After a 28-year run at Sony Pictures, the studio’s SEVP & General Counsel Leah Weil is departing the studio.
Weil, the studio’s most senior legal advisor to its CEOs and Sony Group leaders, has guided the Culver City lot through several opportunities, from the restructure of the Mandalay Pictures deal in the 1990s to the 2004 MGM acquisition to the landmark deal to acquire Marvel rights to Spider-Man — the latter one of the industry’s highest-grossing franchises at $10.3 billion through 12 movies. She also led the studio in all guild negotiations including the most recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA deals.
Weil was also involved in guiding Sony Pictures Entertainment‘s growth and M&A strategies including the recent acquisitions of Crunchyroll, Industrial Media and Pixomondo. She was also known for her counsel for Sony during challenging crisis such as the 2014 cyber-attack and the global Covid pandemic.
“First, it is hard to imagine SPE without Leah as our GC,” Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra said in a note Tuesday to the studio’s employees. “For many of us, Leah has always been there; a wise and trusted partner offering invaluable advice and counsel and driving the legal, regulatory and compliance strategies for some of SPE’s greatest challenges and successes.”
Overall, it’s a been a 24/7 commitment for Weil, and in her own note to staff she expressed that she’s looking forward to quality time with her family.
