Early in her career, Patricia Glaser was fortunate to join a law firm led by an attorney.
It means being well-connected, influential, and well-respected in Los Angeles’ legal, social, civic, and political circles. She learned well.
The lessons Glaser absorbed as a young employee at Wyman Bautzer have served her well for more than 50 years. Glaser is currently the top name at Glaser, Weil, Fink, Howard, Jordan & Shapiro’s Century City, where she has been the highest paid for nearly two decades. In recognition of his years of accomplishments as a leader of the entertainment industry’s top companies and reputation as a fierce litigator, Glaser will be named the recipient of Variety’s 2026 Power of Law Award at the annual Power of Law Breakfast on April 8th.
In his professional life, Glazer is feared and respected in equal measure. She often receives urgent calls with time-sensitive issues that require quick thinking. Whether it’s a deal going south, an executive in trouble for personal actions, or any number of other crises. At times like this, Glaser usually comes into her own.
“In a very abstract sense, a lawyer’s job is to go into a dark room and find the light, not run into a wall,” Glaser says. “That’s what I want to do. That’s why I became a lawyer.”
Glazer has represented a long list of big names, including business moguls Kirk Kerkorian and Ron Burkle, producer David Permut, Frank Sinatra’s family, and Harvey Weinstein, who was initially convicted of sexual assault charges.
In recent weeks, Glaser has found himself in the unusual position of making headlines after participating in meetings with RJ Cipriani and Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell. Mr. Cipriani, a self-proclaimed whistleblower and producer who was previously represented by Mr. Glazer Weil in an unrelated transaction, filed a lawsuit against Shell in which he accused Mr. Glaser of having a conflict of interest. Mr. Glaser did not comment on matters involving Mr. Cipriani or Mr. Shell.
Mr. Glazer is known for being tough, almost ruthless, in indictment situations such as depositions and settlement negotiations. But she doesn’t forget the human element needed to guide people through difficult legal processes.
Director Jennifer Lynch experienced this firsthand when Glaser represented her and the producers of the 1993 film “Boxing Helena” in a legal battle with Kim Basinger, who abruptly quit the film.
“Patty was a force of nature, but she didn’t break down doors,” Lynch told Variety. “She was kind to me, but encouraged me to age. I felt seen and supported, so it became a more supportive relationship.”
When she put me on the stand, I could just tell the truth. I know I am one of her hundreds of clients, but her voice and guidance continue to resonate within me. ”
Glaser credits his skills in building relationships and trust to the foundation he gained during his formative years at Wyman Bautzer. Her partner, Gregson Bautzer, was a prominent entertainment industry lawyer who also had strong influence in politics in California and Los Angeles.
“He was one of those guys who answered every call every day, no matter how many. I try to do the same. We’re service people. That’s what we’re supposed to do,” Glaser said.
Glaser met his longtime law partner Peter Weil early in his 15 years at Wyman Bautzer. The two struck up an almost instantaneous simpatico that continues to this day.
Glaser, Weil, and a handful of other partners left Wyman Bautzer in 1988 and started the company that is today Glaser Weil.
Ms. Glaser’s enduring partnership with Mr. Weil and founding partner James Schreier demonstrates her belief that “the practice of law is primarily collaborative.” Glaser Weil currently has approximately 100 attorneys, divided into litigation, entertainment, real estate, banking, and other business transactions.
“We don’t have a system where there’s no benefit to not sharing customers. We want you to share customers,” Glaser says, noting that while she may bring in customers, they’re not “her customers.” “They are the company’s customers.
It’s more collaborative because everyone can work on that client. ”
Mr. Glaser, a West Virginia native, graduated from Rutgers Law School in 1973 and clerked for federal judge David Williams in Los Angeles. Soon after, she joined Wyman Bautzer. Glaser learned two important truths about the craft of a lawyer in his early years walking the halls and observing veterans in action.
For one, “Being a good lawyer is hard work, and if you don’t want to spend the time, you’re better off doing something else,” Glaser argues. “I remember when I was a lawyer, I’d walk past someone’s office and they’d be talking on the phone or giving advice to someone. I thought to myself, ‘That’s so cool. That’s what I want to do.’ But you don’t get there unless you do all the hoops and stuff before you give advice on the phone.”
Another awakening for her was that she loves taking on cases. She loves puzzles and the challenge of developing and implementing litigation strategy. She’s not afraid to point out the shortcomings of rival firms that claim to have trial lawyers but don’t actually have much real influence in the courtroom.
“This is a skill set that can only be learned through experience,” she asserts. Glaser told Variety that going to trial is “a lot of fun” (multiple times over the past few years). She compares it to being on stage.
“This is a show. You have a script called facts, right? So your job is to convince someone that the facts you’ve been given are good and have a chance of winning,” Glaser says. “Yes, it’s hard work. But in my opinion, the trials are worth it, because all the effort you put in will now bear fruit.”
Glaser has starred numerous times in real-life courtroom dramas. The incident that catapulted her onto Hollywood’s A-list and changed the way Hollywood does business happened in 1993.
She represented Main Line Pictures, Lynch and producer Carl Mazzocone in the “Boxing Helena” case.
The dispute hinged on whether an oral agreement between Mr. Basinger and his team with Mr. Mazzoccone and Mr. Lynch was legally enforceable. Basinger dropped out of the indie film weeks before filming began.
I start by thinking about the script again.
Despite the odds, Mazzocone and Lynch prevailed in a jury trial, awarding Main Line $8.9 million in damages (later reduced to $8.1 million). The verdict was overturned on appeal, and the two sides settled out of court in 1995 without a second trial.
“In fact, before the Kim Basinger case happened, I thought I was a pretty good lawyer, but apparently no one knew that except me,” Glazer says with a laugh.
More than 30 years later, Glazer smiles mischievously as she recalls the case, a case no one expected her to win, given that juries tended to side with Starr. Basinger at One
During cross-examination, he referred to Glaser as “Miss Glacier.” The actor’s future husband, fellow actor Alec Baldwin, came to court almost every day and became a regular in the front row.
“Baldwin sat right behind the courtroom fence every day,” Glaser recalls. “My goal was to get him to jump and try to strangle me in front of the jury, but I failed.”
Baldwin may not have lost it, but the “Boxing Helena” incident significantly strengthened Hollywood’s practices in sealing terminated contracts for film and television roles. It’s called the Glaser effect.
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In the decades since the “Boxing Helena” incident made Variety headlines, Jennifer Lynch has had a busy career as a director, with credits on a long list of recent television episodes for network and streaming series, from CBS’s “Matlock” and ABC’s “The Rookie” to FX’s “American Horror Story” and “The Strain.”
Here, Lynch reflects on Variety how her years of participating in high-profile litigation processes shaped her early professional life. Lynch gained media attention as the daughter of famous film director David Lynch.
“I watched her breathe fire and spew out lies,” Lynch recalls of Glazer’s performance at the trial. “And she didn’t look like a man for a moment.”
Below is Lynch’s full statement when asked to comment on his experience working with veteran litigators.
I was only 22 years old, brave as an adolescent, but emotionally and mentally new and raw.
Patty was a force of nature, but she didn’t blow the doors off. She graciously walked into the room and made it okay for me to know what I could do and not know what I couldn’t do.
She was kind to me but encouraging. I felt seen and supported so when she put me on stage I could just speak the truth. I know I am one of her hundreds of clients, but her voice and guidance continues to resonate within me. I always tried to be honest. I was always going to stand up to bullies…but because Patty listened and acknowledged my experience, I felt like I could share it without flinching.
The witness stand is a wonderful place. You are on stage, naked, challenged and exposed. Patty, being who she is, held my hand invisibly because of the conversations we had earlier, and it made me feel a little less scared to talk about what happened. I was young and new, and I always remember thinking of Patti as someone I looked up to. to resemble. The reaction I got when I walked across the room and was seen by a presumably young girl. It seemed like she was able to calm people down without any effort. She actually listened…and was able to actually respond in that. The days I spent with Patti were so precious. I know what it’s like to be kept safe in the claws and belly of a dragon. I always watched from her safe side as she breathed fire and scattered lies. She was and was incredibly strong, and she didn’t resemble a man for a second. She always had grace and strength, was smart and safe. I will forever consider myself lucky to have taken that terrifying journey with her. I was always going to tell the truth, and Patti made it possible for me to do so without fear.
Jen Lynch
