Groundbreaking Hollywood Dealmaker Wins Entertainment Law Award

Peter Martin Nelson ’79 of Nelson Davis Wetzstein in Santa Monica will receive UC Hastings’ Entertainment Law Award in recognition of his contributions to the field.

Nelson is a founder and name partner of his firm. His clients include Hollywood actors, writers and directors, including Peter Jackson, best known for his The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. Variety has called Nelson’s work “some of the most groundbreaking franchise deals in movie and TV history.”

While at UC Hastings, Nelson was a member of the Thurston Society and the Order of the Coif. He served as Note and Comment Editor for the Hastings Law Journal. After graduation, he clerked for Hon. George MacKinnon of the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia. Nelson is also an honors graduate of Williams College.

The award will be given by Chancellor and Dean Frank H. Wu at a reception on April 25, 2013 at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. For events details, see here.

Nelson is only the second alumnus to receive the Entertainment Law Award. John D. Maatta ’77, the general counsel and chief operating officer of The CW Television Network, was its first recipient in 2010.