Peter L. Skolnik is Chair of the firm's Media and Entertainment Practice, and concentrates his litigation practice in the areas of media and entertainment law, First Amendment law, intellectual property litigation and counseling, and complex civil litigation.

Peter counsels clients and litigates copyright and trademark matters around the country for high tech companies, publishers, broadcasters, authors, literary estates and arts organizations. He represented the Estate of Vladimir Nabokov successfully in a highly celebrated case involving infringement of the copyright to Lolita; successfully defended David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, through litigation and trial concerning early development of the enormously successful television series; and defended filmmaker Jamie Johnson against an invasion of privacy suit arising from his award-winning documentary for HBO, Born Rich, in which Peter appears. Peter also mounted a successful First Amendment pro bono defense of cult expert Rick Ross, in defamation litigation brought by Landmark Education about criticisms of Landmark’s “Forum” that appear on Ross’s web site.

Peter's media law practice includes representing media organizations in defamation actions and in actions to obtain access to courtrooms and court records. Peter is author of the New Jersey section in the Media Law Resource Center’s Annual 50-State Survey of Privacy and Related Torts. His trademark litigation practice includes enforcement of licensing agreements and restrictive covenants, the application of U.S. law to acts of infringement abroad and other issues. Peter is listed among The Best Lawyers in America in the first amendment law section. In addition, he was featured in the 2005-2013 issues of Super Lawyers in the First Amendment/Media Law section of the publication. 

Peter is an Adjunct Professor of International Copyright Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, has been an Adjunct Professor of Publishing Law at New York Law School, and was formerly both a successful theatrical producer/director and seven-term president of a national association of literary agents. Peter is Chair of the New Jersey Media Lawyers Association, and a Member of the Board of the New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Articles Quoting Peter L. Skolnik

• “Think You Can Pull a Fast One on David Chase’s Lawyer? Fuhgeddaboutdit!,” Hank Bordowitz, New Jersey Super Lawyers, May 2005