Attorney Biography

Keith E. Cooper, Esq.

Photo of Keith E. Cooper Keith E. Cooper is an attorney licensed to practice in all courts of the State of California, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. His practice is based in Los Angeles and includes entertainment law, copyright, and trademark, as well as formation of business entities. While a student, he was awarded First Prize in the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Writing Competition in Copyright Law for an article he wrote on the federal Architectural Copyright Act.

Mr. Cooper is a certified mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Courts, California Lawyers for the Arts, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Services, Inc. (and served on its Board of Directors). In addition, he has been an editorial board member of Los Angeles Lawyer magazine, has been a judge for the National Entertainment Law Moot Court, and a panelist for the Kodak/American Pavilion L.A. Intensive for young filmmakers. He is the creator of ProductionCounsel.com.

Before opening his own practice, Mr. Cooper worked in the Intellectual Property department of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation and for a well-known boutique entertainment law firm in Beverly Hills, representing most of the major independent production companies, including Millennium Films, Nu Image, Franchise Films, Phoenician Films, Ministry of Film, GeneraXion Entertainment, Filmtown Entertainment, AMCO Entertainment, Moonstone Entertainment, Fries Entertainment, and many others.

As an attorney, he has drawn on his theater, film, and music education and experience to advise clients on more than 40 films, distributed by such companies as Paramount Pictures, Miramax, HBO, Showtime, Twentieth Century Fox, and others, including . . .

‘BOBBY’ -Golden Globe Best Picture 2007 nominee (directed by Emilio Estevez;
with Anthony Hopkins, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Christian Slater, William H. Macy, Helen Hunt, and Martin Sheen)
‘BETTER LUCK TOMORROW’ (directed by Justin Lin)
‘PROZAC NATION’ (with Cristina Ricci, Anne Heche, Jason Biggs, and Jessica Lange)
‘HOW TO KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR’S DOG’ (with Kenneth Branagh, Robin Wright Penn, and Lynn Redgrave)
‘GUINEVERE’ (with Stephen Rea, Jean Smart, and Sarah Polley)
‘NOBODY’S BABY’ (with Skeet Ulrich and Gary Oldman)
‘FOREVER LULU’ (with Melanie Griffith, Patrick Swayze, and Penelope Ann Miller)

[click on a film name to read more about it]

For a listing of Keith Cooper’s completed films, visit the Internet Movie Database.

Before he became an attorney, Mr. Cooper worked in virtually every creative job in the entertainment business, from writing to lighting; from hair and makeup to cinematography; from sound mixing to acting, singing, and dancing; from arranging music to directing and producing. In addition to his work in entertainment, Mr. Cooper has worked as production manager for the design division of the nation’s largest merchandising company, and worked as a financial officer at a major New York bank.

Mr. Cooper graduated from the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked as a television and print journalist early in his career. While at the University of Missouri, he also earned a separate undergraduate degree in technical theater and acting, won several awards, and was inducted into the Purple Mask dramatics honorary society. He was also contest coordinator for UMC’s nationwide Short Playwriting Contest, and produced productions of the winning plays.

Later, as station manager of WBAU-FM in New York, Mr. Cooper drew on his journalism background to create one of the first all-information stations. After earning a Master’s degree in Theater (with a Directing emphasis) from Adelphi University, Mr. Cooper worked in the New York theater for several years as an actor, dancer, singer, and director, studied composition at The Juilliard School and filmmaking at New York University.

After finishing film school, Mr. Cooper ran the New York office of a major independent motion picture production company, later setting up his own production company. As a motion picture production executive, Keith Cooper worked on a number of theatrical feature films starring such actors as Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Jeremy Irons, Anthony Hopkins, Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken, and James Spader. Films completed during his tenure include . . .

‘A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL’ (written by Alan Ayckbourn, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons)
‘HOMEBOY’ (starring Mickey Rourke and Christopher Walken, with a score by Eric Clapton)
‘THE BLOB’ (starring Kevin Dillon, directed by Chuck Russell)
‘JACK’S BACK’ (starring James Spader and Cynthia Gibb)
‘SONS’ (starring William Forsythe, D.B. Sweeney, Jennifer Beals and the legendary director Sam Fuller)

After several years as a producer, Mr. Cooper decided to make a career change and attended the University of Southern California Law School, one of the nation’s top law schools, from which he graduated in 1998.