Kelli L. Sager

Kelli Sager has more than 35 years of experience representing all kinds of media/entertainment companies, including web publishers, broadcasters, filmmakers, newspapers, and book publishers. She consistently has been recognized as one of the top First Amendment attorneys in the country: among other accolades, Chambers USA has ranked her for over 10 consecutive years in its top tier of media attorneys in the U.S.; she has been one of Lawdragon's 500 Leading Lawyers in America since 2005, and she regularly is included in the Los Angeles Daily Journal's lists of top lawyers in California. In 2019, Kelli received the "Excellence in Advocacy" award from the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the first woman to receive that honor. Kelli has argued dozens of times in federal and state appellate courts, including many times in the California Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. She has served in leadership roles in virtually every media-related bar association and nonprofit, including chairing the ABA Forum on Communications Law, the IBA's Media Committee, and the Media Law Resource Center Defense Counsel Section.

Practice Highlights

• Has appeared numerous times before the California Supreme Court and the California Courts of Appeal, and before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, including such cases as Rall v. Tribune 365 LLC, Maloney v. T3 Media, Brown v. Electronic Arts and Keller v. Electronic Arts, NBC Subsidiary v. Superior Court, Shulman v. CBS, California Comm'n on Peace Officer Standards and Training v. Superior Court, Burkle v. Burkle, ALADS v. Los Angeles Times, and Thomas v. Los Angeles Times.
• Regularly represents media outlets requesting access to records and proceedings in high-profile trials, including the trials of O.J. Simpson, Ermias Asghedom (aka "Nipsey Hussle"), Phil Spector, Winona Ryder, Anthony Pellicano, Robert Blake, and others.