Michael D. Holtz

Michael Holtz is one of the preeminent litigation attorneys in the United States and a founding partner of Holtz Matthews LLP. During his 35-year legal career, Mr. Holtz has handled matters throughout the country and has litigated cases from California to New York to Las Vegas to Florida, in state and federal court, in the appellate courts, in numerous arbitration tribunals including the American Arbitration Association (AAA), JAMS, Signature Resolution, the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) formerly known as the American Film Marketing Association (AFMA), and the Hollywood guilds (WGA, DGA, SAG), and in administrative proceedings with the California Civil Rights Department, or the CRD, formerly known as the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, or FEHA). Mr. Holtz has expertise in sexual assault, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, wrongful termination, discrimination, breach of contract, fraud, right of publicity and privacy, idea theft, and business law.

After spending several decades representing clients in the entertainment industry and business sector, from world renowned athletes, actors, musicians, entertainers, producers, writers and directors to executives, entrepreneurs and independent production, distribution and sales companies, over the past decade Mr. Holtz has focused his practice on representing victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and discrimination. While many of the cases Mr. Holtz has handled over the past ten years arise in the workplace, and many of the victims (both women and men) Mr. Holtz has represented have been involved in the entertainment industry or the Las Vegas gaming and hospitality industry, the cases Mr. Holtz has handled over the past decade are not necessarily limited to the employment or entertainment context. If somebody has been sexually assaulted, harassed, or mistreated, whether at work or in private, in Hollywood, Las Vegas, or elsewhere, Mr. Holtz has zealously advocated and fought for his clients to ensure they feel heard, receive just compensation, and experience some sense of closure and peace of mind.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree with high honors from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the mid-1980s, Mr. Holtz was accepted to one of the top law schools in the country, New York University School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctorate degree in 1990. That same year, after being born and raised in New York, Mr. Holtz moved to California to pursue his ambition of representing talent in the sports, music and entertainment fields. Mr. Holtz was admitted to the California bar in 1990 and joined the power-house entertainment litigation boutique firm of Lavely & Singer P.C. in 1999, where he spent two decades gaining invaluable experience as a trial lawyer and senior partner practicing alongside entertainment litigation legends Jay Lavely and Marty Singer.

In 2018, Mr. Holtz achieved another life-long goal of owning his own business when he started his own firm. 2018 also happened to mark the start of the # MeToo movement, and Mr. Holtz began representing women who had been sexually assaulted or harassed, many of them within the context of the entertainment and gaming/hospitality industries. After spending over 20 years representing powerful talent and executives in the entertainment industry, Mr. Holtz offers a unique perspective and insight into the inner workings of the entertainment and gaming industries and is able to navigate the complex interplay between power and exposure and accountability and confidentiality to his clients’ advantage.

Mr. Holtz has been recognized for his achievements by numerous publications and has been the recipient of multiple distinctions and awards. He has obtained an “AV Preeminent” rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible for legal ability and ethical standards. He has been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer continuously over the past twenty years by Thomas Reuters Super Lawyers Magazine, an honor reserved for the top 5% of attorneys practicing in Southern California. His successful results have been reported in numerous publications worldwide, including The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TMZ, the LA Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, Radar Online and the Wrap, among others.