Jeffrey Bennett is General Counsel for SAG-AFTRA. His responsibilities include oversight and management of SAG-AFTRA's Legal, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Professional Representatives, Foreign Royalties & Residuals Analysis, and International Affairs departments.
Bennett's work at SAG-AFTRA has encompassed a wide variety of matters, including collective bargaining agreement enforcement, union governance and advocacy at the federal and state levels on issues critical to our members and our industries. He played a pivotal role in SAG-AFTRA's landmark film foreclosure project, where, for the first time, the union used its security interests in films to effectuate payment of uncollected arbitration awards. His government affairs and policy work includes huge wins for members in the areas of copyright advocacy, music royalty payments, rights of publicity, production tax incentives, pandemic assistance, child performer protections and more.
Prior to joining SAG-AFTRA, Bennett worked at William Morris Endeavor, in private practice representing creative talent in Los Angeles and as a policy analyst for the governor of Alaska. He served as an adjunct professor of entertainment law at Western State University College of Law and was a longtime BookPAL for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
Bennett received his Bachelor of Arts in history from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California. He received the Judge Barry Russell Award for Outstanding Achievement in Federal Courts and Practice, presented by the Federal Bar Association. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York and the District of Columbia. When he is not working on behalf of SAG-AFTRA members, Bennett and his wife, Jamie, try to keep up with their two young children, Charlie and Sam.