Laura Lamansky

Laura is an attorney at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. Her practice focuses on trademark, copyright, and entertainment law. Laura helps clients create, grow, and protect their brands and artistic work through trademark and copyright prosecution, clearance, counseling, and enforcement, and the negotiation and drafting of licenses, assignments, and other IP-related contracts. Additionally, Laura assists clients with protecting IP assets through trusts and estate planning.

She also assists clients with:

• Domain name transfers
• Fair-use analyses
• Work-for-hire agreements
• Trademark audits
  • Copyright termination issues

Laura advises on a variety of entertainment and arts law matters. She helps clients develop and run legally compliant promotions and contests, and negotiates publicity and distribution rights agreements, talent agreements, and other contracts. Laura also counsels clients on various union compliance issues in the entertainment industry.

Laura is a former media and event producer and digital strategist. Before becoming an attorney, she worked for Chicago- and New York-based international entertainment companies where she produced entertainment content for a prominent entertainment brand, shepherded the development of new digital strategies, oversaw the launch of new product lines, and managed national special promotions. Laura also worked for a leading talent agency in New York where she drafted and negotiated contracts on behalf of clients, including agreements for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. This industry experience allows her to provide practical, business-minded advice to clients. Laura is also a frequent speaker on intellectual property, entertainment law, and related issues.

Laura received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin, her M.F.A. in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Theatre and Film from the University of Southern California.

Laura has been a frequent APT audience member since childhood and benefitted first-hand from the student matinee series and educational workshops as a high school student. She is honored to continue to her relationship with APT as a board member.