Lisa A. Callif

In the entertainment epicenter of Los Angeles, Callif has carved out a niche practice serving independent producers. As a name partner at her firm, she was the lawyer behind the scenes of some of the year's most popular film, TV and digital specials, including "He Named Me Malala," CNN's "The Seventies," and Netflix's "Making a Murderer."

Her flourishing workload, she said, comes out of more filmmakers wanting to chronicle real-life figures and events through the lens.

"As a lawyer, I get really involved to make sure everything used is in fair use. Any lawyer who is well-versed in fair use who watches can see it is fair use. You don't just send us your film, and we render an opinion."

Guiding clients through the finance, production and distribution process, Callif finds herself mostly working on clearances for domestic films and international ones, which could lead to more scrutiny where filmmakers may have issues with securing releases for individuals and religious sites.

At first, her clients oftentimes "Don't really understand it's a collaborative process." Out of the entire process, she said the beginning finance step sometimes throws clients off with making deals that could violate the Federal Communications Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

"Navigating those issues can get tricky," she said, "to allow the clients to get the money because it's important to them. But working on it to make it legal where you can't be the lender and investor is the challenge. People want [to have] their cake and eat it, too."

Right now, Callif is dealing with life rights agreements in "Making a Murderer" with its popularity opening new avenues for those featured in the special. Other films she's worked on such as "Snowden," a biopic thriller based on National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, and "Weiner," a documentary on scandal-plagued New York congressman Anthony Weiner, will open in theaters later this year.

- Kibkabe Araya