Scott J. Witlin

Witlin is no stranger to the entertainment industry: Two of his recent cases involve a legendary Hollywood comedy club and the ultra-hip "Bojack Horseman" on Netflix.

It would be easy to be star-struck, but Witlin said it's important "to put that all aside" when it comes to legal matters.

The partner at Barnes & Thornburg, is also the administrator for the firm's Labor & Employment Department, and a member of its Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group.

As an undergraduate at Cornell University, he studied labor and industrial relationships. "When I started practicing, it was the one area that made sense to me, intellectually, legally and academically," Witlin said. "I found that the cases were interesting also on a personal level."

His resume includes the landmark education law case Doe v. Deasy, BS134604 (L. A. Super. Ct.) and industry-wide union negotiations with SAG-AFTRA over video game performers.

While a case might seem routine, "I like to take a fresh look at things," said Witlin, a Stanford Law School graduate.

"What I found out very early on in practice that my clients would say things to me that wouldn't fit my picture of what the case was about, and I didn't quite grasp why that fact would be relevant," he said. "Sometimes, a month later, that would all click for me."

Witlin was hired by The Laugh Factory for defense in a wage and hour class action. The plaintiff is a former member of the wait staff. O'Quinn v. The Laugh Factory 19STCV28155 (L. A. Super. Ct. filed Aug. 13, 2019) is a former member of the wait staff. Witlin said the case is "at a very early stage."

Witlin represented the producer of "Bojack Horseman," in connection with The Animation Guild's organizing campaign. An agreement was finalized in summer 2019.

"The entertainment industry has a long and idiosyncratic history of how they work," Witlin said. "Workers want to make good wages and be treated fairly. If you treat people fairly and respect, you're 90 percent there."

-- Karen Weil