Susan Abramovitch

Bio

Susan Abramovitch is one of the world's leading entertainment lawyers. She is a Toronto-based Gowling WLG partner and Head of its Entertainment and Sports Law Group with a practice covering transactions and disputes related to music, film, television, videogames, branded entertainment, sports, esports, live theatre, fine arts, book publishing, multimedia, AI and metaverse/NFTs.

Having been immersed in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years, Susan works with many prominent Canadian and international artists, companies and brands. She applies her unparalleled expertise, connections and passion to protect her clients' interests and get them the best deals possible. Her services cover all areas of entertainment law, including:

  • Drafting and negotiating contracts and agreements
  • Advising on deal terms and structures
  • Assisting in dispute resolution
  • Counselling on international industry standards
  • Managing rights acquisitions

Susan is consistently ranked as a top lawyer by her clients and peers in prestigious national and international directories, including Chambers, Who's Who Legal, Legal 500, Best Lawyers and Lexpert. She received a Lexpert Zenith Award in recognition of her leadership and expertise and was also named one of Toronto's 50 most influential people by Toronto Life magazine.

Susan's past experience includes serving as head of the entertainment group of another large law firm and as founding partner of one of Canada's premier entertainment law boutiques. She also practised in the New York and Paris offices of Debevoise & Plimpton, specializing in international M&A, and at Davis Polk and Milbank in New York. After graduating from McGill University as a gold medallist in both the Civil and National Law programs, Susan clerked for the Honourable Mr. Justice Gérard V. La Forest of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Heavily involved in the legal community as a teacher and mentor, Susan is the program director for Osgoode Hall Law School's Continuing Legal Education Certificate in Entertainment Law and is a former course lecturer in entertainment law at McGill University's Faculty of Law (where she is also a past faculty advisory board member). In addition, she is a frequent lecturer at Osgoode Hall, the faculties of law and music at the University of Toronto and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.

Susan is an honorary/past member of the Board of Governors of the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. Susan is also an executive committee member of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers.

Licensed to practise law in Ontario, Québec and New York, Susan offers legal services in both English and French.
 

Media coverage

Susan's commentary is regularly sought by the media. Her recent coverage includes:

Susan has provided commentary on CBC's The National, CBC News and CTV's National News and Canada AM, as well as in The Globe and Mail, National Post and Billboard Magazine.

She was featured on the cover of Canadian Lawyer's February 2020 issue, in which she was interviewed for a story on "For the love of the (video) game. Canadian law firms are rising to the challenge as the esports industry spreads like wildfire." Susan was also featured on the cover of the April 2012 issue of Lexpert magazine, in which she was interviewed for a story on "New media, new law."

Qualifications

Publications & speaking engagements