by game publishers and investors showing interest in more standardized pacts.
LegalTech News (Law.com) | August 05, 2019
This article highlights Los Angeles Labor and Employment partner Ben Kim and associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan for leading the e-sports practice at Nixon Peabody, one of only a few such practices at large law firms.
Los Angeles Daily Journal | July 10, 2019
Partner Ben Kim, counsel Alicia Anderson and associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan, all of the Labor and Employment group in Los Angeles, co-wrote this contributed article. The authors analyze the impact of a California Supreme Court ruling that drivers for Dynamex, a package delivery company, are employees rather than independent contractors.
Esports Insider | June 07, 2019
Los Angeles Labor and Employment partner Ben Kim and associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan discussed the most pressing legal issues in esports in this Q+A with Esports Insider.
American Lawyer | April 30, 2019
In the following media coverage, Los Angeles Complex Commercial Disputes partner Thad Stauber is quoted on Tuesday’s federal court ruling that found the Madrid-based Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation is the rightful owner of a Camille Pissarro painting. Thad and Los Angeles partner Sarah André, counsel Aaron Brian, and associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan represented the Foundation in this matter.
Bloomberg | April 30, 2019
In the following media coverage, Los Angeles Complex Commercial Disputes partner Thad Stauber is quoted on Tuesday’s federal court ruling that found the Madrid-based Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation is the rightful owner of a Camille Pissarro painting. Thad and Los Angeles partner Sarah André, counsel Aaron Brian, and associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan represented the Foundation in this matter.
Law360 | November 04, 2018
San Francisco Labor & Employment partners Bob Dolinko and Seth Neulight and Los Angeles Labor & Employment associate Irene Scholl-Tatevosyan are mentioned in this article for their representation of Hertz in a matter regarding employees wage and rest break.
University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, J.D., Shattuck Award Recipient, Content Editor for the Interdisciplinary Law Journal
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., magna cum laude
California
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit