Mike Farris

MIKE FARRIS is a 1983 cum laude graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law, where he was an associate editor on the Texas Tech Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Recently retired, Mike's practice had included commercial litigation as well as entertainment law, focusing on the movie and publishing industries. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the Political Science Department where he teaches Constitutional Law and Entertainment Law. Mike was lead counsel for the plaintiff in what has become known as the"Fifty Shades of Grey" lawsuit (Jennifer Lynn Pedroza v. Amanda M. Hayward and TWCS Operations Pty. Ltd. in the 153rd District Court in Tarrant County), which resulted in a plaintiff’s judgment, following a jury trial, in excess of $13.2 million (which includes pre-judgment interest and attorney’s fees). Mike represents various university presses and has successfully placed subsidiary rights to their published books, including negotiating the sale of movie rights to producers and Hollywood studios, such as "The Free State of Jones," published by University of North Carolina Press. The movie "Free State of Jones" was released in June 2016, starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and directed by multi-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Mike was the 2014 Chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Sports and Entertainment Law Section, after also having served as Chair in 2009 and 2012, and Vice-Chair in 2011. He served as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Section during the 2017-2018 year and was past editor of the Entertainment and Sports Law Journal. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas in its Sports & Entertainment Management MBA program, where he served on the Sports & Entertainment Advisory Board. Mike is much in demand as a presenter at writers’ conferences around the country, including the Screenwriting Conference at Santa Fe and the La Jolla Writers Conference, speaking on topics ranging from beginning screenwriting and cinematic storytelling to legal issues for writers.