Rachel Yvonne Johnston

I retained Rachel when I was going through a bitter divorce and custody battle. Her 20+ years experience as a family law attorney gave her incredible insight into my case. She presented very powerful and persuasive arguments about why I should have split custody of my daughter. Ultimately i believ...e it was because of her determination that I won split custody. She was also very practical and told me what area's I would need to compromise on based on her knowledge and experience. She is truly a an advocate and fighter for your cause and I would highly recommend her.

My father retained Mrs. Johnston for a juvenile criminal matter. Mrs. Johnston was skillful and persuaded judge to try me (a first time offender) and co-defendant (who had a considerable amount of criminal history) separately. A class "A" charge, carrying a 2-5 year sentence was dismissed and I ent...ered a plea on a remaining charge that was a class "C" offense. Over the years my family has been in contact with Mrs. Johnston who has made her wisdom and legal services available to us. She responds timely, asks questions for clarity, once having an understanding of all of the stakeholders and applicable statutes she gave us realistic feedback and informed advice. I highly recommend Mrs. Johnston.

Mrs. Johnston is a fiercely strong attorney with the heart of an angel. I am thankful that I found her to represent me on my Family Law and Civil Rights cases. Rachel was knowledgeable and went above and beyond what I expected from an attorney. She made me feel like she cared deeply about every de...tail and the outcome of my case. Not only did she study my case and learn intricate details, she remembered my story even years later. I wouldn't want anyone else on my team and I certainly wouldn't want to be on the opposite end of one of her cases. I once called Rachel my attorney; now I call her my friend.

I am a film director, but a few years ago, I took on the role of producing a feature-length film (which I also directed). The film was an action-thriller, and was much more complicated to put together before even stepping onto the set than I ever expected. I needed an entertainment attorney to draft ...film contracts and other pertinent legal documents for cast and crew. Rachel Johnston's assistance made it possible for me to roll into production confident that all of my legal bases were covered. She also provided legal consultation during the pre-production phase, which made me think about things that I would have completely neglected--and therefore would have further complicated an already difficult shoot. Production itself was going as well as could be expected on a shoestring budget until a disgruntled former crew member began to make things very difficult for everyone involved in the film: harassing phone calls, social media defaming, and regular email blasts to cast and crew filled with vitriol. As anyone who has ever worked on a film knows, no one is ever happy during production, and changes sometimes need to be made just to keep the production going. This is to be expected, but it becomes an intolerable headache when a bitter individual starts harassing the production. Rachel Johnston recognized the best path to resolve this issue and drafted a "Cease and Desist" letter. The letter was very effective at stopping the harassment and allowed my production to get back on track. I have Rachel Johnston to thank for the successful completion of that film, and I expect to work with her on every film project that I have going forward.

I have been a filmmaker for over a decade; however, over the past few years, I began to make my filmmaking a full-fledged business. This was a daunting task, with a tremendous amount of paperwork and various considerations. I quickly realized that an entertainment attorney was a necessity. As one can... imagine, a knowledgeable attorney makes the difference between a solid foundation and being mired in incomprehensible legal forms. Counselor Johnston was knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely seemed to care about me and my company's success. She made time for strategic planning meetings, explained the legal ramifications of various actions, and was always very effective at helping me to consider the legal aspects of the business of filmmaking. She also exceeded my expectations of an entertainment attorney by assisting me with the procurement of funding for the international distribution of my last film and locating some candidates interested in investing in my next project. (If you have ever attempted to raise funds for any aspect of filmmaking, you know how much of a help that is.) Counselor Johnston was also surprisingly and delightfully creative. Her ideas helped me to form strategies to find sponsors for international screenings of my film and red carpet events. I continue to retain Counselor Johnston and expect to work with her as my film company grows. She performs the invaluable role of helping me to navigate the (often treacherous) legal waters of film production and distribution so that I can focus on being creative. I am in the development stage of a new project, and Counselor Johnston has already begun to help me plan my production by preparing to recruit A-List cast members. There is only so much that any filmmaker can take on, and (unless you happen to have a law degree with a focus on entertainment law) I would suggest leaving all of the legal considerations (of which there are many in every stage of film production and distribution) to capable, savvy attorneys like Rachel Y. Johnston.