Paul Hastings logo in Atlanta/courtesy photo Paul Hastings logo in Atlanta/courtesy photo

Paul Hastings has onboarded longtime O'Melveny & Myers entertainment litigator James "Bo" Pearl as partner in its growing entertainment and media practice in Los Angeles, the firm announced Monday. 

Pearl, who came to O'Melveny straight out of law school in 1998, will work out of Paul Hastings' Century City office. 

"I had a great 22 years at O'Melveny," Pearl said. "But at some point, life goes on. Often in our practices we get so busy we can't find time to reflect and do much more than work on cases. In this case, they [Paul Hastings] are a great group of people and they were excited to have me come and help."

Part of the draw for Pearl was the chance to join a practice that was a bit less mature than the one he left at O'Melveny, saying the idea of building something was enticing. 

"Paul Hastings' successful development and growth of the firm's entertainment and media practice, both in Century City and globally, were very attractive to me," Pearl said in a statement. "I am excited about the opportunity to help continue to build and grow a very exciting practice."

James James "Bo" Pearl of Paul Hastings/courtesy photo

The firm sees Pearl's hire as the continuation of a process that began two years ago when it opened up an entertainment practice by hiring five partners from Loeb & Loeb and set up a new office in Century City, the business hub of Los Angeles.

The firm later added former Irell & Manella litigator Steven Marenberg in March 2020 to lead the practice. 

"New entrants and disruptors are reshaping the entertainment and media landscape, and our clients want industry veterans to help guide them through these ever-changing times," Seth Zachary, chairman of Paul Hastings, said in a statement. "Bo is a leading trial attorney who has helped lead industry-changing litigation, and his capabilities and experience make him a significant addition to our Entertainment and Media practice."

Pearl worked on a variety of high-profile matters during his tenure at O'Melveny, including representing pop music icon Ke$ha in her suit against former producer Dr. Luke. Up until Pearl and his team's involvement in 2016, the musician had basically been unable to publish new music since 2013. 

Thanks to his work, Ke$ha was able to release her Grammy-nominated album "Rainbow" in 2017. 

Pearl also worked on several high-stakes, idea-theft matters surrounding material from the hit movies "Zootopia" and "The Last Samurai," according to his O'Melveny biography. 

While Paul Hastings has grown its entertainment practice over the past two years, the number of entertainment-focused litigators, such as Pearl, is still low. 

"On the litigation side, we are at the beginning of helping to grow the entertainment litigation aspect and couple that with a strong transactional practice," Pearl said. "I feel confident in our ability to build that."

Pearl said that pandemic-related complications have driven down litigation as a whole, but that there wasn't a significant difference between his practice in entertainment litigation and nonentertainment practices, even though the sports and entertainment industries have been decimated by social-distancing requirements. 

Pearl said he didn't anticipate anyone else from his practice at O'Melveny making a move to Paul Hastings with him, but that one of the goals of the group at Paul Hastings is to expand. 

"Paul Hastings has had a strong financial performance recently and they are committed to this practice," he said. "I am excited."

A representative from O'Melveny said they wish him the best at his new firm. 

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