SmithDehn hires Discovery legal chief

Laura Farina, the former vice-president for legal affairs at Discovery Communications, has joined law firm SmithDehn LLP.

Farina will head SmithDehn’s new Washington DC office. At Discovery she was in charge of global litigation, supervised transactional work and content review for hundreds of programs and films and handled the company’s insurance matters, among other responsibilities.

“I’m happy to be working with such accomplished lawyers and serving clients in the media and sports industries across the globe.  I’m also proud to have served at Discovery and to have played a part during its time of tremendous growth and success. I cherish the many friends and colleagues I met there,” said Farina. “As the television and entertainment landscape continues to evolve, and as independent production companies flourish in particular, I’m eager to increase my direct involvement with filmmakers, production companies and content developers and provide them with the benefit of the huge range of experience I’ve gained over the years. SmithDehn LLP, as an innovative and rising leader in the field, is the perfect match for my continuing legal career.”