Mumbai: John Rogovin, former general counsel to the Federal Communications Commission has joined Warner Bros. Entertainment as executive vice president & general counsel; it was announced by Warner Bros chairman & CEO Barry Meyer and president & COO Alan Horn. Rogovin will report directly to Meyer.
As General Counsel for the Studio, Rogovin will oversee an operation staffed with more than 125 lawyers responsible for all of the company’s legal needs, including negotiations, litigation, copyright and trademark, intellectual property and employment law. Rogovin will also serve as an officer of the company, working with Meyer and Horn as well as the other corporate officers to help identify and delineate long-term growth strategies and business plans for Warner Bros.
"We are thrilled to have Rogovin join the company," said Meyer. "He’s well respected and highly regarded in the legal community and has an acute understanding of the intricacies and importance of the ways that media and legal issues are more and more interconnected as we move toward a digital standard. Following John Schulman in this post, he has big—almost legendary—shoes to fill, but I’m confident that he’s more than up to the task and look forward to working closely with him."
"Rogovin is a great addition to the Studio and will help us maintain the crucial balance of show and business that’s so important to what we do," said Horn. "As the legal issues surrounding creativity and production grow more and more complex, it’s great to have a General Counsel with Rogovin’s experience and expertise in our corner."
"I’m very excited to be joining Warner Bros. and thank Meyer and Horn for the opportunity they’ve given me," said Rogovin. "This is a time of extraordinary change and many challenges in the entertainment and communications industries. I look forward to working with the entire legal team at the Studio to not only meet these challenges head on but also help position the company as an innovator and a leader in these areas."
Rogovin joins Warner Bros. following a distinguished career in public service and private practice. He was most recently a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, where he helped build the firm’s communications practice, focusing on federal court litigation, regulatory proceedings and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to that, he served four years (2001-05) as General Counsel for the FCC, providing guidance and advice on key communications issues including the Internet, broadband, convergence and digital rights management. Before that, he was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, focusing on trial court and appellate litigation.
From 1993-96, Rogovin served as a deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice in its Civil Division, supervising a unit comprised of 100 attorneys defending the U.S. in lawsuits challenging the legality of governmental policies, programs and actions. Preceding that, he was an assistant to the attorney general at the DOJ; served as deputy transition counsel on the Clinton-Gore presidential transition; was an associate at O’Melveny & Myers and at Kramer, Levin, Nessen, Kamin & Frankel; and served as a law clerk to The Honorable Laurence H. Silberman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Rogovin holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia University and a J.D. from University of Virginia Law School.
