As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the legal framework underpinning the event is rapidly expanding to match the scale and complexity of the undertaking. Elisabeth Freinberg, chief legal officer and general counsel of LA28, leads a growing legal team tasked with addressing myriad challenges ahead of the international sporting event.

Freinberg, who oversees a department of more than 40 legal professionals, paralegals, and support staff, described the current phase as a transition from planning to execution. The organization itself is expected to grow from approximately 720 employees to over 5,000 within the next two years. This expansion reflects the vast operational scope involved in hosting an event that will welcome thousands of athletes, scores of international dignitaries, millions of spectators, and a global television audience.

The legal team is engaged in a wide range of responsibilities, including negotiating contracts, managing leases, securing sponsorship agreements, addressing intellectual property rights, navigating labor laws, and working on venue arrangements. They also collaborate closely with city officials across Southern California and federal agencies charged with security for the Games.

Freinberg’s current role builds on a diverse legal career that spans litigation, entertainment, and media law. She began her career clerking and later practiced as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where she had occasional interactions with Charlie Munger of the Daily Journal. Transitioning into the entertainment sector, she spent nearly a decade at Warner Bros., where she managed legal issues arising from the advent of streaming technology, digital content, and new distribution platforms.

Notably, Freinberg served as in-house counsel for TMZ during a period marked by legal controversies around celebrity journalism. She helped develop policies addressing complex matters such as privacy rights, defamation, surreptitious recordings, and newsgathering ethics, especially following the high-profile Hulk Hogan lawsuit against Gawker involving secretly recorded material.

Her work at Warner Bros. also included pioneering projects involving direct-to-consumer initiatives, digital comic book distribution for DC Entertainment, and early ventures into augmented and virtual reality technologies. These experiences provided Freinberg with a comprehensive understanding of content production, broadcasting, and intellectual property—key areas relevant to the Olympics’ global media operations.

Freinberg joined LA28 initially to oversee commercial legal matters including sponsorships, licensing, and major business transactions. She was recruited through a former colleague who previously served as the organization’s chief legal officer before moving to the Biden administration. At the time, LA28 was a small organization focused primarily on fundraising and strategic planning.

Now, as the organization gears up for the 2028 Games, Freinberg and her team are tasked with overseeing thousands of legal decisions required to ensure a smooth, secure, and legally compliant event of unprecedented scale in Los Angeles.