April 2025 – Variety, which annually recognizes Hollywood’s top litigators, has named Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP (KBK) Partners Philip M. Kelly, Richard B. Kendall, Nary Kim, and Patrick J. Somers as Leading Lawyers in its 2025 Legal Impact Report.
This year’s list honors top entertainment lawyers for their outstanding legal accomplishments and profiles “the best legal minds working in film, television, music, theater, and digital media,” recognizing their triumphs and “the impact they have made on behalf of their clients and on the industry over the past year.”
Variety honored the four selected KBK Partners for their outstanding work on both high-profile current cases and recent legal victories. Founding Partner Richard Kendall was specifically recognized for his successful defense of Paramount with two distinct anti-SLAPP motions combating lawsuits filed by “Romeo and Juliet” actors Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, which led to securing final judgment in the first case with a $185,000 attorneys fee award and the dismissal of the second case in October 2024.
Named Partner Phil Kelly was honored for a number of notable recent victories including securing the dismissal of a $142.5 million copyright lawsuit, successfully representing CBS in a $30 million dispute over “Walker, Texas Ranger,” and winning summary judgements for clients including Lionsgate.
Ms. Kim, who was recognized in Variety’s “Up Next” category last year, received credit for her work defending a host of high-profile clients including Nirvana, Paramount Global, and South Park Digital Studios – the latter two against a $500 million lawsuit over “South Park” exclusivity, as well as for her work on the same “Romeo and Juliet” lawsuits as Mr. Kendall.
Mr. Somers was highlighted for his recent string of high-impact legal wins, including delivering a complete trial victory for Creative Artists Agency in a high-stakes, widely publicized dispute involving former ESPN anchor Sage Steele that was brought before the California Labor Commissioner—who awarded damages to CAA and found no breach of fiduciary duty.
Mr. Kelly and Mr. Kendall have been recognized as Leading Lawyers in the annual report five times, and Variety has also previously recognized Mr. Kelly as a Rising Star. Ms. Kim was acknowledged among the “Up Next” list in the publication’s 2022 report.
To see Variety’s 2025 Legal Impact Report and read the aforementioned KBK Partners’ profiles in full, please click here.