Danielle Van Lier

Professor Van Lier is assistant general counsel, intellectual property and contracts at SAG-AFTRA. She began her position at the former Screen Actors Guild in 2000. She is responsible for managing SAG-AFTRA's third-party contracts and intellectual property, as well as other efforts aimed at protecting the rights of SAG-AFTRA and its members. Professor Van Lier has written several amicus curiae briefs on behalf of SAG-AFTRA and other parties in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the California Supreme Court on issues such as rights of publicity, copyright, and the California Talent Agencies Act.

Before joining Screen Actors Guild, Professor Van Lier practiced law in Los Angeles. Prior to entering practice, she served as a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives.

She is Chair of ACC's Sports & Entertainment Committee and a past Southern California chapter board member. Additionally, she was a founding board member of Saving Wildlife International, a nonprofit wildlife education company in Los Angeles.

Professor Van Lier earned her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where she served on the Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law and also pursued a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Japanese Language, Literature and Cultural Studies from University of California at Santa Barbara. In 2019, she earned an LL.M with Merit in Innovation, Technology, and the Law through University of Edinburgh.