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 Biography and Background
 

Stanford, B.A., 1950, J.D. 1953; admitted to practice in California in 1954.  Mr. Dern has specialized in business and entertainment law since 1956, first as in-house counsel for various entertainment companies such as UPA (the home of Mr. Magoo), CBS, Desilu and United Artist TV, and then, since 1967, in private practice (currently Dixon Q. Dern, P.C.) in Los Angeles, specializing in entertainment and related matters  for individual clients , including the Bob Hope Legacy, and many production and distribution companies in film, television and new media.  as well  as acting as General Counsel for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the Prime Time Emmys). In 2009 awarded the Television Academy's awarded him the Syd Cassyd Founders Award (an Emmy Award) honoring Mr. Dern  for over thirty years service to the Television Academy as a member and as  its counsel.

He has been and is a well-known lecturer in the entertainment industry and during his earlier career has been an adjunct lecturer at both USC Law School and in USC's Film and Television School as well as at Loyola University Law School, Los Angeles. and San Diego University in San Diego.

In addition to his specialty representing clients in the areas of television, theatrical, and other entertainment areas, Mr. Dern acts as both a mediator and   as an arbitrator in both labor and commercial matters.  Since 1967 he has served as a neutral Arbitrator in entertainment labor matters and is a neutral Arbitrator on the Producers/Writers Guild of America and Producers/Directors Guild of America panels, as well as having formerly served for a number of years as a member of the AAA Labor Panel. For the past twenty-five+ years he has also served as a neutral arbitrator in entertainment and complex commercial matters. After completing the requisite training, during the past twenty years+ he has acted as a mediator in a number of entertainment and related commercial cases. He  serves on the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Roster of Neutral Arbitrators and on its Roster of Mediators He helped institute and serves as a neutral Arbitrator on the Independent Film & Television Alliance (American Film Market) Arbitration Panel and is a member of its Advisory Committee. He volunteers as a mediator for the California Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, Mediation Program.

He has lectured at Bar functions on mediation and arbitration issues and  has taught both  online courses and  an on-campus course in  dispute resolution in the Behavioral Science Graduate Program for Negotiation and Conflict Management at California State University Dominguez Hills for which he is currently teaching an on-line course in negotiation..

He has been active in Bar-related activities and is a Past  President of the Los Angeles Copyright Society,  Past President of the  Beverly Hills Bar Association and  a past member and Vice President of the California State Bar Board of Governors.