Tamerlin Godley

• Ranked for Media & Entertainment: Litigation by Chambers USA, 2013-2025
• Recognized in ”Power Lawyers: Hollywood’s Top 100 Attorneys” by The Hollywood Reporter, 2018, 2020-2025
• Recognized in Variety’s Legal Impact Report, 2020-2025
• Named among the Global Leaders in Crisis Management by Lawdragon 500, 2025
• Named to Variety’s Women's Impact Report, 2022
• Named among the Leading Litigators in America by Lawdragon 500, 2022-2025
• Ranked for Media and Entertainment: Litigation by Legal 500 USA, 2025
• Named Most Influential Intellectual Property Lawyer by The Los Angeles Business Journal, 2017

• Member, USC Law Board of Councilors, 2025-present
• Chair,  USC Intellectual Property Institute, 2024-2026
• Founder, Public Funds Public Schools with the Education Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center
• Officer, The Pasadena Educational Foundation Board
• Past President and Board Member, The Armory Center for the Arts
• Board Member, Muse/Ique
• Board Member, Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation
• Board Member and Secretary, Los Angeles Review of Books Board
• Former Member, Equal Voices Advisory Counsel, National Democratic Institute
• Former Elected Official,  South Pasadena School Board
• Deputy General Counsel, The Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence, which investigated the violence in LA County Jails and provided recommendations for moving forward
• Member, Rampart Independent Review Panel, which investigated and analyzed the Los Angeles Police Department’s discipline and oversight practices
• Former Member and Officer, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Services

• Co-Author, “Recent Rulings on ‘Embedding’ Foreshadow Circuit Split—What Does that mean for Content Use Now?” Law.com, December 2021
• Speaker, "Hot Issues in Entertainment," ABA’s Annual Conference of the Forum on Communications Law, 2022
• Speaker, “Guitars, Cadillacs, and Termination Disputes,” USC Intellectual Property Institute, 2021
• Speaker, “Constructive Investigations: Tackling Serious Allegations and Creating Healthier Organizations,” 2022

Exemplary Litigation Experience

• NBCUniversal, Bravo, and Andy Cohen in their arbitration with NeNe Leakes, a former cast member of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
• Counsel for Mobland, a cryptocurrency gaming site, in its federal court copyright action and in a contract breach arbitration.
• Justin Weniger (former CEO of the Life is Beautiful Music Festival), as well as Connie Yeh and Chrissie Yim—long-time advisors to Tony Hsieh (the founder of Zappos)— in the ongoing litigation by the Hsieh Estate over commitments made by Tony Hsieh before his untimely death.
• Obtained summary judgment and attorneys’ fees for Life is Beautiful Music Festival in a trademark and copyright suit (affirmed on appeal).
• Transocean as a member of the second phase trial team for the BP oil spill litigation.
• Warner Bros., in its highly publicized dispute with Charlie Sheen, for which she received a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award.
• Overturned the largest FINRA award ever issued on behalf of a leading American diversified financial services company. 
• Led successful defenses for a variety of class actions representing Warner Music Group, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and MGM.
• Obtained a Demurrer for Telepictures in a trade secret suit regarding “The Real.”
• Obtained expedited summary judgment on behalf of the NAACP, school districts, and students permanently vacating the Betsy DeVos rule that attempted to siphon off hundreds of millions of CARES Act funds away from public schools for the benefit of affluent private school students.
• Led the pro bono team that obtained a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of Nevada’s sweeping voucher law, which risked diversion of more than $200 million from the public schools.
  • Successfully argued before the Nevada Supreme Court, against well-known Supreme Court advocate Paul Clement, to permanently keep the voucher law from going into effect.

Exemplary Investigations Experience

• Led the sensitive Bachelor in Paradise Investigation for Warner Bros. Television, maintaining the franchise at a critical moment and establishing the industry gold standard for conduct and expectations in reality television.
• Representing a major film and television studio in the investigation of its CEO.
• Representing Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in investigating widespread executive corruption.
• Representing a major television studio in the investigation of its President and Chairman.
• Representing a major US airline in the investigation of its second in command.
• Representing Warner Bros. Television in an investigation into alleged misconduct on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
• Representing a major studio in an investigation of executive misconduct abroad.
• Representing multiple television and motion picture studios in investigations of talent and executive misconduct.
• Representing an American automotive and green energy company in a significant DOJ investigation.  
  
  *Tammy advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.