David Shraga is a mediator specializing in entertainment, media & intellectual property matters, with additional expertise in complex business litigation, real estate and employment. With his uncommon background as a litigator, studio executive and dealmaker, David understands both sophisticated litigation and how business actually functions. As a mediator he uniquely combines this expertise to craft practical settlements of complex and emotionally charged disputes across industries.
David’s rare experience and insight as a neutral grows out of the expertise he developed working on all sides of the Hollywood ecosystem for over 20 years. For the first dozen years of his career he was a trial lawyer specializing in cases involving A-list celebrities, entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies, and nine figure bet-the-company cases against AMLAW 100 firms in various courts and arbitral forums. He then pivoted and for the next decade worked in-house as a studio executive, where he advised CEOs, the general counsel, studio presidents and senior leadership, while negotiating with the top agents, lawyers, and SVOD/media companies in the industry. He has also has handled all aspects of real estate litigation on behalf of luxury hoteliers, property managers, receivers and others, in addition to employment and consumer matters in individual and class action claims.
His roles have included SVP and Head of Global Television Business & Legal Affairs at Miramax, VP of Business Affairs for NBC’s International Television Studio, and Senior Counsel for Universal Pictures (film). He trained at Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP as a Senior Associate, founded his own firm KSW LLP, and was Of Counsel to Iaffaldano Shaw & Young
LLP. David was on the Law Review while at the USC Gould School of Law, externed for the Hon. Dean D. Pregerson (C.D. of Cal.) and received his BA from Yale.
David is the proud father of two young rascals, an avid cyclist, a student of the Stoic philosophers, and loves spending time with his family in their garden.