Mike handles complex disputes and transactions involving contracts, intellectual property, insurance, securities, and constitutional, international, and comparative law—often for clients throughout the entertainment industry, including film, television, music, publishing, fashion, sports, and other performing, literary, and visual arts.
As a leader of Parr Brown’s Entertainment Law practice, Mike represents clients in deals, litigation, and other projects throughout the entertainment industry, including directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, record labels, bands, musicians, composers, publishers, authors, sports leagues, teams, athletes, comedians, radio shows, podcasts, networks, newspapers, painters, sculptors, talent agencies, agents, theaters, dance companies, arts organizations, conventions, concerts, community events, festivals, and many others. He has helped with everything from basic agreements in early stages to major-label recording contracts, hit television shows, best-selling novels, and award-winning films. Mike volunteers his time with numerous local events and arts organizations, founded the Entertainment Law section of the Utah State Bar, and speaks regularly on media and entertainment law issues.
With Parr Brown’s Media and First Amendment group, Mike helps businesses and individuals with defamation, privacy, and access issues under state and federal law. He regularly assists journalists and others seeking access to information from the government through the federal Freedom of Information Act and Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) or Open and Public Meetings Act.
Since first joining Parr Brown, Mike has devoted a significant part of his practice to pro bono work. Through Parr Brown’s Freedom of Information Hotline, he has handled countless public-access cases. With the ACLU and other Parr Brown attorneys, he challenged the constitutionality of Ogden’s “anti-gang injunction,” which the Utah Supreme Court invalidated as a result of their appeal. On behalf of a coalition of media outlets, he helped secure the release of surveillance footage of a fatal shooting during a criminal proceeding in a federal courtroom. And he has helped refugees seek asylum in the United States.
Mike’s accomplishments have been fueled by a tireless work ethic. Prior to joining Parr Brown, he won an award at an international film festival, managed political campaigns, was a licensed stockbroker, backpacked Europe twice, volunteered at a civil-rights organization to help families displaced by hurricanes, and slept at countless truck stops across the country as the singer and guitarist for a touring rock band. During his first two years at Columbia Law School, he was named a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar each year, elected by his peers to several governing bodies, selected for publication by the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, awarded recognition for achievement in international and comparative law, and chosen to join Columbia’s national moot court team in constitutional law. Asked to direct that team in his second year, he led four Columbia teams to sweep first through fourth place nationally, which was unprecedented and remains unmatched. During his third year, he moved to England and earned a Master of Laws from King’s College London with distinction, the school’s highest award.
But Mike is not particularly interested in fancy pieces of paper. He instead enjoys all sorts of movies, books, music, travel, podcasts, and games, whether obsessing over sports analytics or defending his team’s title at “geek trivia” nights around town. In 2013, he started a record label with other professional musicians, and the label’s first release reached #1 on Billboard’s list of independent albums, among other accolades.
Contact info:
DIRECT: 801-257-7983
EMAIL: manderson@parrbrown.com