Women’s History Month 2025: Women Attorneys Who Champion Copyright
Women’s History Month 2025 is a time to honor, value, and highlight the exceptional achievements of women across diverse fields. The field of copyright law is no exception, where many women have excelled in championing the rights of creators and copyright owners across a wide spectrum of creative disciplines. This year, we spotlight four outstanding women attorneys—Neema Sahni, Nancy Wolff, Susan Kohlmann, and Eleanor M. Lackman—who have made significant contributions to copyright law. All of them are affiliated with law firms that comprise the Copyright Alliance’s Legal Advisory Board (LAB).
Susan Kohlmann
Susan Kohlmann is a partner at Jenner & Block where she co-chairs its Trademark, Advertising and Unfair Competition Practice and its Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Additionally, she’s a member of the firm’s Policy Committee and Pro Bono Committee. Kohlmann is celebrated for her work in Intellectual Property (IP) law and litigation. She has represented major corporations, publishers, and entertainment entities in high-stakes copyright, trademark, and commercial disputes. In 2022, she secured a $100 million trademark infringement victory for ViacomCBS over the MTV reality show Floribama Shore. Kohlmann was also part of the Jenner & Block team that authored our amicus brief in the Supreme Court Case Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith.
Kohlmann’s litigation efforts have helped establish legal precedents that protect authors, musicians, and creative professionals in the evolving digital marketplace. She is also dedicated to pro bono work, advocating for access to justice and helping those unable to afford legal representation.
Kohlmann’s accolades include being named Attorney of the Year by The New York Law Journal in 2022 and receiving the Robert M. Kaufman Memorial Award from The Fund for Modern Courts in 2024. Kohlmann also served as President of the New York City Bar Association from 2022 to 2024, earning acclaim for her leadership.
Eleanor M. Lackman
Eleanor M. Lackman, a partner and Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property group at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, is a leading authority in copyright, media, and entertainment law. She has played a crucial role in shaping legal precedents related to the creation, distribution, and enforcement of creative works, particularly at the intersection of copyright and technology and other dynamic fields. Her clients include major entertainment and sports companies, innovative mid-sized businesses, publishers and agencies, and famous performing artists.
Lackman is frequently involved in high-profile copyright cases, including winning a fair use ruling lauded as “a victory for media reporting,” representing 16 Casa Duse, LLC in a landmark 2015 dispute over film authorship and ownership, and defending Paramount Pictures in a copyright infringement case concerning the depiction of artwork in a film. Lackman also has authored several of our amicus briefs, including those centered on the ABC v. Aereo case, which the Supreme Court decided in favor of the copyright owners, Rimini Street v. Oracle and in UMG v. Grande.
Lackman currently serves as the Copyright Society’s Treasurer and VP of Finance and as a board member for New York’s Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. She is the author of continuously maintained practice guides on copyright and trademark injunctive relief for Practical Law Company, a frequent speaker on IP topics, and a recent recipient of an MBA degree from UCLA with an entertainment certification.
Lackman’s accolades include being named the only lawyer in Band 1 in “Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets” in New York and one of just nine lawyers in the Nationwide category by Chambers & Partners – USA, one of the “Top 250 Women in IP Worldwide” by Managing IP over several years, and one of “Hollywood’s New Leaders” by Variety.
Neema Sahni
Neema Sahni is the co-chair of the Commercial Litigation and Entertainment & Media practices at Covington & Burling, LLP. She is a distinguished attorney recognized for her expertise in media, sports, and entertainment law. Sahni has been involved in complex litigation and advisory matters, including royalty disputes, copyright and trademark infringement, defamation, consumer class actions, and licensing and distribution-related litigation.
Sahni has played a pivotal role in landmark cases involving content distribution rights and intellectual property protections for digital media. She represented major record labels and music publishers in three of the largest copyright cases in history against Internet Service Providers Charter Communications and Bright House Networks. In addition, she has represented major content studios in high-profile IP disputes. Through this and other work, Sahni has helped copyright owners enforce their rights and protect their valuable investments in content creation.
As a sought-after thought leader, Sahni has written for several publications, including a retrospective in Law360 on the Supreme Court’s seminal Jack Daniels trademark decision, and she serves on the Executive & Planning Committees for the University of Southern California’s 2025 Intellectual Property Institute.
Her numerous accolades include recognition in Variety’s Legal Impact Report, The Hollywood Reporter’s Power Lawyers, Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers, Law360’s Rising Stars for Media & Entertainment, and Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers.
Nancy Wolff
Nancy Wolff is a partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, LLP, specializing in intellectual property, media, and entertainment law. She represents a diverse clientele, including photographers, artists, collectors, museums, galleries, and publishers, and serves as counsel to the Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA).
Wolff has made substantial contributions to copyright law, offering legal guidance on content usage, pre-publication reviews, and creative deal structuring. Her work ensures that creators and organizations can navigate legal complexities effectively, safeguarding their intellectual property rights.
Beyond her practice, Wolff has actively engaged in copyright discourse and being a thought leader on cutting-edge copyright law issues. She served as President of the Copyright Society and participated in the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Task Force on Copyright Reform. She also co-edited a book of essays on 21st-century copyright law. On July 24, 2023, representing DMLA, ASMP, NPPA, Graphic Artists Guild, NANPA, and PPA, Wolff testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet as part of its review of the Copyright Act. She outlined the current state of copyright remedies and advocated for the benefits of creating a Copyright Small Claims Court, which would provide individual copyright owners, users’ licensing agents, and content creators with a more accessible and efficient means of resolving copyright issues. Additionally, Wolff authored our amicus briefs in the court cases Sedlik v. Von D, Sony Music Entertainment v. Cox Communications, Inc., Hachette v. Internet Archive, and American Society for Testing and Materials, et al v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc.
Wolff’s accolades include being named to Best Lawyers 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in Trademark Law, The Best Lawyers in America 2021, “Copyright Law, Trademark Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property.” She was ranked in Chambers and Partners USA for Intellectual Property: Trademark & Copyright and was selected to Managing IP’s “Top 250 Women in IP” 2018-19 list.
Celebrating Excellence in Law
This Women’s History Month 2025, we would like to thank all the women attorneys that are part of our LAB and their excellence in championing strong copyright laws and protecting the integrity of those laws in our court systems.
If you aren’t already a member of the Copyright Alliance, you can join today by completing our Individual Creator Members membership form! Members gain access to monthly newsletters, educational webinars, and so much more — all for free!