Neville L. Johnson - Beverly Hills, CA
Attorney at Johnson & Johnson, LLP
Entertainment Law Lawyers in Beverly Hills, CA
439 North Canon Drive Suite 200 Beverly Hills, CA 90210
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
51
Years
Experience
Beverly Hills Entertainment Law Lawyer
Updated: 05/06/2026
Areas of Practice
- Entertainment Law
- Media
- Class Action Litigation
- Privacy Law
- Business Litigation
- Class Action
- Right of Publicity
- Complex Business Litigation Matters
- Defamation Law
- Copyright Infringement
- Media Law
- Theft of Idea
- Guild Disputes
- Entertainment Class Actions
Attorney Information
Overview
Professional Experience
Mr. Johnson has spent decades defending the rights of individuals in the entertainment industry. The Los Angeles Times has referred to him as “one of the most feared litigators in Hollywood” who “has wrangled more than $350 million for actors, writers and other clients he contends were shortchanged their fair share of royalties and profits.” With dozens of civil jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, mediations, and criminal cases under his belt, Mr. Johnson is routinely recognized as the “go-to” attorney for wronged talent and is a mainstay on The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of the top 100 “Power Lawyers” in entertainment. Mr. Johnson’s clients include some of the most legendary names in music, film, and television, who regularly turn to him for counsel in protecting their legacies, assets, and income streams from unscrupulous individuals.
Mr. Johnson has litigated and settled countless cases against a wide array of defendants concerning royalty accounting, profit participation, publicity rights, idea theft, copyright infringement, and many other entertainment law matters. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Law School since 2012, where he teaches Entertainment and Media Litigation. However, his greatest pride has been in defending the privacy rights of all citizens against the worst malefactors in the media. His work in this field was perhaps best summarized by Professor David A. Elder, a leading expert on the law of privacy, who published the following special dedication in his treatise, Privacy Torts:
To Neville L. Johnson…who has led the charge, often successfully (and always creatively and with great passion) in exposing some of the worst outrages of media newsgathering. Neville ranks with Brandeis and Warren as the great defenders of privacy. All America is in his debt.
Representative Matters
- Obtained a unanimous landmark privacy ruling from the California Supreme Court in Sanders v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (1999) 20 Cal.4th 907, a decision that is included in multiple leading casebooks and taught in law schools across the country.
- Represented numerous victims of notorious wiretapper Anthony Pellicano and obtained a favorable partial affirmance of a significant sanctions award by the California Court of Appeal in Gerbosi v. Gaims, Weil, West & Epstein LLP (2011) 193 Cal.App.4th 435, which concerned a law firm’s use of Pellicano’s services.
- Pioneered the use of class actions against studios and record labels for improperly accounting to artists regarding royalties and profit participation, obtaining multiple eight-figure settlements therefrom.
- Represented the heir of songwriter Gram Parsons in Parsons v. Tickner (1995) 31 Cal.App.4th 1513, defeating a statute of limitations defense and establishing a fiduciary duty claim against a music publisher.
- Represented numerous legendary musicians and/or their estates on a variety of contractual, accounting, and intellectual property matters, including Buddy Holly, Michelle Phillips, Rick Nelson, P.F. Sloan, and others.
- Obtained a $15 million award in a business fraud case.
Honors
Mr. Johnson has been selected as one of the top 100 Power Lawyers in Entertainment Law by The Hollywood Reporter every year since 2008. He has also been designated one of the top 50 lawyers in entertainment by both Variety and The Daily Journal, as well as nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year by the California Consumer Attorney’s Association of Los Angeles. He is a fellow at the American Bar Association and has been repeatedly selected by Super Lawyers as one of the top entertainment attorneys in Southern California.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- One of the top 100 Power Lawyers in Entertainment Law, Hollywood Reporter, 2008-Present
- One of the top 50 Lawyers in Entertainment, Variety, 2013
- One of the top 50 Entertainment Attorneys in the Last Two Rankings, The Daily Journal
- Nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year, California Consumer Attorney’s Association of Los Angeles, 2005
- Deemed a “SuperLawyer”
- Fellow, American Bar Association
Other Sources of Feedback About Neville L. Johnson
Included on the 2026 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
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Southwestern University School of Law,
Los Angeles,
California, 1975
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
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Southwestern University School of Law,
Los Angeles,
California, 1975
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Non Legal Education
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University of California at Berkeley,
Berkeley,
California, 1971
B.A., Bachelor of Arts
-
University of California at Berkeley,
Berkeley,
California, 1971
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Senior Partner
Classes and Seminars
- Adjunct Professor, Southwestern Law School, Entertainment and Media Litigation, 2012 - Present
Pro Bono Activities
- National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, Voting Member
- Public Justice, Board of Governors, 2011-Present
- Loyola Productions, Co-Chair of the Board, 2009-Present
- Planning Board USC Entertainment Law Institute, 2011-Present
Representative Clients
Bug Music
Charly Records
Christian de Walden
Dr. Dream Records
Representative Cases
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Sanders v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., 20 Cal.4th 907(Cal. 1999)
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Gerbosi v. Gaims, Weil, West & Epstein LLP (2011) 193 Cal.App.4th 435
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Richert v Writers Guild of America west, Inc.; Osmond v. Screen Actors Guild, Inc.; Webb v. Directors Guild of America, Inc.
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Parsons v. Tickner, 31 Cal. App.4th 1513 (1995)
Published Works
Articles
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Johnson, Johnson, Smolla and Tweed, “Defamation and Invasion of Privacy in the Internet Age,” 25 Southwestern Journal of International Law 9 (2019)
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My Big Mouth, Los Angeles Daily Journal (Mar. 29, 2019)
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Entertainment Contracts with Minors in New York and California, 30 New York State Bar Assn, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal 75 (2019)
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In The Musician’s Business & Legal Guide, revised fifth edition (2016), co-author of the chapters, “Analysis of a Personal Management Agreement” and “Music Publishing”
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A New Way to Revive a Corporation?” Los Angeles Daily Journal (October 18, 2016)
- Hollywood Docket: One Sided World, 27 New York State Bar Assn, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal 32 (2016)
- Maybe America Needs More Peter Thiels, Los Angeles Daily Journal (Aug. 8, 2016)
- We’ve Lost Control, Los Angeles Daily Journal (June 16, 2016)
- “Studios Keep Tight Grip on Talent Pay,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (July 13, 2015)
- Chapter, Johnson and Fowler, “Litigation: How to Draft Defensively Without Killing the Deal” in Licensing of Music from BC to AD (Before the Change/After Digital), International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (2014)
- “The Man Who Seduced Hollywood,” 36 Los Angeles Lawyer 41 (September 2013, review of book about famed entertainment attorney Greg Bautzer)
- “Remedies for Web Defamation,” California Lawyer 36 (May 2013)
- “Talent Agency Act Survives Suit, Clarity Remains Elusive,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 2013)
- Chapter, Johnson and Aradi, “Defamatory Tweeting and Other Name and Likeness Violations” in Building Your Artist’s Brand as a Business, International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (2012)
- Douglas L. Johnson & Neville L. Johnson, What Happened to Unjust Enrichment in California? The Deterioration of Equity in the California Courts, Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review Vol. 44:277, Fall 2010
- “The Danger of “Anti-Libel Tourism” Legislation in America,” Los Angeles Lawyer (2009)
- “Privacy and the First Amendment,” California Litigation (2006)
- Elder, Johnson & Rishwain, Establishing Constitutional Malice for Defamation and Privacy/False Light Claims When Hidden Cameras and Deception Are Used by the Newsgatherer, 22 Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review 327 (2002)
- Caught in the Act, Los Angeles Lawyer, 33 (April 1998)
- “Trouble in Tinseltown", Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 23, 2019
- "The Personal Manager in the California Entertainment Industry", Southern California Law Review, 1979
- The Musician's Business & Legal Guide (5th Edition), 2017
- The John Wooden Pyramid of Success (2nd Edition), 2004
Bar Admissions
- California
- United States Supreme Court
Other Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Fellow (distinction granted to only 2% of attorneys)
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- American Association for Justice
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Beverly Hills Bar Association (Co-Chair Entertainment Section, 2009-2011)
- Beverly Hills Bar Association (Board of Governors, 2012-2015)
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Board of Governors, 2006-Present
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Los Angeles Copyright Society
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammy Organization) (voting member as a professional musician, songwriter and producer who is releasing music as Trevor McShane).
- Public Justice (Board of Governors 2011-present)
- USC Entertainment Law Institute, Planning Board, 2011-Present
Fraternities and Sororities
- Phi Beta Kappa
Photo
Contact
439 North Canon Drive
Suite 200
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: 310-905-6433
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.jjllplaw.com/
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