Sarah L. Graham

Sarah Graham is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she practices in the firm’s Corporate Department. She regularly represents private equity funds, strategic and financial investors, media and entertainment companies, technology companies, gaming companies, and other clients in various types of business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investments and restructurings. Ms. Graham is a member of the following Gibson Dunn practice groups: Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Media, Entertainment and Technology, Betting and Gaming, and Sports Law.

Ms. Graham received her law degree from Columbia Law School, where she served as Notes Editor of the Columbia Law Review and was named a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Ms. Graham was named among the 500 Leading Dealmakers in America by Lawdragon in each of 2024 and 2025, and among the 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers by Lawdragon in 2025. She was also recognized by Variety on their Legal Impact Report in 2025 and on their list of the top dealmakers in Hollywood in each of 2023 and 2024. She has also been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® as One to Watch in Entertainment and Sports Law. In addition, she was recognized for her Mergers and Acquisitions work, particularly in the Media and Gaming industries, in the 2023 and 2024 editions of Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list, a guide highlighting attorneys “who will define where the legal profession of our country goes” and whose “leadership will be called upon by businesses and individuals when they face their crossroads. She has also been named a Southern California Rising Star in mergers and acquisitions by Super Lawyers magazine.

Representative Transactions:

• Platinum Equity Advisors in various transactions, including its $5.25 billion acquisition of Solenis and the combination of Solenis and Sigura Water valued at approximately $6.5 billion, its acquisition of PLI Holdings, Inc. and its acquisition of the water care business of Lonza AG.
• Contango Oil & Gas Company in its all-stock merger with KKR & Co’s Independence Energy, valued at $5.7 billion.
• The National Football League in its joint venture with Skydance Media to form Skydance Sports, a premier global multi-sports production studio.
• The North Road Company, a global multi-genre film and TV studio founded by Peter Chernin, in its formation, investment transactions, and the acquisition of various production companies and assets, including Words + Pictures and the U.S. assets of Red Arrow Studios.
• SpringHill Entertainment, the production company founded by LeBron James, in significant capital raises and its merger with leading UK production company Fulwell 73.
• Lobos 1707, the tequila company backed by LeBron James, in its pending joint venture transaction with Diageo Plc.
• Iconic Artists Group in connection with a strategic investment by HPS Investment Partners.
• NTWRK in its acquisition of Complex Networks and in connection with Universal Music Group’s investment in NTWRK.
• Fortress Investment Group in its acquisition of Vice Media, together with Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital.
• Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop, founded by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Iovine and Main Street Advisors, in connection with formation and financing matters.
• Rich Paul in the sale of interests in Klutch Sports Group to United Talent Agency, and in the negotiation of arrangements for Rich Paul’s role as UTA’s Co-Head of Sports.
• Candle Media in the sale of its subsidiaries Exile Music and Exile Podcast to HYBE, to form HYBE’s Latin American music division.
• Universal Pictures in various strategic transactions, including its partnership with Will Packer Productions.
• Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.) in its acquisition of a majority stake in Tidal, the streaming and entertainment platform founded by Jay-Z.
• Aubrey Drake Graham (artist Drake) and his affiliated entities in various joint venture and other transactions.
• James & Company in its sale to United Talent Agency.
• A Saudi Arabian investment fund in an investment in a large, independent film and television production company.
• MGM Resorts International in a strategic joint venture with GVC Holdings to form BetMGM, one of the premier platforms in the United States for sports betting and online gaming.
• Ladder, LLC, a health and wellness company formed by LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Main Street Advisors, in formation and financing matters.
• An internationally recognized artist in the sale of a significant portion of the artist’s publishing catalog, as well as strategic buyers of various music publishing catalogs.
• Main Street Advisors in various investments and other transactions.
• The Chernin Group in acquisition and investment transactions.
• The Tornante Company, the investment firm of Michael Eisner, in various media, entertainment and sports investments and acquisitions, including the acquisition of Portsmouth FC football club.
• Beats Electronics and Beats Music in the companies’ $3 billion sale to Apple.
• The independent directors of DreamWorks Animation in the company’s acquisition by NBCUniversal for $3.8 billion.
• Berkshire Hathaway in various transactions, including its $37.2 billion acquisition of Precision Castparts Corp. and its $28 billion acquisition of H.J. Heinz Company.

* Includes representations prior to Ms. Graham’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Capabilities

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Betting and Gaming
• Media, Entertainment, and Technology
• Private Equity
• Royalty Finance
• Sports Law

Credentials

Education:

• Columbia University - 2011 Juris Doctor
• Emory University - 2007 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• California Bar
• Massachusetts Bar
• New York Bar