Ivy Kagan Bierman

Ivy Kagan Bierman’s practice includes the representation of entertainment and related companies in labor, production, distribution, technology and other business matters. She handles both transactional and litigation matters for clients.

Ivy is one of a select few entertainment industry labor lawyers representing film, television and digital production companies, networks, public broadcasting companies, distribution companies, film finance companies, national advertisers and advertising agencies in guild and union matters. She regularly counsels clients with respect to DGA, SAG-AFTRA, WGA, AFM, IATSE and Teamsters agreements. She also negotiates separate agreements and waivers with the guilds and unions for clients. She was one of the first to negotiate interactive, multimedia and secondary digital channel agreements with the DGA, SAG-AFTRA and the WGA. She also negotiated a WGA Franchise Agreement for a literary agency during the WGA/ATA dispute.

Ivy strategizes with production, distribution and finance companies, as well as individual talent clients, regarding guild and union negotiations, potential strikes and strike rules. She also advises companies regarding their rights and obligations during guild and union organizing campaigns, picketing and strikes. During the strikes, she negotiated Interim Agreements that enabled companies to remain in production.

Ivy currently advises clients with respect to the guilds’ and unions’ evolving positions regarding animation, videogames and artificial intelligence. She currently represents several prominent animation, videogame and AI companies.

Ivy also conducts sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying prevention and respect in the workplace training tailored to entertainment industry companies and organizations. She currently provides Set Etiquette training through the Producers Guild of America. Ivy also provides culture assessments and works with companies and organizations to improve their cultures. In addition, she handles workplace misconduct investigations. Ivy was formerly a member of the Legal, Legislative and Policy Committee on Sexual Harassment and Gender Parity for Time’s Up and an outside counsel on Sexual Harassment and Gender Parity for The Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace.

Ivy’s litigation practice is also focused on the entertainment industry, where Ivy and her team represent clients in guild and union grievances and arbitrations, mediations and National Labor Relations Board proceedings.

Outside of her practice, Ivy is an adjunct professor and the Director of the Entertainment track in the Entertainment Arts and Sports Law Program at the University of Miami Law School. She is also an adjunct professor in the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University and the Pritzker Northwestern School of Law Los Angeles Entertainment Program.