Sony Pictures Names Jill Ratner EVP and General Counsel

Jill Ratner has been named executive vice president and general counsel for Sony Pictures, overseeing all of SPE’s Legal functions, Compliance and Labor Relations, SPE Music Affairs, Government/External Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility teams, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced Thursday.

The former deputy general counsel at Disney will start next month on May 28 and report to SPE chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra.

“Jill has a well-earned reputation as a trusted, results-driven advisor and legal strategist, and we are thrilled to have her join SPE as general counsel,” Vinciquerra said in a statement to TheWrap. “Having successfully led large legal teams at two of Hollywood’s biggest studio businesses during times of extraordinary change and transition, Jill is extremely well-suited for this role. We look forward to having her wise counsel and advice to help us meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving industry landscape and to capitalize on opportunities for growth.”

“Sony Pictures has shown remarkable strength and resiliency at a time of tremendous change in our industry,” Ratner added. “I look forward to joining this exceptional leadership team and working alongside the outstanding groups Leah Weil has built at SPE. I want to thank Tony for this incredible opportunity.”

This news comes after Sony Pictures Entertainment announced in January that Weil, its longtime general counsel, was leaving the studio after 28 years.

Ratner has served as deputy general counsel at the Walt Disney Company since 2019 where she leads a worldwide legal team of over 200 members. She currently has global responsibility for Disney’s Litigation, Intellectual Property and Digital Antipiracy function, while also leading legal support for the company’s Social Responsibility operations. Her extensive experience includes the areas of copyright, trademark, First Amendment, contract disputes, employment, antitrust, securities and class action matters. Ratner also provides strategic IP legal support for wide-ranging business initiatives, including AI, rights acquisition and distribution, production clearance, social media, user-generated content, online liability and policy.

Prior to joining Disney, Ratner was at 21st Century Fox from 2004 to 2019 where she served as executive vice president and deputy general counsel. At Fox, Ratner led global Litigation, Employment, Intellectual Property, Privacy and Content Protection legal teams in support of the worldwide operations of 21st Century Fox, including the film and television studios, digital media properties, the broadcast television network, sports and entertainment cable networks and their corresponding multiplatform assets. She advised on key business and legal issues for those existing businesses, as well as on the acquisition and launch of new digital businesses including Hulu. Ratner also helped steer the company through the sale of most of 21st Century Fox’s assets to Disney. In her litigation role, Ratner led the team through precedent-setting litigation, including the Aereo U.S. Supreme Court case.

Prior to her time at Fox, Ratner served as domestic counsel at the Motion Picture Association, and as a litigation associate at Hogan Lovells LLP and at Hill Wynne Troop & Meisinger.