Ex-Clerk Was Reluctant to Tell Scalia She Went into Entertainment Law
Tara Kole graduated from Harvard Law and went on to clerk for the 9th Circuit’s Alex Kozinski and then U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia—but she didn’t expect those creds to necessarily help her break into entertainment law.
“Entertainment boutiques just don’t hire new lawyers,” Kole told Bitter Lawyer.
But Kozinski introduced her to Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown’s Bruce Ramer, and future meetings soon enough led to a job for Kole, who at 32 is now a partner at the 15-lawyer firm.
“I think it helped that [Ramer] had an interest in politics and the Supreme Court,” Kole told Bitter Lawyer.
Kole is one of three lawyers on the Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen 2009 list of 35 top entertainment executives ages 35 and under. Kole has represented the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and been involved in deals with longtime firm clients like Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg, according to the reporter But despite her successes, she hasn’t rushed to update Scalia on her career path.
“I didn’t tell him for a good year or two because I didn’t know how to break the news,” Kole told the Hollywood Reporter. She told the Reporter she finally caught up with Scalia at a recent clerks reunion.
“I finally told him and he said, ‘So, who do you represent?’ I thought about it and said, ‘Clint Eastwood,’ and he said, ‘Oh. That’s good.’ “
The other two lawyers on the Reporter’s list are Jonathan Golfman, senior director of business/legal affairs at Media Rights Capital, and Julian Zajfen, an associate at Ziffren Brittenham.
