Nicholas C. Soltman

Soltman has earned his "rising star" moniker, making partner earlier this year at age 34. And with that new title has come a few added perks.

"People have a natural reluctance to seeing someone with the word associate in their title as the primary point person," he said. "They're used to dealing with 'partners'. Having that title removes that barrier to entry."

That doesn't mean he gets out of doing the copying, filing and other menial tasks necessary with any legal matter, especially given the firm's size. But Soltman thinks of it as a positive.

"You're certainly more efficient at it than a new lawyer," he said.

Soltman has brought that energy and thoroughness to several high-profile cases for the boutique entertainment firm. He was part of the team that represented "Bones" executive producer Barry Josephson in winning a $179 million arbitration award against 21st Century Fox over profits the network-television show earned on streaming site Hulu.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge overturned $128 million in punitive damages this past May, a decision Soltman said they would appeal "in the near future."

"The timing of that remains to be seen, but the trial court's decision on that point is not the last word," he said.

The case illustrates the sea change the film and television industries have undergone over the last five years, upending the business model to the point where individual networks like CBS and HBO have built proprietary, "a la carte" platforms to tap into this growing medium.

"It all seems to be the assumption that we have to compete with Netflix and Amazon by starving them out and shunting all of our content onto our own platforms," Soltman said. "Time will tell whether that's a good business strategy or not."

But even though his responsibilities have grown, Soltman appreciates the chance to watch a master at work. Last year, he was second chair to Kinsella Weitzman partner Shawn Holley in Reggie Bush's lawsuit against the now-Los Angeles Rams. The duo won a $12.5 million award for Bush, who sustained a career-ending injury when he slipped on an exposed concrete well during a 2015 game in St. Louis.

Soltman said he's amazed by Holley's ability to connect with jurors and make them feel comfortable.

"They all want to take her picture afterwards because she's just so pleasant and, you know, she's a killer underneath," he said. "It's something you want to model yourself after if you can. I don't think I have quite the innate charm that she does, but I try."

Soltman will have to settle for an empathy to help those in need. For the last five years, Soltman has been part of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, mentoring a young teenager named Milo since he was 8.

Watching Milo grow into adulthood, Soltman hopes he's having an impact and steering the teen toward a bright future.

"Short of raising a child or being a teacher, there aren't that many opportunities to really get to know somebody else's child," he said. "So it's incredibly meaningful to have a role alongside teachers and educators and crafting a good person."

-- Glenn Jeffers