The Century City Bar Association has selected Miller Barondess partner Sasha Frid as “Music Lawyer of the Year.” Awards were presented to all Lawyer of the Year honorees at the CCBA’s 55th Annual Installation Banquet and Awards Ceremony held on September 14, 2023, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, Century City.
Sasha is head of the firm’s entertainment practice and is recognized among the top litigators in Los Angeles. He is also a member of the Recording Academy® and a voting member of the GRAMMY Awards.
Sasha has tried and won cases before juries and arbitration panels in California and around the country, often under intense media scrutiny. His successes have earned him a spot on Billboard’s list of “Top Music Lawyers” since 2018 and Variety’s list of top entertainment lawyers. He was named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s list of “Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys 2023.”
Sasha’s industry clients include entertainers, artists, labels, and music managers. On August 14, 2023, he won a jury defense verdict representing Motown legend Smokey Robinson against a former manager who sued the singer/songwriter for breach of contract over commissions. The jury rejected plaintiff’s entire claim on touring commissions worth approximately $2 million. Sasha has represented heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for over 15 years, including a recent much-publicized lawsuit against former guitarist Mick Mars. He successfully resolved a long-standing dispute on behalf of the Backstreet Boys, against a Chinese concert promoter over performances in 2015 in China; and he settled a lawsuit for the founder/principal member of rock band Journey against former band members over rights to the Journey name.
Sasha’s recent trial victories include a jury defense verdict after a week-long federal trial representing Virtual Sonics (a cutting-edge music technology company that develops high-end digital music instruments used in films, video games, and other mediums) against former investors who sought millions of dollars in compensation. The jury returned a defense verdict in less than an hour.
In addition to entertainment law, Sasha handles litigation involving business and partnership disputes, real estate, copyright, trademark, right of publicity, trade secret, idea theft, and insurance bad faith. He serves on a charitable foundation raising money for cancer research and on the Board of a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces chapter. He has previously served on the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation’s Board of Directors, which educates underprivileged youth.
Sasha received his J.D. (2001) from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Irvine, as the “Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student,” receiving degrees in Political Science and Criminology, Law & Society.