Ira Epstein Joins Greenberg Traurig in Santa Monica

   Veteran entertainment attorney Ira S. Epstein has joined Greenberg Traurig LLP’s entertainment practice in Santa Monica.
   “Ira has established a highly successful and broad-based practice within the U.S. as well as working on major projects for overseas clients,” said Richard Davis, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Los Angeles office. “This international perspective will be an invaluable asset with the increasing globalization of the entertainment industry and growing interest in foreign films and television.”
   With clients around the world, Epstein currently represents producers and distributors of four miniseries and two feature films in Paris and Berlin. He is also negotiating to bring 100 episodes of Yu-gi-oh, a popular animated series from Japan, to the U.S.
   Previously, Epstein was at Weissmann Wolf. His move to Greenberg Traurig reunites him with his partner at Cooper, Epstein and Hurewitz, Jay Cooper, who heads the firm’s entertainment practice in Los Angeles.
   For four decades, Epstein has represented television and motion picture industry clients, production companies and talent as well as theatrical actors and producers, and writers.
   “Greenberg Traurig offers a unique opportunity to function with the flexibility usually reserved for boutique firms, yet have access to the full resources and talent of a major national firm,” noted Epstein. “This, coupled with the prospect of working with Jay again and being part of the dynamic team that has been assembled in Los Angeles, was a tremendous incentive, and I look forward to contributing to the continued growth of the practice.”
   Epstein serves on the board of directors of Image Entertainment, is a board member of the North Coast Repertory Company in San Diego and has agreed to serve as its next president. He took his J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law and was a Captain in the Judge Advocate General Air Force early in his career.
   Greenberg Traurig LLP is a full-service law firm that provides integrated solutions to clients worldwide. The firm ranks 21st on the National Law Journal’s list of the country’s largest law firms. Its clients range from emerging companies to Fortune 500 corporations. It has more than 840 attorneys and lobbyists practicing in 17 offices around the country. Its Los Angeles offices are in the Water Garden in Santa Monica.