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We are pleased to announce that on Sept 4th, Governor Newsom signed into law a clean-up bill for AB-5 (known as AB 2257) that was introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (the original sponsor of AB-5 which was previously codified as Labor Code Sec. 2750.3). AB 2257 (which is now codified as Labor CodeSec 2775 – 2787) repeals and replaces AB-5 with new language that among other things recognizes a number of new exemptions to the Dynamex Test. This new clean-up bill takes effect immediately and applies retroactively.

While still recognizing the Dynamex Test in most situations, the clean-up bill now simply returns the long standing Borrello test as the means for determining whether the new specially carved out occupations should be deemed “employees” or “independent contractors” under California law. Among the list of newly recognizes exemptions is an exemption for performers that appear at live venues in California.

In February, Managing Partner David Albert Pierce and our comedian client Stephen Kramer Glickman met with key legislators, including Lorena Gonzalez, the original sponsor of AB-5 about the compelling need for this exemption. In May, David Albert Pierce was granted the ability to be heard before the counsel for the Labor Commissioner as that office was preparing its opinion on this matter.

Read more about the big win on our website here and the original letter we sent to legislation that kicked off our lobbying efforts here!

Congratulations to David Albert Pierce for negotiating and drafting a joint venture agreement on behalf of Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills with the prestigious Le Petit Gran International Pre-School which focuses on immersing nursery school kids with both French & English and until now had no religious affiliation.

The West Hollywood campus of Petit Gran will now be co-branded with Temple of the Arts, its building will be known as the Temple of the Arts campus and Temple members will have a certain guaranteed number of student placement slots available each year for this highly competitive nursery school. In addition, the Temple will create pre-Shabbat programming on Friday afternoons for those children that desire this curriculum.  

Applications for Summer 2021 and Fall 2021 enrollment at the newly renamed pre-school are now being accepted online. 

David Albert Pierce's legal services were performed on a pro bono voluntary basis. Our law firm has also separately provided pro bono legal guidance to Temple of the Arts in regard to the drafting of COVID-19 Protocols for the Temple's employees and congregants to follow.

Pierce Law Group LLP regularly performs pro bono services for a number of charitable causes on behalf of religious, philanthropic and educational endeavors, as well as, providing legal assistance to "starving artists."

The USC Gould School of Law in Conjunction with the Beverly Hills Bar Association will be holding the 61st Annual Institute of Entertainment Law and Business. This year it will be held virtually on October 17th. There will be several panels focusing on cutting edge legal issues. Among the panels is one titled "Counselling Clients in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic" for which David Albert Pierce will serve as Moderator. This is a full day event. For registration & complete syllabus information, click here.

In addition to serving as moderator of this above panel, Pierce Law Group LLP Managing Partner David Albert Pierce serves on the Planning Committee and our Litigation Dept. Head John Baldivia serves on the Syllabus Committee for the Institute on Entertainment Law and Business.

PLG Client, Solstice Studios was the first studio to have a nationwide release in domestic theaters since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film now in theaters is the Russell Crowe road rage thriller titled, ‘Unhinged.’

Pierce Law Group LLP provided certain legal services in relation to this film for which the firm along with David Albert Pierce and Anthony J. Hanna are credited on it.

Want to live out you pandemic rage vicoriously?: Watch the trailer here.

It is with sadness that we announce our client, veteran character actor, Allan Rich passed away on August 22, 2020 at the age of 94. He had been bedridden and physically ailing for much of the past year at the Lillian Booth Actors Home on the east coast. His physical conditions were further complicated due to Alzheimer's. He lived an incredibly rich and meaningful life.

Pierce Law Group LLP had the good fortune of serving as Allan’s entertainment attorney for the last 20 years. He was committed to the craft of acting and served as acting coach for young actors and in 2012 he wrote “A Leap From the Method: An Organic Approach To Acting.” When not guest staring on sitcoms such as “The Nanny” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or stealing scenes via in his memorable supporting character roles in major motion pictures, such as “Quiz Show” and “Amistad,” he would regularly spent Sunday afternoons in the 90s and early 2000s performing his one man show featuring the works of Shakespeare in the back of bookstores, art galleries and micro-theaters. Like a pro basketball player who engages in a weekend pick-up game on a playground, Allan performed his one man act simply for his love of acting.

He was an acclaimed collector and dealer of fine art. When Blacklisted by Hollywood for his involvement as a Freedom Rider, he turned to the world of art to support his family when acting was foreclosed to him. He found an ingenuous way to ingratiate himself with Salvador Dali and through borrowed money commissioned Dali’s “Memories of Surrealism” which consisted of 12 individual original pieces for which he was granted the exclusive right to sell lithograph reproductions during the lean years of the Blacklist. He became quite successful in this second career when Hollywood would not hire him. It was ironic that the man who was labelled a Communist for his refusal to accept racial injustice turned out to be an incredible entrepreneur when he donned a Capitalist hat.

His film career did not recover from the Blacklist until fellow Blacklisted director Sidney Lumet cast Allan as the memorable District Attorney Herman Tauber in the 1973 film Serpico. But, once he returned to acting there was no stopping him. His face was a regular stable in countless character roles on sitcoms and feature films.  

And, Allan was incredibly funny. He was close friends with Buddy Hackett, Dan Akroyd and Fran Drescher. He was part of Milton Berle’s inner circle that regularly held court at the Friars Club in Beverly Hills. He also delivers the set-up for the final punchline in the comedy "The Frisco Kid" staring Harrison Ford and Gene Wilder. Allan was more than a client, he was a dear friend and father figure.   Managing partner David Albert Pierce states, “I will fondly cherish the many pastrami sandwiches and laugh out loud conversations which I shared with Allan.”