NINA L. SHAW

"If you want to be a woman in power, then empower other women."

– NLS

Nina is a founding partner in the entertainment law firm of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano. Her practice is in the television, motion picture, and live stage area. A native New Yorker, Nina was born and raised in Harlem and The Bronx, educated in the New York City public school system and is a graduate of Barnard College and Columbia Law School.

Nina has a long-standing commitment to the education of children and in particular is an advocate for the education of girls and women. She is currently Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs. Additionally, Nina is among the founding organizers of Time’s Up.

She is a Variety Dealmaker Impact honoree and has been named repeatedly to The Hollywood Reporter’s “Women in Entertainment Power 100” list. She has been named Entertainment Lawyer of the Year by the Beverly Hills Bar Association. In 2016 Nina was profiled in the New York Times: “She’s the Hollywood Power Behind Those Seeking a Voice.” In 2019 Nina received Columbia Law School’s prestigious Medal for Excellence Award, the Athena Film Festival Athena Award and the NAACP LDF National Equal Justice Award. Most recently, she was featured in Harper’s Bazaar August 2020 issue among changemakers who are reshaping the way we think about art, identity and progress.

As a girl, Nina was profoundly influenced by her great grandmother, Mary Catlett Hardy. Nana to her grandchildren and great grands alike, she was a fine seamstress whose attention to detail was a hallmark of not only her work, but of her very life. Nina remembers them sewing clothing for her Barbies. Even when working together to sew outfits for dolls, Nana instilled in Nina patience, the need to do it right, to pay attention to each stitch, each detail, and to not take shortcuts "even if it was just for Barbie." 

Now, as a married mother of two grown-ups, her nana's teachings permeate every aspect of Nina's life. She's particularly proud of the fact that she's been able to honor and preserve the legacy of Mary Catlett Hardy.