Patricia L. Glaser

Glaser’s team has been handling a lot more commercial disputes as of late, and Glaser said she’s not exactly sure what’s prompted the influx.

“We’ve been handling a lot of them. The market’s been up — it’s not a depression. So what the heck’s going on?” Glaser said.

But as one of the top litigators in a litigation-heavy state, it’s no surprise why studios, production companies, creative executives and A-list celebrities often turn to her for prompt solutions to complex issues.

Glaser represented Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Inc. in a dispute with The Weinstein Company over production financing for the film “Wild Oats,” featuring Jessica Lange and Shirley McCain. Contrary to the terms of the parties’ agreement, The Weinstein Company released the film on The Lifetime Channel prior to showing it in theaters.

The court granted Glaser Weil’s motion for summary judgment and issued judgment in Sony’s favor.

Her celebrity clientele include late-night comedian Conan O’Brien, who has been sued in an ongoing copyright infringement case over an allegedly stolen joke, and Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, who recently reached a confidential settlement in a $10 million breach of contract claim. She’s also currently representing Harvey Weinstein in his arbitration battle with The Weinstein Company.

Glaser declined to comment on the arbitration. But Weinstein claims the company did not have the grounds to terminate him, which he alleges was done to protect itself in the wake of widely reported sexual harassment claims against him, under the terms of his employment agreement.

Though she’s not representing Weinstein in any matters related to sexual harassment and assault claims against him, Glaser said her office has been fielding a wealth of calls for sexual harassment cases with the rise of the #MeToo movement, many on the defense side.

With news breaking every day of a new harassment claim, Glaser said media outlets rarely consider the weight of an accusation before rushing to put out a story on it. But getting the full story is a critical part of her job, Glaser said.

“I want to be clear about this, there are a number of women whose careers have been impacted either by sexual discrimination or sexual harassment,” Glaser said. “But there’s also just a lot of boorish conduct. People tell off-color jokes. It’s not something I enjoy, but there’s a hell of a difference between an off-color joke and rape.”

— Steven Crighton