Howard D. Fabrick is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Barnes & Thornburg and is a member of the firm's Labor and Employment Law Department and Music and Entertainment Practice Group. With a legal practice that spans more than 40 years, Mr. Fabrick focuses on the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the interpretation of complex rules governing film and television production, arbitration, and the adjustment of disputes. In addition, he advises clients on general employment law issues, including wage and hour compliance, occupational health and safety issues and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Working primarily within the entertainment industry, Mr. Fabrick represents producers of motion pictures, television programs, live productions, television commercials and video games, and has experience working with the talent guilds and craft unions that represent employees involved in all aspects of entertainment.
He has negotiated pre-production collective bargaining agreements for some of the most recognizable on-location films, including "Glory," "Return of the Jedi," "Sleepless in Seattle," "Philadelphia," "Rocky," "Terminator," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "JFK." Most recently, he negotiated the agreements for "The Fighter," which received critical acclaim and several Academy Awards.
In television, Mr. Fabrick negotiated agreements with the IATSE, making it possible for the production of both "Sex and The City" and "The Sopranos" to be produced in New York and New Jersey. He also negotiated the craft union agreement for "Project Runway." In the past, he also represented major producers in connection with their game shows, most notably "The Price is Right."
Mr. Fabrick was previously a partner in the Los Angeles office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and, prior to that, a partner in the Los Angeles office of an international law firm. His past work experience additionally includes time spent as vice president of labor relations and personnel at Columbia Pictures, vice president and director of business affairs and labor relations at The Burbank Studios and vice president and counsel at the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Mr. Fabrick has written works for publication on the topic of labor relations in the motion picture industry, and he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2006) and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2007-2011). Fabrick was also named Best Lawyer's 2012 Lawyer of the Year for Employment Law-Management in Los Angeles. In addition, the Daily Journal named him to its 2010 list of California's top labor and employment lawyers. He also was named as one of the 100 most influential entertainment lawyers in America by The Hollywood Reporter.
Fabrick focuses on the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the interpretation of complex rules governing film and television production, arbitration, and the adjustment of disputes. In addition, he advises clients on general employment law issues, including wage and hour compliance, occupational health and safety issues and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
For 20 years, Mr. Fabrick has served on the board of directors of the Junior Blind of America, 10 years of which he served as the board chairman. He has taught at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television and at the Southwestern University School of Law. Currently, he serves on the board of Entertainment Partners and as West Coast counsel to the Association of Independent Commercial Producers.
Mr. Fabrick is admitted to practice in the state of California, before the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts of California, and before the U.S. Supreme Court.
He earned his B.A. with honors in 1960 and his J.D. in 1962, both from Stanford University.