Devin A. McRae

Devin McRae is a business litigator with an emphasis in entertainment, intellectual property, partnership and employment disputes, including those concerning breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, copyright and trademark infringement, idea submission, royalties and participations, representation agreements, performer agreements, operating agreements, distribution agreements, trade secrets, discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination. Mr. McRae also has extensive experience in real estate, investment and insurance coverage-related disputes.

His clients include prominent artists, actors, writers and producers; production companies; law firms; talent agents and agencies; talent managers and management firms; television networks; accounting firms; and insurance companies. In connection with his representation of clients in the television industry, Mr. McRae is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is routinely called upon by the media to provide commentary on high profile issues of entertainment law and litigation. He has been selected for inclusion in Southern California Super Lawyers Editions each year since 2016, Southern California Super Lawyers–Rising Stars Editions 2009, 2011-2015, and has been named in The Best Lawyers in America© each year since 2016 for Intellectual Property Litigation and each year since 2019 for Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures and Television. In 2021, he was recognized as a “Visionary” by L.A. Times B2B Publishing Business of Law Magazine and named and profiled in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys” Edition. In 2016, the Daily Journal selected Mr. McRae as one of California’s “Top 40 Under 40” lawyers. Mr. McRae was listed in Variety’s “Legal Impact Report 2022: Top Attorneys Winning Cases and Making Deals in Hollywood.” Mr. McRae is AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. McRae’s success as a trial lawyer started early while in his fifth year of practice he single-handedly obtained a $6 million trial verdict on behalf of his client. In 2021, Mr. McRae obtained a multi-million dollar verdict for actress Shannen Doherty in a federal jury trial. In addition to significant trial and arbitration experience, Mr. McRae has successfully briefed and argued matters before the California Courts of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to co-founding Early Sullivan, Mr. McRae practiced at the Los Angeles Glaser Weil firm and international firms Dorsey & Whitney and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae. He received his law degree in 2002 from UCLA School of Law. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of New Mexico where he graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Prior to law school, Mr. McRae was an amateur boxer and competed in the Los Angeles Golden Gloves competition. He lives in Manhattan Beach with his wife and three children. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, and training and competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu.

• Representing artist Tony Moore in dispute with Robert Kirkman relating to creation and copyright ownership of The Walking Dead
• Representing Endemol in defense of copyright and trademark infringement action relating to Wipeout
• Representing executive producers of The Glass House in defeating an effort by CBS to enjoin the show based on allegations of copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets (see coverage in The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety)
• Representing owner of Scare Tactics in dispute concerning foreign distribution agreements
• Representing talent manager in dispute with partner concerning James Franco commissions (see Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter)
• Representing owners of Spanish TV series El Ministerio del Tiempo in a copyright infringement and idea theft action concerning Timeless (see Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline)
• Representing FTC lawyer and screenwriter in suit over Blacklight writing credits
• Representing Mexican pop star Ana Barbara in suit against Wells Fargo (see CBS Los Angeles, New York Times)
• Representing Beverly Hills, 90210 star Shannen Doherty in dispute with former business manager (see USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter)
• Representing Shannen Doherty in insurance coverage and bad faith action against State Farm (see USA Today, TMZ)
• Representing My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom in suit after a house flipper failed to disclose serious defects in her home (see The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times)
• Representing Progressive Insurance in suit concerning major shopping center fire in American Samoa
• Negotiating film and TV lit manager Britton Rizzio’s departure from former talent management firm to form Curate Management