Mathew Rosengart, Co-Chair of the National Media & Entertainment Litigation Group and recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent litigators, has been described as a “heavyweight attorney” by Law360, a “powerhouse lawyer” and “legend” by ABC, a “heavy-hitting trial lawyer” by The Legal 500, and “Hollywood’s King of Litigators” by Variety. Described by his long-time client Sean Penn as a “tough as nails streetfighter with a big brain and bigger principles,” Mathew is a former federal prosecutor, previously serving as a Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney and Justice Department Trial Attorney. A member of Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Executive Committee, Mathew has been recognized as a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year and one of the Top 100 lawyers in the State by the Daily Journal; a “Trailblazer” (twice) by The National Law Journal; Lawyer of the Year by Above the Law; Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer; Lawyer of the Week by Original Jurisdiction; a Top 100 Lawyer and LA500 Visionary Leader by the Los Angeles Business Journal; a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation; and a Leader of Influence and Top Litigator & Trial Attorney by the LA Business Journal, which honors “masters of their craft” who “go to the proverbial mat to fight for their clients.” The issue recognized Mathew as “one of the most influential litigators” in Los Angeles and a “go to litigator for Hollywood’s elite and Corporate America” who is “one of the nation’s preeminent litigators.” He was named “Entertainment Litigator of the Year” at the 2025 and 2024 Benchmark Litigation US awards, recognizing “the country’s most distinguished litigators and their firms for their exemplary work.”
Lauding him as a “revered” litigator, Forbes named Mathew to its inaugural list of America’s Top 200 Lawyers 2024 and its 2025 list, which according to the publication, recognizes the finest lawyers in the profession, the leaders in their fields, and the attorneys most respected by peers and clients. According to Forbes, the criteria for those selected included reputation, influence on the legal landscape, and legal advocacy, which were evaluated to select those whose “integrity,” “expertise, passion, and purpose set them apart” as “the best in the business.”
Mathew’s Chambers ranking notes that he is “recognised for his history of handling of high stakes cases, which has equipped him to expertly handle a host of litigation proceedings,” and one Chambers respondent observed that he “has a brilliant tactical mind.” Mathew has also been named by Lawdragon as one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America,” listed in The Best Lawyers in America, been named a Law360 MVP, which recognizes “the elite slate of attorneys” who “have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation,” and been called a “legal powerhouse,” “powerful litigator,” “legal warrior” who is “principled,” and “high-powered” lawyer by Yahoo News, Newsweek, The View, The New York Times, and The Guardian. He has also been recognized by NPR as a lawyer with “a lot of star power,” by Los Angeles Magazine as a “winner” with “a long history of getting results for his big name clients,” and by The Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, and NBC’s Today as a “high profile litigator,” a “Hollywood Power Lawyer,” and a “celebrity power attorney.”
Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, for whom Mathew clerked on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, praised Mathew’s “intelligence,” “instinct,” and “personal integrity,” and his former Justice Department supervisor and now United States District Judge Robert J. Conrad called Mathew “one of the sharpest lawyers I’ve ever met at the Department of Justice,” whose “judgment is impeccable.”
A sought after speaker, Mathew has delivered Boston College Law School’s Dean’s Distinguished Lecture, lectured at Harvard, Cornell and Northwestern, and was a keynote speaker at the ABA's Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. He is a recipient of Trinity College of Dublin’s Praeses Elit Award, the highest honor bestowed by its Law Society, Variety’s Power of Law Award for legal excellence and philanthropy, and the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Excellence in Advocacy Award. Mathew also serves on the Board of EBRP, the charitable organization founded by Jill and Eddie Vedder whose goal is to fight and defeat EB, a potentially fatal disease often inflicting children, for which he also serves as pro bono counsel.
Concentrations
•Litigation
•Media and entertainment litigation
•White collar criminal defense
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Listed, Law360, 'Media & Entertainment MVP,' 2022 (Recognizing “elite slate of attorneys who have distinguished themselves by securing hard earned successes in high stakes litigation”)
•Listed, Forbes, “America’s Top 200 Lawyers,” 2024-2025
•Benchmark Litigation, Entertainment Litigator of the Year
•Selected, 2024, 2025
•Shortlisted, 2023, 2026
•Listed, Daily Journal
•Leading Commercial Litigator, 2024-2025
•California Lawyer Attorney of the Year, 2022
•Top 100 Lawyers (listing the Top 100 lawyers in the State)
•Listed, Los Angeles Business Journal
•'Top 100 Lawyers List,' 2022-2025
•“Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys,” 2021-2023 (Recognizing Los Angeles’s Top Litigators and “Masters Of Their Craft”)
•LA500 List of Visionary Leaders, 2022-2025
•Listed, The National Law Journal, General Litigation Trailblazer, 2023 and Sports & Entertainment Law Trailblazer, 2021
•Listed, The American Lawyer, Litigator of the Week and “Shout Out,” Litigator of the Week
•Listed, Billboard magazine, 'Top Music Lawyers,' 2022-2024
•Listed, Variety, 'Legal Impact Report,' 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
•Listed, The Hollywood Reporter, 'Power Lawyers: Top 100 Attorneys List,' 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
•'Legal Troubleshooters,' 2025
•Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Media and Entertainment: Litigation, 2023-2024
•Lawyer of the Year, Above the Law, 2022
•Listed, Chambers USA Guide, Media & Entertainment: Litigation, 2025
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2023-2026
•Listed, Lawdragon, “500 Leading Litigators in America,” 2025-2026
•Listed, Lawdragon, “500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers,” 2026
•Listed, Benchmark Litigation, 'Litigation Star,' 2023-2026
•Recipient, Variety, Power of Law Award, 2022
•Recipient, Praeses Elit Award (Trinity College of Dublin, Law Society)
•Recipient, Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Excellence in Advocacy Award
•Lawyer of the Week, Judicial Notice/Original Jurisdiction
•Featured, Los Angeles Confidential Magazine, 'Power Player'
•Special Achievement Award for Meritorious Acts of Service, United States Department of Justice
•Federal Bar Association’s Younger Lawyer Award - Awarded by Panel of Federal Judges to the Top 5 government litigators under age 36
•Special Act Awards for Outstanding Performance, United States Department of Justice
•Commendation, federal prosecution and conviction of defendant in United States v. Sheffield, United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms, Internal Affairs
•Commendation, federal prosecution and conviction of defendant in United States v. Brisbane, United States Department of Justice
