Denise L. Altman
Areas of Practice
- Art and Entertainment Law
- Business Law
- Commercial Transactions
- Contracts
- Copyright and Trademark
- Employment Law
Education
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1991
- B.A., University of Miami, 1988 Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- Certificate in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford University, 1986
- Certificate in Human Resource Management, San Francisco State University, 1999
Bar Admissions
- Florida
- District of Columbia
- California
- U.S. Supreme Court
Professional Associations
- California Lawyers for the Arts
- California Lawyers Association
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Background and ExpertiseMs. Altman has practiced law since 1991. Her practice focuses on representing artists, businesses, and individuals in commercial matters including intellectual property protection and branding, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, commercial contracts and leases, trademark, trade secret and copyright protection, business formation, and employment and human resource counseling and contracts. She also has extensive experience in civil litigation in state and federal courts. She has represented visual and performing artists, choreographers, galleries, musicians, and entrepreneurs as well as large corporations. As a lifelong patron of the arts who understands the creative process, Ms. Altman is committed to helping artists protect their works through registration, licensing and other contractual agreements, as well as providing ongoing counseling to her clients.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Altman completed two federal judicial clerkships, one in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida and one in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. She also worked as an associate litigation attorney at the well-established law firms of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in the Palo Alto office, and Carroll Burdock & McDonough (now Squire Patton Boggs) in San Francisco. During law school, she was a member of The American Criminal Law Review law journal for two years, participating in the editing and publication of the annual “Survey of White Collar Crime."
Community ServiceMs. Altman serves on the Board of Trustees of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Naples, Florida and the Naples Ballet & Company. She also does pro bono legal work in her community.