Bert Deixler

Practice Areas

Counsel, Media & Entertainment Litigation

Career

In his more than 40-year career as an attorney and commercial litigator, Bert H. Deixler has tried scores of cases to verdict, litigated cases involving more than 25 reported decisions, and prevailed in appearances before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark case of Johnson v. California, which ruled unconstitutional the forced racial segregation of California’s prison system. For his work on that case, California Lawyer magazine awarded him the prestigious California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award.

Mr. Deixler is widely known for his entertainment, media, and intellectual property experience. He has litigated on behalf of individuals and entities in a wide array of industries, including motion pictures, television, music, and new technologies. Mr. Deixler advises and resolves disputes pertaining to copyright, trademark, digital downloading, libel, and rights of privacy matters, as well as the full range of business torts claims. His clients include prominent artists in music, TV, and new media, as well as motion picture and TV studios, broadcast networks, and production and distribution companies.

A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division, Mr. Deixler represents individual and corporate clients in criminal, quasi-criminal, regulatory, and parallel proceedings litigation. This includes white-collar crime allegations, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) actions involving tax fraud, insider trading, backdating options, wire and mail fraud, internal investigations, and other investigations and proceedings.

He represents clients in a wide array of other commercial disputes, including wrongful termination and post-termination compensation entitlement disputes and allegations of professional malpractice. He is frequently called upon to advise professionals and Boards of Directors in disputes pertaining to duties, departures, and responsibilities.

In addition to his experience in commercial and media litigation, Mr. Deixler has a deep commitment to public service, including the fair administration of justice in California. He has served as a member or as counsel to numerous reform commissions including the Los Angeles Ethics Commission (Cowan Commission), the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission), the Rampart Independent Review Panel and the Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence. He has testified before the California Senate on constitutional issues related to racial segregation in prisons.

Mr. Deixler played a founding role in establishing the Pro Se Clinic of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, an initiative to promote access to civil justice in conjunction with Public Counsel and the Judges of the District. He has also participated in initiating a pilot program in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California that permits limited representation by attorneys of pro se litigants in pending Central District cases.