Jenifer C. Wallis is the chair of MWM’s entertainment practice and a member of the intellectual property group. She brings more than 20 years of legal experience to the firm and her unique practice positions her to represent clients in entertainment law, class actions, and business litigation. In entertainment law, Jenifer leads a team of lawyers who represent individuals and entities involved in the entertainment industry, both domestically and internationally, including music, music publishing, theater, commercial and cable television, motion pictures, and more.  She also acts as general counsel to several production companies, negotiating with networks on their behalf, and drafting all necessary talent agreements, location agreements, production schedules, and other legal matters.

In business litigation, Jenifer has represented clients as the lead chair in trade secret, trademark, and copyright infringement lawsuits in state and federal courts. She routinely handles trademark and copyright infringement actions, and she serves as general counsel to large and small companies, advising them on IP portfolios and other matters.

Jenifer received her J.D. from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law where she was on the dean’s list and a member of the Trial and Advocacy Board. She holds an M.P.H. and B.A. in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

  • Counsel defending an auto maker in a putative class action alleging fraud
  • Counsel representing putative class alleging violations of open meetings requirements
  • Serve as general counsel to production company clients, handling all legal matters including business formation, analysis of intellectual property needs and formulating a plan of protection, drafting all necessary agreements including talent agreements, location agreements, production schedules, and negotiating with networks
  • First chair in numerous trade secret, trademark and copyright infringement lawsuits
  • First chair in complicated, multi-case intellectual property litigation involving coordination with state and federal cases
  • First chair in matters before TTAB and filings with USPTO and Copyright Office
  • Serve as general counsel to a number of large and small companies, advising on and managing intellectual property portfolios, marketing, and distribution
  • Handle trademark and copyright applications – from all phases of inception of a copyright/trademark, clearing of potential copyrights and trademarks, advising on potential copyrights and trademarks, walking copyrights and trademarks through the registration process, and maintenance of copyrights and trademarks once registered
  • Maintain clients’ intellectual property portfolios, including large retail and fashion clients – review and assess potential infringing third-party activities, send cease and desist letters and proceed with litigation as necessary
  • Draft and negotiate all contracts for corporate clients including marketing, distribution, licensing, and all business contracts
  • Develop and present training sessions to large corporate clients on best practices to avoid intellectual property infringement actions as necessary

Press Releases

MWM Partner Jenifer Wallis Named Chair of the Entertainment Practice

Bringing more than 15 years of legal experience, Wallis represents clients in a wide variety of business litigation and entertainment matters.  In business litigation, she has represented clients as the lead chair in trade secret, trademark, and copyright infringement lawsuits in state and federal courts.  She routinely handles trademark and copyright infringement actions, and she

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Press Releases

Jenifer Wallis has been selected as a 2020 Top Women Attorney by the Los Angeles Business Journal

Wallis brings more than 14 years of legal experience, representing clients in intellectual property, complex litigation, and entertainment.   In business litigation, Wallis represents clients as the lead chair in trade secret, trademark, and copyright infringement lawsuits in state and federal courts.  She routinely handles trademark and copyright infringement actions, and she serves as general counsel

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Press Releases

Munck Wilson Mandala Welcomes New LA Partner Jenifer Wallis

“We were extremely impressed with Jenifer’s experience in intellectual property, complex litigation and entertainment,” said MWM’s managing partner William A. Munck.  “She is a perfect fit for the projected expansion of our firm in LA and she will complement the work of our managing partner Gary Hecker.” “I am looking forward to working with Jenifer,”

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Client Alerts

Severe Implications of Willful Infringement and the Importance of Obtaining Licenses

In the case of Scott Hargis v. Pacifica Senior Management LLC, an architectural photographer, Scott Hargis, alleged that a senior living management company “reproduced, distributed, and publicly displayed” Hargis’s photos on its website for commercial purposes without a license.i Specifically, Hargis alleged that the company willfully infringed because it is “it is a sophisticated for-profit

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Client Alerts

Right of Publicity: Impact of Proposed Federal AI Bills

Talent and their representatives are no strangers to the legal issues surrounding protecting name, image, likeness, voice, and other identifiable elements of a public-facing person. Half of U.S. states have statutes protecting an individual’s right of publicity, and more have some type of common law protection over such a right, such as a common law

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Client Alerts

Current AI Issues in the Entertainment Space

Artificial intelligence (“AI”) is on everyone’s mind in the entertainment industry as it continues to make headlines in areas including music and performing artists’ rights. In June, the Recording Industry Association of America (“RIAA”) filed twin lawsuits against AI music generators Suno AI and Uncharted Labs, Inc. on behalf of Sony, Universal and Warner Brothers[1]

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Client Alerts

AI Likeness Protections Legislative Update

While AI presents extraordinary opportunities for technological advancement, it also raises real concerns over protecting intellectual property like copyrights and an individual’s name, image, and likeness. Perhaps the most well-known example of the dangers of AI are those false, AI-generated images of the most famous person in the world, Taylor Swift. In 2024 alone she

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Client Alerts

Copyright News as We Begin 2025

Woodall v. The Walt Disney Company Disney, renowned for adapting classic public domain stories such as The Jungle Book and Cinderella, is currently facing a significant legal challenge alongside its financial success from the Moana franchise, which has surpassed $1 billion in global box office sales. Buck G. Woodall v. The Walt Disney Company, et

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Client Alerts

Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence: A Landmark Case on AI Training and Copyright

By Jenifer C. Wallis On February 11, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware delivered a significant ruling in the case of Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence Inc.[1], favoring Thomson Reuters and setting a precedent regarding the use of copyrighted works in training AI models. The court determined that

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Client Alerts

Update on Woodall v. The Walt Disney Company – Disney Victorious in Copyright Suit

By Jenifer Wallis We previously covered the cases of Buck G. Woodall v. The Walt Disney Co., et al., case number 2:20-cv-03772 (“Woodall I”) and Buck G. Woodall v. The Walt Disney Co., et al., case number 2:25-cv-00273 (“Woodall II”), both pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. In those copyright

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Client Alerts

The Copyright Office Weighs in on Use of Copyrighted Material in Generative AI Training

By Jenifer Wallis A number of industries focused on AI, most notably the legal, entertainment, and tech industries, have been waiting with bated breath on the US Copyright Office to issue guidance on one very important question: is the use of copyrighted material in generative artificial intelligence training fair use? Well, the US Copyright Office

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Samford University Cumberland School of Law, JD, 2005

Dean's List

Trial and Advocacy Board, member

University of Alabama at Birmingham, MPH, 2005

University of Alabama at Birmingham, BA, 2002

English

  • Chief, Founding Member – LA Chapter, 2019-Present
  • Provisors LA, Member, 2019-Present
  • Board of Directors, Charlie’s Acres, 2021

 

  • Entertainment Business Visionary
    Los Angeles Times, 2025
  • Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys
    Los Angeles Business Journal, 2022-2023
  • Women of Influence: Attorneys
    Los Angeles Business Journal, 2022-2023
  • Southern California Rising Stars
    Thomson Reuters, 2021-2022
  • Top Women Attorneys
    Los Angeles Business Journal, 2020

California, 2015

Alabama, 2005

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California