Douglas Mirell joins Nolan Heimann LLP, expanding firm's AI and digital rights practice

Douglas Mirell, a longtime media and entertainment lawyer who is helping the actors' union navigate artificial intelligence-related issues, has joined Nolan Heimann LLP as a partner in Encino.

Mirell said in a phone interview that he had been excited to reconnect with Jordan Susman and Ted Nguyen, partners he worked with several years ago at another firm then known as Harder Mirell & Abrams LLP.

"The [Nolan Heimann] firm is really cutting edge. Future oriented. Looks to represent entrepreneurs of all kinds in cases that really aren't the bread and butter of traditional law firms," Mirell said.

At the Harder Mirell firm, Mirell represented Terry Gene Bollea, the entertainer known as Hulk Hogan, in a privacy case that brought down the gossip website Gawker.

Mirell, who represents SAG-AFTRA, had spent the last seven years at Greenberg Glusker LLP. A lot of his work has involved advising lawmakers on AI and digital rights, including California legislation passed last year to allow heirs of deceased performers to be paid for entertainment created through AI.

In addition to AB 1836, Mirell played a pivotal role in other digital and publicity rights laws, including AB 602, passed in 2019 that established a private right of action against unauthorized sexually explicit deepfakes and SB 606, passed in 2013, which strengthened criminal penalties and civil remedies against paparazzi harassment.

Nolan Heimann has 18 attorneys.