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Lionsgate Hires New Deputy General Counsel, Audrey Lee

By Jonathan R. Tung, Esq. on March 18, 2016 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Audrey Lee's career began with a bang and has been on a tear ever since. Her latest advancement? Lionsgate.

The Canadian-American production company that brought you Divergent and Insurgent and Allegiant has just named 14-year Sony veteran Audrey Lee as its new Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. The news was announced by Wayne Levin, Lionsgate's Chief Strategic Officer, General Counsel and, now, Lee's boss.

An Impressive Resume

Lee's current station as Lionsgate's DGC and Executive Vice President is impressive, but it's hardly surprising given her past resume. After graduating from the University of Chicago law school, she began her career at Latham & Watkins handling a variety of business matters including acquisitions, securities and other IP matters. She went on to become Associate General Counsel at idealab!, and then moved to Sony, where she was Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs. She spent a significant portion of her professional life there.

Lionsgate's Changing of Heads

Lee's appointment to one of the highest positions in the Lionsgate company is coincident with the company's share price losing 30% of its value. A lot of shifting of power (or rolling of heads) has been taking place lately.

The studio announced just days ago that it hired Piper Jaffray analyst James Marsh to be its Senior Vice President of Investor Relations. The company will need to brush up on investor relations after shaving so much value at the top.

Levin was quick to highlight Lee's credentials for the job. "Audrey's corporate legal experience at the major studio level and fluency with intellectual property matters and content distribution worldwide make her a tremendous asset to the Lionsgate team," he said. "As we continue to expand our global footprint, her relationships and expertise will help facilitate our growth and evolution."

Just in Time to Get Going

Lee starts her job just as Lionsgate seeks to revisit negotiations to purchase Starz -- almost a year after putting out money to invest in the company. And then there's the struggling Divergent Trilogy In fact, Allegiant opens in theaters today. So far, initial reviews indicate that the latest installment is a "fans-only" movie.

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