Veteran entertainment attorney Stephen Saltzman is departing Paul Hastings LLP to join the London office of European law firm Fieldfisher.

A regular of The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual Power Lawyers: Top 100 Attorneys list, Saltzman is known to the industry as a respected entertainment attorney specializing in complex international distribution, co-production and co-financing transactions, as well other cross-border dealmaking involving content and media brands.

He has been based in London since 2019, when he moved from Paul Hastings’ Los Angeles offices to expand the firm’s U.K. and continental European business, following a prior period at Loeb & Loeb. He officially begins at Fieldfisher on Monday, Oct. 4 as a partner in the firm’s media practice.

“Adding Steve to our media team is a significant boost to our growth plans,” said Tim Johnson, head of Fieldfisher’s media group, noting that Saltzman’s cosmopolitan background and cross border expertise were a natural fit for Fieldfisher’s international focus (the firm has 25 offices across 11 countries, most in Europe and Asia). “It will strengthen our offering to clients seeking expertise across continents,” Johnson added.

“I have known Tim for a long time, working on initiatives together from both sides of the Atlantic,” added Saltzman. “I am excited to be joining his team at a time when I think there are significant opportunities in the U.K., particularly in a post-Brexit world where the U.K. is now one of the most cost-effective international locations to shoot large-scale feature films and streaming series.”

During a challenging period for dealmaking across hemispheres, Saltzman has continued to assist high-profile international talent and financiers in closing big-ticket business in Hollywood, such as leading Chinese studio Huayi Brothers Media, which co-bankrolled the largest indie film to complete production in 2020, Roland Emmerich’s $140 million Moonfall. He also recently advised esports team TSM (Team SoloMid) in one of the largest sponsorship deals in the industry with the crypto currency exchange, FTX. Other notable offshore clients have included Germany’s Constantin Films and South Korean entertainment giant CJ Entertainment; but his client base includes entities across the media spectrum — studios, theme park operators, broadcasters, digital content companies, banks, film funds, directors, talent and authors.

A fluent German speaker, Saltzman also is expected to help grow Fieldfisher’s Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich offices. “I am delighted by Steve’s arrival,” said Philipp Plog, managing director of the firm’s German operations. “His knowledge and experience of the German market is perfectly aligned to our strategy of servicing our growing portfolio of digital and media businesses in Germany and across Europe.”