Lauren Eber, vice president and senior antitrust and litigation counsel at Warner Bros. Discovery, joins Podcasts contributor Olivia Miller to discuss her career in entertainment law and advice she has for UCLA students.

Olivia Miller: I’m Olivia Miller, a Podcasts contributor at the Daily Bruin. Today, we have the privilege of speaking with a true powerhouse in the legal world. Someone who has taken their UCLA education and transformed it into an extraordinary career. Our guest is Lauren Eber, vice president and senior antitrust and litigation counsel at the global media giant Warner Brothers Discovery. Before we get into your career, what is your education path?

Lauren Eber: Yeah, so I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in Marin County and moved to Los Angeles to come to UCLA for undergrad. And I was at UCLA in the college honors program, which I really enjoyed. I got a lot out of it. And I started out actually as an undeclared life science major. But that didn’t take too, or last too long. I loved the chemistry class that I took, but once I started getting into life science, it was – I realized it was way too much memorization for me, and I was on the wrong side of campus. I tried – I thought maybe I would do a business major, tried some of those classes, tried a little of everything and then landed on communications. And once I found communications, that was it for me. I loved the communications major. And I was very enthusiastic taking classes all over the place. I always would have like a two-unit dance class or something interesting like that. I took Flamenco and ballet and I took a botany class that had me working in the UCLA Botanical Gardens doing plant restoration and plant care that was one of the most fun classes I took in college. And so I really enjoyed – got everything out of my college experience. And in part, because of that, I wound up sticking around for two extra quarters. An incredible internship with state senator John Vasconcellos in Sacramento one summer, and then I had an internship with Nancy Pelosi in Washington, D.C., one summer. And then that last quarter before I graduated I got an internship with the mayor of Los Angeles at the time, James Hahn, in scheduling and wound up sticking around and getting hired on full time, did that for about a year, and while I was doing that I studied for the LSAT and applied to law school and went to our crosstown rival USC for law school. But don’t worry, I never rooted for any of their sports, even though USC won the national championship and football all three years that I was there I rooted for the Bruins the entire time.

OM: So, how was it at USC?

LE: I loved law school – it was very hard I definitely had to really focus – do all my homework, do all my reading, studied harder than I ever had before, but I really enjoyed law school. I had some incredible professors. My con law professor was Erwin Chemerinsky, who now is the dean of Berkeley Law School. My wonderful civil procedure professor also wound up being my note advisor when I wrote a student note on Law Review. That was Elizabeth Garrett, who sadly passed away at a young age f rom cancer. But she was really a brilliant mind. I took as many classes as I could from wonderful professor Jody Armour, who he taught torts and I took some classes about race and the law from him. So I really loved law school. I thought it was very interesting. And I also – I loved my time at UCLA as well. I had so many wonderful professors and really just loved being a student – it was a great time of life.

OM: Yeah, for sure. I’m definitely enjoying it now – it’s amazing. And then right after you graduated law school, you started working at Gibson?

LE: Yes, so in law school – you know if you – you have the option to follow a pretty set path. Of course, there are a lot of ways of deviating from that path, but the sort of path of least resistance is that you get some kind of job your first-year summer and then your second-year summer you go and work for a law firm. You get that job through on-campus interviewing process and then ideally you would get an offer at the end of that 2L summer, and then you would start working there after you graduate from law school. So that’s exactly what I did. I just sort of followed the standard path. I didn’t necessarily expect to do that. I went in having done all of these political internships and thinking that I maybe would pursue some kind of a career in public policy. But my first summer I did an externship, which is basically like an internship, but you don’t get school credit – for a federal judge, Judge Ronald Lew in the Central District of California, and it was fascinating. I really loved it. We had a big Hell’s Angels drug trial while I was there that was very dramatic. And I learned a lot about the legal system and its sort of justices and injustices that are baked in – it was really fascinating. I got exposed to a lot of different types of law and that kind of shifted my thinking about my career goals, and through that experience, I actually made the decision that I wanted to try going to a big firm after law school. So when I went back at the start of my second year, went through the on-campus interviewing process and decided to spend my 2L summer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. I had a really wonderful summer. I’m still very close friends with many of the people who were in my summer class and loved the attorneys that I worked with, worked on super interesting cases, was fortunate to get an offer at the end of my summer and then started working there after graduation and I was there for over nine years as an associate.

OM: Wow that’s awesome. Wow. And then from there, you went to Warner Brothers.

LE: Yes that is right. So I was at Gibson Dunn really enjoying what I was doing, planning on sort of working up the ladder, making – you know, working towards making partner, building up my practice. And I was doing a mix of complex commercial litigation, business litigation, and antitrust litigation, some securities, class action – a little of everything, but really getting great experience, getting trial experience and in court and taking depositions and doing all of the substantive work. It wasn’t – some people describe experiences at big law firms sort of just being stuck doing years of document review or boring things like that. And that really was never my experience. I got to work on all different phases of litigation matters and really was hands-on. And I had a fantastic experience. And so I was focused on doing that. I – at the time, I had two kids. I had kids when I was – I now have three, but I had kids when I was a fourth year and a sixth year at the law firm. And then so they were like two and four at the time when I sort of got a phone call out of the blue from a friend saying that Warner Brothers was looking for an in-house litigator and they needed someone with antitrust experience because the company’s antitrust lawyer of 20-something years was retiring and would I be interested in applying for the job? And I at the time was not looking to leave the firm but it sounded like one of those opportunities that was too good to pass up. So I figured I would check it out. I went in for interviews, I found out more about the job, I met everyone and it just seemed like such a wonderful opportunity and – and fortunately they – you know they thought I was the right fit for the position, and it worked out. So I came over, that was in 2015, and I have been at Warner Brothers through its various corporate iterations – we’re now Warner Brothers Discovery ever since.

OM: Wow, that’s amazing. And now that you’re at Warner Brothers, what are your current roles and responsibilities as an entertainment lawyer and what type of legal matters do you typically handle?

LE: Yes, so I am in the litigation group. So we handle all kinds of – whatever kind of litigation comes towards the company, you know, we’re a big, big company. So we have every kind of legal issue you could imagine that would sort of typically come to a big company. It’s not just the kinds of things that you would typically think of as entertainment. So that’s everything from personal injury matters that occasionally arise on set or on our premises to class actions, profit participation, breach of contract issues. And then we of course have a ton of IP kind of claims, copyright claims, either where we’re enforcing our copyrights or people accuse us of copyright infringement. It’s really the whole gamut. We have patent litigation, bankruptcy issues. I handle most of the tax litigation that the company faces for audited. And then a big chunk of what I do is advice and counsel. So that means helping avoid litigation in the first place. So talking to my colleagues in the business to help resolve disputes before they turn into litigation. So whether that’s a dispute with a licensee who is distributing our content in the US or internationally. A lot of the work that I handle is international. We distribute our content all over the world, so issues crop up around the world as well. So I do a lot of that. And then I also have a role as anti-trust counsel for the company, so I provide anti-trust advice – and the anti-trust laws are that’s the competition laws that govern companies competing fairly. And so I provide some training around that. I, you know, when questions come up about, is this provision in the contract okay? I give advice about that sort of thing. And then I also do antitrust work on transactions. So if we’re involved in a merger or some other kind of corporate activity that requires antitrust review by a regulator, I would help with that as well.

OM: That’s awesome. So you’re talking about a lot of the stuff you do. What’s an example of a case that you’ve worked on that’s been memorable to you?

LE: Okay, so one that I can talk about because it was public is I worked on a case related to a company called VidAngel where we were co-counsel with Disney, and it was a company that was buying a bunch of DVDs using illegal software to rip the content and put it online and then let people rent it for a dollar and censoring and using the VidAngel filtering technology that allowed people to sort of filter out nudity or bad words or violence, things like that, under a law called the Family Movie Act. And we didn’t take issue with the filtering activity, we took issue with the ripping the discs and streaming the content without a license. And so we, along with Disney, filed a lawsuit in federal court to enforce our copyright, and we were successful.

OM: Wow. How long ago was that?

LE: I don’t remember exactly when it was, but it was a few years ago now.

OM: From your perspective, what are some of the biggest trends and challenges currently facing the entertainment industry, and how has you and your team adapted to these challenges and changes?

LE: Yeah, I think that probably the biggest challenge or trend that’s facing the entertainment industry right now is the rise of streaming and figuring out how to make that business model work, how to make the experience one that’s enjoyable for the consumer. And, you know, just, it’s a huge change, obviously, technologically, and for consumers to be enjoying content at home. And so, you know, from the perspective of what I do in my role, you know, we handle sort of the fallout from it. So as litigation issues arise or regulatory issues arise, that’s what we’re doing. So we’re responding, we’re helping the business move forward in a way that is responsible and appropriate and also in line with business objectives. And so, you know, I think like every company in the entertainment industry, we’re just sort of adapting to these changes. And it’s definitely an exciting time and one that’s involving a lot of disruption, change, quick response, and a lot of creativity as well as creators get to sort of experiment. I think one of the most exciting things that’s come out of the shift to streaming is the much more flexibility in terms of show formats. So instead of like the typical TV, you know, 23 30-minute episodes or 23-minute episodes because of allowing for commercials, now you can have an eight-episode series. And if one episode is 56 minutes and another episode is, you know, 62 minutes, you can do that. So there’s a lot of creative freedom in that way. So it’s a very cool time creatively, I think.

OM: Wow. So when you started working with Warner Brothers, there was definitely different legal matters you had to deal with. So for example, you know, just more of the recent rise of streaming, What are some other things that have evolved over your time just working in general in the entertainment industry?

LE: Yeah, well, you know, when I started working at the company, we were Time Warner, and within about a year and a half of my coming we were acquired by AT&T so that was a big change. I worked on that – that deal and then sometime later after that was closed that deal AT&T spun the old Time Warner off and we merged with Discovery. So now the current iteration of the company is Warner Brothers Discovery. And so just going through that series of mergers and acquisitions was definitely a big change. And you know that kind of thing is happening a lot in the industry. MGM is now part of Amazon, Fox is now merged with Disney, Paramount is going through a potential acquisition right now. So that’s sort of the – the way that things have been going in the industry and I think we’re going to continue to see more of that potentially among different companies over the next period of years.

OM: I heard a lot of music lawyers talk about being in-house too or being in-house with the producers and things like that. Do you ever go on sets?

LE: I – I work on the Warner Brothers lot, which is really wonderful. So I definitely see a lot of production activity happening around me. And on occasion, I do have to go to set or go see physical premises of something or other. But most of what I do is more happening in an office. But, you know, but not always. There are certainly times when I’m going out and looking at some sort of physical premises. But for the most part, entertainment law is business law, where the company that you work for happens to be an entertainment company. So it’s a lot having to do with contracts and agreements and intellectual property and things where you’re not necessarily looking at physical premises.

OM: Okay. And I wanted to move on because you mentioned earlier that you have three kids and you have such an amazing job. So practicing this job and law in entertainment – it’s demanding. How would you maintain, or how do you maintain it? How would you recommend others maintain that healthy work-life balance and what advice do you have? I mean I know you were talking about the van life, which is super cool. So yeah, just more on that.

LE: Yeah. So yes, I have three kids. They range in age from the oldest is 13 and the youngest just turned 1. So I had two kids kind of close together – 13 and 11 and then at a big break and realized that I wasn’t ready for them to be growing up so fast and that I wanted to have one more so was fortunate that we were able to do that. But you know the thing about work-life balance is that you’re not – every day is not going to be balanced. You’re going to have a lot of days that are unbalanced in one direction or another, okay? And you have to think about – what are all of the things that you care about in your life? I care about my relationship with my partner – my husband. I care about my relationships with my kids. I care about doing a good job at work. I care about the boards that I am on – the board of, the non-profit organizations that I’m on the board of. And then I also have some hobbies or you know things that I like to do that aren’t you know work or family related, although I do them with my family, but like you mentioned, van life. We have a camper van. I love camping, being outside. I also like some crafts. I knit, things like that. So you sort of think about what are all of the things that are important to you in your life and how are you going to make time for them, and you’re not going to have time to do an A plus job on all of those things every day. But you try to structure your life in a way that over the long run, over the course of maybe a week, maybe a month, maybe a year, you are taking enough care of yourself and putting enough into the things that you really care about that it’s – that it’s all working. And if you are finding that not in a short period of time but over the long run you’re not able to do that then you probably need to make some changes somewhere so that things are feeling workable to you because there’s no one right way. Everybody has their own internal gauge of what feels right, what feels balanced to them. And so you have to listen to yourself and be willing to make whatever the necessary adjustments are, but you definitely have to think about balance over the long haul, not immediate balance. I know that some days I might disappoint my kids because I’m not going to get home as early as they want me to or I’m not going to get to, you know, the baseball game that I was hoping to get to see or take them to the doctor’s appointment. But the next week I will get to do those things and we’ll – or I’ll pick them up early from school one day and we’ll go and have a really special day together and – the same thing on the work side – like some days you’re gonna – sometimes you’re gonna take vacation and, and some days you’re gonna have to leave early to take the kid to the doctor’s appointment. And then other times you’re going to have to work a really, really long day or have a really, really busy week or come in on the weekend in order to get all your work done and do a great job. So, you know, I think it’s just a matter of figuring out what’s important to you and then being very intentional about allocating your time to the things that you care about.

OM: That’s refreshing to hear because I feel like sometimes, I mean, I often put a lot of pressure on myself – I need to do this amount of time, of studying this, for this amount of time, for this day, and then I won’t get to it. And it’s just a good reminder to look at the bigger picture of things instead of just focusing – I didn’t do this today, I didn’t do that. You know, you could do it tomorrow. Just because you don’t do it one time doesn’t mean, you know, you’re not going to get what you want. Things do work themselves out.

LE: Yes. It’s not always going to be perfect. You’re going to disappoint people sometimes. Sometimes that person is going to be yourself. But you just pick yourself back up. You know, the goal is not perfect. The goal is doing your best. And, you know, we’re all human, but you want to try to have a fulfilling life. And I actually have a quote from Rumi on my wall that says, “Seek the path that demands your whole being.” And for me, that means, we are all multifaceted people. We’re not just one-dimensional. And for me, that means engaging myself in all of the different types of things that are fulfilling. And to me, that’s family, that’s work, that’s social justice, trying to make the world a better place, it’s being in nature. And if I’m investing in those things and trying to not waste time on distractions that aren’t fulfilling those things that are, you know, part of what makes me feel complete, then usually things work out pretty well over the long run.

OM: Wow, nice. And last question, what advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing a career in entertainment law? And what are some key skills and qualities that would be important to succeed in this field?

LE: Yeah, so I think that for someone who wants to go into entertainment law, the first thing that you have to focus on is becoming a good lawyer. And then you can get to the entertainment part next. There are very few entertainment companies that are hiring people straight out of law school. You’re probably going to have to spend some time at a law firm first. That could be in an entertainment practice area, but it doesn’t have to be. So what I would say is figure out what you’re good at and whatever that is, do that and get really good at it. And if it’s tax law or it’s employment law or it’s litigation or it’s mergers and acquisitions or you know IP licensing. Like whatever it is, entertainment companies are like – they’re full-service companies they do a whole big range of things and if you are really good at tax law then you could be a tax lawyer at an entertainment company and then you’re an entertainment lawyer. So there are just a lot of different ways to be a quote entertainment lawyer. You don’t have to think narrowly that it means that you’re doing talent agreements or whatever the thing is. So I would say focus on becoming a great lawyer and then once you’ve got that under your belt, you kind of know what you like doing and you’ve become good at it, then you can try to pivot whether it’s at a law firm or by going in-house to having your clients be in the entertainment business. That could be by being at an entertainment boutique law firm or being in the entertainment practice group at a bigger law firm or it could mean going in-house at a music company or a talent agency or a studio or something like that.

OM: Thank you so much for joining “Bruin to Bruin.” Do you have anything else that you’d like to say, anything closing?

LE: Go Bruins!

OM: Yeah, go Bruins, let’s go!

LE: I’m so happy to be here, happy to have a chance to talk to fellow Bruins out there and wishing everybody a very successful quarter.

OM: Thank you so much. “Bruin to Bruin” is brought to you by Daily Bruin Podcasts. You can listen to this show and all Daily Bruin Podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud. And the audio transcript is available at DailyBruin.com. I’m Olivia Miller. Thank you for listening.