by
ROBYN
BECK/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
Southern
California
communities
ravaged
by
life-threatening
wildfires
now
have
a
Biglaw
firm
to
thank
for
coming
to
the
rescue
when
FireAid
—
the
star-studded
benefit
concert
that’s
raised
more
than
$60
million
thus
far
—
hired
them
to
assist
on
a
pro
bono
basis,
just
two
weeks
before
the
event.
Armed
with
a
team
of
six
associates,
Stephen
Fackler,
a
Gibson
Dunn
partner
based
in
Palo
Alto
and
New
York,
volunteered
to
take
the
lead,
advising
on
media
distribution
contracts,
tax
strategy,
and
charity
solicitation
regulations.
The
task,
as
Fackler
explained
to
The
Recorder,
wasn’t
an
easy
one.
Gibson
Dunn’s
team
began
by
identifying
trends
in
state
tax
rules
and
which
states
had
clear-cut
rulings.
This
included
reaching
out
to
attorneys
general
and
secretaries
of
state
across
the
nation,
Fackler
said.
…
FireAid
also
needed
legal
help
to
communicate
with
Ticketmaster
to
lock
out
the
resale
market
for
the
concert
tickets
and
to
negotiate
with
other
ticket
resellers
to
ensure
that
scalpers
didn’t
ruin
the
charitable
initiative,
Fackler
said.
Gibson
Dunn
also
handled
the
review
of
some
media
distribution
agreements
for
the
concert,
which
was
streamed
on
more
than
25
platforms
ranging
from
social
media
to
traditional
streaming
services
and
even
movie
theaters
like
Regal
and
AMC
Theaters.
“The
time
challenge
was
extreme,”
Fackler
told
The
Recorder.
“I
was
reviewing
contracts
as
late
as
…
hours
before
the
concert
started.”
Despite
many
difficulties
involved
with
such
short
timeframe,
Fackler
and
his
team
were
able
to
get
the
job
done
—
and
done
well.
Congratulations
to
Gibson
Dunn,
and
an
even
bigger
congratulations
to
the
many
beneficiaries
of
the
FireAid
concert.
How
Gibson
Dunn
Lawyers
Helped
Assemble
the
LA
FireAid
Benefit
Concert
in
‘Extreme’
Time
Crunch
[The
Recorder]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.