From Britney Spears to Rupert Murdoch – Inside Adam Streisand’s Courtroom Victories

Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor

Adam Streisand doesn’t just practice law – he writes the playbook for Hollywood’s biggest legal dramas, which now includes Rupert Murdoch in his ‘Succession’-style battle with the media mogul’s family as well as a roster of celebrity clients who have used the lawyer to win cases that can include often complex and difficult-to-navigate legal issues.

Streisand, the Sheppard Mullin partner has turned courtroom battles into blockbuster victories, representing everyone from Britney Spears to Rupert Murdoch and a host of celebrity legal claims.

The billions involved in the Murdoch case are his biggest deal to date. Notwithstanding the failure of the bid by Murdoch to alter his family trust, rejected by a Nevada court.

The 96-page opinion blasted Murdoch according to the Times, accusing him of organizing a “carefully crafted charade” to “permanently cement Lachlan Murdoch’s executive roles” inside the empire “regardless of the impacts such control would have over the companies or the beneficiaries” of the family trust.

The case is to be appealed by Streisand. And a full trial is set for 2025. This case puts Streisand at the center of one of the world’s most powerful media dynasties and further elevates his status as a legal star.

Streisand has been named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the entertainment town’s top troubleshooters.

Citywealth magazine named Streisand one of the top 50 private wealth attorneys in North America and he is ranked among the top 100 private client lawyers worldwide.

Chambers and Partners recognizes him as a leading attorney in private wealth disputes. The Los Angeles Business Journal named him one of the top 100 lawyers in LA County.

Star-Studded Client Lineup

The attorney’s celebrity client list reads like a Hollywood Walk of Fame directory. He’s handled estate battles for Ray Charles, Marlon Brando, Michael Jackson, and Anna Nicole Smith. The Murdoch succession case has once again pushed Streisand to the forefront of issues involving celebrity estates, a practice area that he rose to prominence with when representing Britney Spears’

Britney Spears chose Streisand as her first pick for her conservatorship case. The attorney appears in multiple documentaries about the pop star’s legal battles, including “Framing Britney Spears” and “Britney vs Spears” (see below).

Other high-profile estate work, a full roster of household name celebrities, includes Muhammad Ali, Tom Petty, Hugh Hefner, and Marilyn Monroe. When celebrities die, their families often fight. When they fight, they seem to hire Streisand – for good reason.

He has also handled a successful palimony case for comedian Bill Maher, a copyright infringement case for Diana Ross, a successful injunction action for legendary adventurer Jacques Cousteau, representation of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton . . there seem few ‘tight spot’ cases involving celebrity clients who have not knocked on the door of Adam Streisand, including sports team owners.

Sports Franchise Savior

Streisand earned his reputation as the lawyer who “rescued both local NBA teams”. His trial victory for Steve Ballmer against Donald Sterling led to Ballmer’s $2 billion purchase of the LA Clippers.

Two years later, he helped Lakers President Jeanie Buss fight off a family coup attempt. ESPN reported that “Jeanie Buss and her lawyer Adam Streisand won a decisive legal victory”. The attorney literally carried the Lakers’ future into downtown LA’s Stanley Mosk Courthouse.

His sports work extends beyond basketball, however. Streisand has handled succession battles for the LA Chargers and Baltimore Orioles making him the go-to defender of sports franchises under threat.

Trial Victory Track Record

Streisand has won numerous multimillion-dollar judgments. He secured an eight-figure result for Carroll Shelby’s widow and in another case involved unwinding 40 years of fraudulent schemes across 70 properties and 25 bank accounts.

One settlement reached $113 million in a family business dispute.

Entertainment Law Roots

Before estate battles, Streisand worked in entertainment litigation across a variety of cases that gave him a unique position to handle celebrity estate issues. He won the first digital sampling case for the Beastie Boys and Capitol Records. The Newton v. Diamond case is now taught in law schools nationwide.

He also handled copyright cases for BMG Music Publishing and defended Diana Ross in a copyright dispute. 

Personal Background

Born Adam Fredric Streisand on June 9, 1963, in New York City and his a second cousin of Barbara Streisand (no record of his having representing her in any proceedings).

Streisand graduated from Trinity College with a history degree. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris for one year and earned his law degree cum laude from American University Washington College of Law.

Before law school, he worked as a legislative aide to Senator Barbara Mikulski, honing political skills which have doubtless assisted his legal work with Sheppard Mullin. 

Teaching and Media Work

Streisand works as an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and frequently lectures on legal topics and shares his courtroom expertise.

He’s also appeared as a legal analyst on CNN and Fox News, helping to break down complex issues on a network owned by his client Rupert Murdoch. 

The Streisand Strategy

What sets Streisand apart is his willingness to go to trial. He’s by no means afraid of litigation. Most civil lawyers settle cases. Streisand fights them in court. This approach creates leverage for better settlements when clients prefer to avoid trial.

His use of obscure legal provisions has become legendary. The California probate code section 1310b strategy in the Clippers case caught the legal world by surprise. Sometimes the most powerful weapons are hidden in plain sight and Streisand is one who has an uncanny ability to unearth them and use them to effect in Court.

Future Battles

With the Murdoch trial approaching in 2025, Streisand faces another high-profile test. The case could reshape one of the world’s most influential media companies.

His client roster continues growing as wealthy families face succession planning challenges. In an era of massive wealth transfers, estate battles are becoming more common and more complex.

Adam Streisand has built a practice around life’s most dramatic moments – death, divorce, and family warfare. When the stakes are highest and emotions run deepest, the powerful turn to the attorney who’s seen it all before.