Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Haffner.
Hi Julian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am the son of Sierra Leonean and Nigerian parents, and was raised in San Antonio, Texas. I left Texas to attend school at Swarthmore College. During college, I spent two summers interning in Washington, D.C., and enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to return after graduation. I stayed in the region for law school at Howard University School of Law and ultimately built my legal career in Maryland.
I have been fortunate to develop an interesting and varied legal practice. Over the years, I have worked with NFL and NBA players on their off-field and off-court business interests, represented Grammy-winning creatives, and served as counsel to startups, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and established companies. My work has spanned business formation, contracts, capital raising, entertainment, tech, government contracting, and the many challenges that arise as an organization grows.
I have also pursued entrepreneurship outside of my traditional law practice. That experience has given me a greater appreciation for what my clients are actually facing. Entrepreneurs are often making important decisions with limited time, limited resources, and incomplete information. My role is not simply to explain the law, but to help them identify what matters, assess the risks, and find a practical path forward..
Today, my practice sits at the intersection of law, business, creativity, and entrepreneurship. I enjoy helping people turn ideas into sustainable ventures, protect what they have built, and work through the inevitable obstacles along the way. The path has not been completely linear, but each experience has helped shape how I advise clients and how I approach business myself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth or linear road. There were times when I was not entirely sure where the path would lead, but I remained convinced that I was moving in the right direction. Looking back, each experience equipped me with tools I would eventually need, even when I did not recognize their value at the time.
Some of the work and experiences I once thought I did not enjoy, or assumed would not be useful, have ultimately proved instrumental to my professional and personal growth. They have broadened my perspective, strengthened my faith in my own judgment, and made me both a more effective attorney and a more resilient human being.
That resilience has become one of the most important lessons from my journey. It is also something I am intentional about instilling in my children: the path may not always make sense while you are traveling it, but every experience can teach you something and prepare you for what comes next.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My primary professional focus is my business and entertainment practice at Gordon Feinblatt. As part of a team of highly skilled professionals, I advise entrepreneurs, creatives, emerging companies, and established businesses throughout the life cycle of a venture, from formation and early-stage strategy to contracts, capital raising, commercial relationships, growth through mergers and acquisitions, and dispute resolution. My entertainment work includes advising athletes, artists, filmmakers, producers, and other creatives on both their core projects and the businesses they build around their talent and intellectual property.
What sets my practice apart is that I approach legal issues through the lens of someone who has also helped build businesses. I understand that clients rarely need a purely academic explanation of the law. They need someone who can identify the real risk, understand the commercial objective, and help them find a practical way forward. I try to be the kind of lawyer who helps clients make informed decisions rather than simply telling them what they cannot do.
CineBlock Films is a natural and exciting outgrowth of those experiences. As a co-founder and its Chief Legal Officer, I have helped develop a platform intended to give independent creators greater access to capital while allowing audiences to participate more directly in the success of the stories they want to see. It brings together many threads from my career, including entertainment, entrepreneurship, securities law, technology, and my longstanding interest in expanding access to opportunity.
I am most proud that my work, both at Gordon Feinblatt and through CineBlock, is centered on helping people build. Whether I am advising a founder, negotiating an agreement for a creative, helping a company raise capital, or developing a new model for financing independent film, the goal is the same: to turn strong ideas into durable businesses and create opportunities that might not otherwise exist.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I can come across as super cerebral and rational, but I am a creative at heart. I love music, film, storytelling, and especially singing, although my family has yet to fully appreciate the extent of my vocal talent. I remain confident that they will eventually come around.
Joking aside, that creative instinct is a big part of why I connect so naturally with artists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs. I understand the excitement of starting with an idea and wanting to bring it to life. My legal training gives me the tools to help protect and structure that vision, but the creative in me understands why the vision matters in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gfrlaw.com/who-we-are/attorneys/haffner-julian
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_jah_esq/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-haffner/
- Other: https://www.cineblock.com/about#who-we-are
