MPAA Reorganizes Legal Staff In DC, LA - Deadline.com

WASHINGTON ? The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) today announced a number of new appointments and promotions for members of its legal team, led by Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel Henry Hoberman, bolstering and reorganizing its staff in both Washington and Los Angeles.

?The MPAA?s legal team is already an impressive and experienced group,? Hoberman said. ?With these promotions, we?ve strengthened our legal capabilities in key areas. As a result, the MPAA is well-positioned to address cutting edge legal issues as our industry continues to innovate and distribute content across multiple platforms and devices in the digital age.?

Linda Kinney has been tapped to fill the new position of Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel in the MPAA?s Washington office. Prior to joining the MPAA two years ago, Kinney was Vice President of Law and Regulation for DISH Network, and spent more than a decade in public service at the Federal Communications Commission, where she served as Deputy General Counsel and legal advisor to Commissioner Susan Ness.

Dan Robbins has been elevated to Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel in the MPAA?s Los Angeles office. Prior to joining the MPAA in 1996, Robbins worked at the law firms of Graham & James and Pepper Hamilton, where he focused on antitrust and intellectual property matters.

Kinney and Robbins will report directly to Hoberman and will be responsible for assisting him in overseeing all aspects of the MPAA?s legal operations and affairs.

In Los Angeles, Karen Thorland has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Global Content Protection Counsel, responsible for overseeing worldwide content protection litigation. Prior to joining the MPAA in 2010, Thorland was a partner at Loeb & Loeb, LLP, where she represented prominent entertainment industry clients. She will report to Robbins.

Also in Los Angeles, Kelly McMahon has been promoted to Vice President and Corporate Counsel, also reporting to Robbins. McMahon has been with the MPAA since 2007. Prior to her tenure at the MPAA, McMahon was a Corporate Associate with Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP.

Finally, Ben Sheffner has been promoted to Vice President, Legal Affairs and will relocate from Los Angeles to Washington. Sheffner has previously held in-house legal positions at NBCUniversal and Twentieth Century Fox, and worked in the Century City office of O?Melveny & Myers LLP. Sheffner will report to Kinney.

Hoberman, a veteran entertainment industry attorney, was hired last fall as the MPAA?s Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel. He oversees all legal, content enforcement and rights management programs within the MPAA, both domestically and abroad.

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