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Friday and Saturday, March 24 and 25, 2017
Whisky a Go Go
$155,000 in total fundraising

Friday, March 24 Winner: Privileged Communications of Perkins Coie for City of Hope
Friday, March 24 Judges' Choice Award: MSK/Y2K of MSK for Mental Health Advocacy Services

Saturday, March 25 Winner: Attractive Nuisance of Allen Matkins/Buchalter for Ketchum-Downtown YMCA
Saturday, March 25 Judges' Choice Award: Attractive Nuisance of Allen Matkins/Buchalter for Ketchum-Downtown YMCA

What a weekend! We're proud to share that the Sixth Annual Law Rocks Los Angeles was a major success - breaking our record with over $155,000 raised. Huge thanks to our sponsors, the bands, nonprofit guests, the incredible opening bands from Little Kids Rock, the crew at Whisky A Go-Go, our Rock Panel of Judges, emcee extraordinaire, Ted Stryker, and of course the audience!!

Friday night's lineup was amazing! The eclectic mix of bands and musical talent onstage kept the crowd cheering. At the end of the night Privileged Communications of Perkins Coie LLP took home their second straight win, raising over 13K for City of Hope. The Judges' Choice Award went to the final band of the night, MSK/Y2K of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP who rocked the Whisky for Mental Health Advocacy Services!

Saturday seriously rocked. The bands killed it with insane sets, and the audience couldn't get enough! Competition was tight but coming out on top with the overall win AND Judges' Choice was Attractive Nuisance of Allen Matkins and Buchalter who raised over 8K for Ketchum Downtown YMCA!

The event starred legal professionals from:

Click on a band to learn more!

Featured

The Appeals

With talent from Vega & Rivera, LLP; Perez & Caballero, APC; Law Offices of Gladdys Uribe; Law Offices of Carlos Cruz, APC; Gordon Professional Group; Johnston & Hutchinson, LLP
Rocking Friday for Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic

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Attractive Nuisance

With legal talent from Allen Matkins and Buchalter
Rocking Saturday for Ketchum Downtown YMCA

Attractive Nuisance roared onto the Whisky stage for its inaugural Law Rocks! set in 2014. Law Rocks is thrilled that the Nuisance is bringing back its mosh-inspiring sound for 2016, in support of the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA. The Nuisance is: Eric Kennedy, David Ellis, David Iba, Carla Betz, and Chuck Jarrell.

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Big Dicta

With legal talent from Doll Amir & Eley
Rocking Saturday for Walk With Sally

2015 Night One champs and 2016 Judges' Choice Award winners, BIG DICTA, are back and ready to rock! Doll Amir & Eley lawyers, Sunset Strip veterans -- the danger of rocking too hard is indeed present. This year, all amps will be set at 11.5 and more cowbell is guaranteed.

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The Danger Band

Special guests from Capital Rocks with talent from Gerber Kawaski Wealth and Investment Managment
Rocking Friday for The Guardians of the Los Angeles Jewish Home

The Danger Band was formed out of pure inspiration to bring back the art of music in a way that has been long neglected. Pure improvisational blues rock and roll. We want to take people on a musical journey without boundaries.

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Diversion

With legal talent from Latham & Watkins
Rocking Friday for Bet Tzedek

Formed in late 2012 in anticipation of the 2nd Annual Law Rocks LA, Diversion is a band comprised entirely of Latham & Watkins personnel that has played consistently for the past four years since that first show at the Whisky. Throughout the year, the band performs regularly at a variety of clubs throughout Southern California such as the Troubadour, House of Blues, the Viper Room, and Molly Malones, as well as internal Latham events and other gatherings, often raising money for charities. More information about Diversion can be found at www.facebook.com/diversiontheband.

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Down By Law

With legal talent from Reed Smith and Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete; Russ August & Kabat
Rocking Saturday for LACBA Counsel for Justice

As hard-core devotees of the Starland Vocal Band, we first met at the Annual SVB Convention in Dubuque in 2012. Upon realizing that we that we all worked for the same law firm, we spontaneously broke into a 4 and a half-part harmony of “Afternoon Delight.” After that, we knew that we had to form our own band to make awesome music together. Our motto: OBOS!

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Jimmy's Brother

Starring legal professionals from Winston & Strawn and Farella Braun + Martel
Rocking Saturday for Best Friends Society Los Angeles

Jimmy’s Brother is an LA-based rock n’ roll band. No gimmicks, no nonsense. Formed in 2009 after a chance meeting around an old hotel piano in downtown LA, the band is known for its high energy mix of originals and cover songs, late night impromptu concerts at the Omni, and a legendary 45-minute show at Casey’s on the final night of the band’s 2014 “Don’t Make this Weird” tour.

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Matthew Umhofer

With talent from Spertus, Landes & Umhofer
Rocking Friday for Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Since childhood, Matthew Umhofer has dreamed of being on stage. His dream typically takes the form of a nightmare that concludes with Matthew arriving at center stage having forgotten both his pants and his lines, to the aversion and mockery of the onlooking crowd.

Law Rocks has given Matthew the opportunity to live out this dream annually.

This year marks his fifth exercise in rock mediocrity. His past Law Rocks lowlights include forgetting the words to Don't Stop Believin', losing his guitar pick during a chorus of Livin' on a Prayer, and auditory desecrations of venerable classics such as Shake It Off, Gangnam Style, and No Diggity.

He is both thrilled and surprised that the organizers are allowing him anywhere near this esteemed event again this year.

Matthew will abase himself this year for a charity that deserves far better: the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) a powerhouse organization dedicated to promoting the full participation of women in the legal system. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts and reality, Matthew has been as yet unable to secure Ryan Gosling’s commitment to participation in a duet-medley of songs and dances from “WLaLa Land.” Finger crossed, tho.

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MSK/Y2K

With legal talent from Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp
Rocking Friday for Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS)

In 1997, Radiohead released OK Computer, one of the great rock records of all time, steeped in end of millennium paranoia and a distrust of the burgeoning electronic age. Two years later, we all waited with bated breath at midnight on New Year’s Eve, scared that the Y2K bug would bring all of modernity to a grinding halt. It didn’t. Instead, a new optimism took hold, and rock again found its strut, with bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes bringing back garage rock attitude, while Franz Ferdinand just wanted us to dance. A few years later, by 2003, that optimism had cracked under the weight of intervening events, when The Arcade Fire exhorted the masses, “Children, Wake Up!”

After donning full makeup and 80’s gear to bring you Cure, Smiths, and New Order covers last year, in their first Law Rocks appearance, the folks from Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (MSK) will bring you back to the turn of the millennium, playing hits by those bands that came out within a few years of the year 2000 (Y2K) – hence, MSK/Y2K. The band is made up of three attorneys and a paralegal MSK, helped by a couple of friends.

MSK/Y2K will again be playing to support Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS), an organization dedicated to providing free legal services to those with mental health disabilities. It’s a truly inspiring organization, led by a man who has devoted his entire legal career to helping the most vulnerable in our society. They deserve your support.

Please get your dancing (and moping) shoes on, be prepared to sing along, and come out and support MHAS.

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Ocean Park Sound System

Featuring talented legal professionals from Raines Feldman
Rocking Saturday for Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children

Ocean Park Sound System is a soul/funk reggae party. Featuring members of Raines Feldman LLP, Ocean Park Sound System came together out in the surf lineup and create a live groove mix of soul, reggae, funk, surf, and rock. The band plays around town and at fundraisers to keep the soul shakedown going!

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Noise in the Basement

With legal talent from Venable and LexisNexis
Rocking Saturday for Together We Bake

What could be better than winning the 2016 Law Rocks show at the esteemed 930 Club in Washington, DC? How about heeding the sagacious words of Horace Greeley and The Village People, "Go West," and having the chance to play at the iconic Whisky on the stage of our rock idols. Featuring legal professionals from Venable and LexisNexis, Noise in the Basement (when not on a West Coast tour) can be seen around the DC area interpreting hits from the last 40 years in their high energy post-punk styling. Don't worry California, we're from Washington and we're here to help...

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Privileged Communications

Starring legal professionals from Perkins Coie
Rocking Friday for City of Hope

Privileged Communications formed in early 2013 to represent Perkins Coie in the Law Rocks! competition in Hollywood, California against other firms such as Latham & Watkins and DLA Piper. Privileged Communications comprises partner Michael Wise on lead vocals, partner Joe Hamilton on guitar, counsel Lara Dueppen and associate Oliver Gold on keyboards and drums, respectively, and non-Perkins attorney Niall Fordyce on bass. While Privileged Communications does not have any available recordings currently, the group is in contract discussions with several large record labels and expects to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show within the next few years.

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In addition to the band-selected nonprofits below, the Sixth Annual Law Rocks Los Angeles benefited Little Kids Rock, and each night opened with a performance by these amazing young musicians.

Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit that is dedicated to building a world where kids can live rich, purposeful lives by ensuring that all public school children have the opportunity to unlock their inner music makers. Their mission aligns perfectly with ours, and we were proud to have them as a beneficiary.

Featured

Best Friends Society Los Angeles

Best Friends Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. Best Friends is working collaboratively in Los Angeles with animal rescue groups, city shelters and passionate individuals who are all dedicated to the mission of making Los Angeles a no-kill city.

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Bet Tzedek

Bet, Tzedek, The House of Justice, provides free legal assistance to thousands of people who would otherwise be denied access to the legal system underpinning our democracy. Founded in 1974 by a few individuals seeking to act upon a central tenet of Jewish law and tradition “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof — Justice, justice you shall pursue,” Bet Tzedek provides legal assistance to residents of Los Angeles County, regardless of their racial religious or ethnic background. Bet Tzedek’s mission, therefore, is to pursue equal justice for all.

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City of Hope

City of Hope is a leading nonprofit research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

Counsel for Justice brings together law firms, foundations, corporations, donors and volunteers in support of a more just Los Angeles. Together, we stand at the forefront of providing equal access to legal services in our community by raising funds and directly contributing at the frontlines of justice in five key areas: domestic violence, support of our veterans, immigration assistance, AIDS legal services and civic mediation.

The mission of The Guardians of the Los Angeles Jewish Home is to provide financial support for seniors and needy members of the Los Angeles Jewish community who are served by the Los Angeles Jewish Home, through residential and community-based programs.

The mission of Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children is to empower women and their children to move from homelessness to self-sufficiency, through housing, employment and support services offered with dignity and love.

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Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic

The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC) is a community-based collaboration of Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University, Homeboy Industries Inc., and Dolores Mission Church. LIJC’s dual-pronged mission is to advance the rights of the indigent immigrant population in East Los Angeles through direct legal services, education, and community empowerment, while teaching law students effective immigrants’ rights lawyering skills in a real world setting.

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Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS)

Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc. (MHAS) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1977 to provide free legal services to people with mental disabilities. MHAS assists both children and adults, with an emphasis on obtaining government benefits and services, protecting rights, and fighting discrimination.

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Together We Bake

Founded in 2012, Together We Bake is an empowerment based job training program for women in need of a second chance within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Together We Bake’s mission is to provide a comprehensive workforce training and personal development program to help women gain self-confidence, transferable workforce skills, and invaluable hands-on experience which will allow them to find sustainable employment and move toward self-sufficiency.

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Walk With Sally

Walk With Sally is dedicated to providing free mentoring support programs and services to children whose parents, guardians or siblings have cancer or succumbed to cancer.

The Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles ("WLALA") is dedicated to promoting the full participation of women lawyers and judges in the legal profession, maintaining the integrity of our legal system by advocating principles of fairness and equality, improving the status of women in our society including their exercise of equal rights and reproductive choice, and actively working towards the furtherance of these goals through WLALA's committees, sections and activities.

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We were incredibly grateful to have the following esteemed Rock Panel of Judges!

Featured

Stryker - Emcee

Since 1999, Ted Stryker has been a staple at KROQ and millions of Southern Californians are familiar with his voice as the drive-time DJ on The World Famous KROQ weekdays from 2pm to 6pm and his popular “4:20” feature that provides exposure for the best new artists. During his tenure at KROQ, Stryker has interviewed virtually every top rock musician in the world.

Outside of KROQ, Stryker works in front of the camera as a co-host on Red Bull TV during their worldwide broadcasts of popular music festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, etc. as well as hosting shows on AXS TV, MTV, VH1, Fox Sports, Fuse, Direct TV, AMA Red Carpet pre-show, and the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. Stryker has appeared in the movies “Grandma’s Boy”, “Out Cold”, “The Sweetest Thing”, and was part of the incredible ensemble cast in the action/thriller “Sushi Girl”.

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Debbie White

Debbie White, partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP, has decades of music industry experience representing established and developing recording artists, songwriters, producers, managers, record companies, and publishing companies. Her clients include Carly Simon, Duran Duran, Regina Spektor and Stephan Moccio, as well as The Swon Brothers and Melanie Martinez, former contestants of The Voice.

Debbie’s primary emphasis is music negotiation and she regularly negotiates multimillion-dollar recording contracts, as well as publishing, live touring on a worldwide basis, film soundtrack and Broadway cast albums, and merchandising and sponsorship agreements. Artists and bands count on her to expand their interests beyond music through ventures such as book publishing, fragrance and cosmetic licensing agreements, non-scripted television deals, and infomercials.

She also represents a number of major brands and advertising agencies in music-related deals. Her recent experience includes licensing transactions and other agreements for brands such as Bank of America, Casio (G-Shock) and Citibank that involved deals with Eminem, The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Katy Perry and Billy Idol, among others.

Debbie was named to Variety Magazine’s 2014 “New York Women’s Impact Report,” which recognized her as one of the most influential women in New York’s entertainment and media industry. She was one of just three attorneys recognized in the issue, which profiled influential women in the entertainment industry across a variety of disciplines. Debbie is also a member of the Board of Governors for the New York chapter of The Recording Academy.

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Joe Trofino

Joe Trofino is the Associate General Counsel and a senior executive in the Legal Affairs Department at ICM Partners, one of the world’s largest talent and literary agencies with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London, where he focuses on general corporate legal matters including litigation, corporate contracts, regulatory compliance, insurance matters, real estate, employment, business development and legal policy matters. The agency represents creative and technical talent in the fields of motion picture, television, books, music, live performance, branded entertainment, and new media. Recently, Mr. Trofino was involved in ICM Partners’ acquisition of Headline Media Management, whose clients include Savannah Guthrie, Chris Berman, Wolf Blitzer, Mike Golic, Kevin Harlan, Mike Emrick, John Berman, Tom Jackson, Brad Nessler, Keith Hernandez, Brianna Keilar, Ryan Clark, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire, and Meredith Vieira, as ICM Partners expanded the company’s representation of on-air talent to news and sports broadcasters. Mr. Trofino joined ICM Partners in 2008.

Mr. Trofino currently lives in Culver City with his wife, Melissa, and 3 year old son/2032 NHL Draft prospect, Crosby, who (like his dad) enjoys a wide variety of music ranging from Ray Charles to Queen to his most recent favorite, House of Pain.

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Shawn Dailey

Shawn Dailey has been a professional touring and recording musician since the age of 17. Most recently he played bass for Courtney Love / Hole. He has also toured and recorded with several other critically acclaimed rock bands. He currently serves as Executive Director for the Take Me to The River Music Education Initiative, a charity that seeks to inspire a deeper understanding of civil rights, music history, and cross-generational collaboration.

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Todd Sullivan

Todd Sullivan is the VP of Music Supervision and Business Development at proTunes, a tech firm providing innovative search and licensing capabilities to artists, publishers, music supervisors and agencies. His work as a music supervisor for film and television industries was instrumental in the development of proTunes’ MusicLink, which serves as the exclusive music licensing platform for the Omnicom Group.

Prior to joining proTunes, Todd was an A&R executive at Virgin Records and Geffen Records, signing and developing artists like Weezer, Drivin N Cryin’, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ted Hawkins, Jackyl and Sloan, as well as working with artists like Guns N’ Roses. Todd also served as chairperson of the Grammy’s Alternative Music committee for more than ten years. Before his work at major labels, Todd began as a DJ and music director at KCSN and playing in bands in across the Los Angeles indie club scene.

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Brian McDonald

Brian McDonald founded Thump Radio, Inc., in 1999 while in his 2nd year of law school. He served as President of Thump Radio until 2006 - overseeing Thump Radio's growth into the first nationally syndicated radio show specializing in the global underground sound of psytrance, guitar trance, techno, drum'n'bass, and house. In the early 2000s Thump Radio was the first to broadcast weekly 2 hour extended sets by the likes of future superstars such as Infected Mushroom, Bassnectar, Shpongle, S.U.N. Project, and Kaskade on FM stations and continent-wide on XM Satellite Radio. Brian also produced over 150 live events in the Bay Area and LA.

Since leaving Thump Radio, Brian became a new media product specialist working for Fox Interactive Media, Demand Media, and Live Nation. He now works as a consultant to a variety of technology, media and film production companies in the LA area. He recently launched a beta version of his new radio endeavor, Psybiza Radio, exclusively on www.psybiza.com.

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Tony Sauza

Tony Sauza is the Los Angeles Program Director for Little Kids Rock, where he is supporting teachers in developing their programs across the southern California area. Tony has been working with Little Kids Rock since 2007 and is a firm believer in recreational music making and music therapy.

Tony received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Ethnomusicology with a minor in Chicana/o Studies. He received his master’s degree in Afro-Latin Music from California State University Los Angeles in 2012. He has been playing guitar for over 20 years and currently tours nationally as a performer and recording artist with his group, Cuicani. He is an avid supporter of music from around the world and has a deep passion for Afro-Caribbean music.

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Michael J. Rastigue

Insurance industry executive (Jardine Lloyd Thompson)
Business manager for rock band, "Leopold and his Fiction"
Husband, father, step-father, grandpaman, brother, uncle, fly fisherperson, hunter, Cuban-cigar snob
Graduate of Michigan Tech University and Oakland University (MBA)

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Greg Whitney

As a Director of Development at Wilson Meany, Greg is responsible for the design, development, marketing and leasing of the Hollywood Park Retail Center, part of the new Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers football stadium development in Inglewood, CA. Part of Greg’s purview will include brining unique entertainment and music elements to the development to support the new 6,000 seat performance venue at Hollywood Park and add to areas existing focus on music given the success of the neighboring Forum.

Greg has been a long-time music enthusiast. He has played guitar for over 35 years and has been a member in several cover bands that have played from the Southbay to the Sunset Strip on a regular basis over the recent years.

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Braeden Henderson

Braeden Henderson is Little Kids Rock's Teacher Events Manager, helping to bring to fruition hundreds of events for the organization nationwide every year. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A. in ethnomusicology, he went on to teach music in groups at a Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles, and in private lessons to kids and adults in their homes. He is also a veteran of the LA indie music scene, having sung and played guitar/bass in multiple bands over the last decade, including his current project, Fenway. He owns way too much musical equipment, and spends most days annoying his cat and dog with it.

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Winifred Jow

Winifred Jow is a classically trained musician who used to play guitar and vox in a punk rock/alternative band. She was subsequently recruited to work for a major publishing company and has ten years of experience working with music publishing companies of all shapes and sizes. As a result of her transactional experience, she pursued a Juris Doctor degree in law and now works at a full service IP firm in Manhattan Beach, specializing in brand enforcement, trademark infringements, and copyright issues.

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