Monica Pa Moye Finds Magic In-House

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It was a tale as old as time. Monica Pa Moye was closing in on ten years as a law firm associate in New York City.

After graduating magna cum laude from New York University (NYU) School of Law and clerking on the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, she had climbed the ranks of major Manhattan firms like Sonnenschein and Davis Wright Tremaine. She had gathered broad litigation experience in royalty accounting disputes, copyright infringement claims, defamation allegations, and complaints of theft of ideas. The attorney represented major publishing, entertainment and television companies, well-known talent, and movie studios.

But after a decade, Moye discovered that the fast-paced, high-billing big city firm life wasn’t the right fit for her. In 2011, she moved to Los Angeles and joined the Walt Disney Company as an in-house litigator focused on copyright enforcement.

Moye has emerged as principal counsel and a key part of Disney’s robust internal team more than twelve years later. After managing copyright infringement cases against illegal streaming pirate sites in the United States and abroad for nearly a decade, she moved to general litigation. This includes a defamation dispute for a highly popular docuseries, responding to a subpoena from a prosecutor to obtain news gathering materials, litigating a multimillion-dollar licensing dispute before a Chinese arbitration panel, and managing production injuries that occur on production sets around the world.

“I’m an industry generalist. While I do have areas of expertise, I get to contribute without feeling siloed or stuck in my profession. I’m always learning.”

Monica Pa Moye

“Working in-house at a leading entertainment company is a great fit for me because I can use the experience I built at firms but stay active in broad areas of the law that impact what we do here on a daily basis,” she says. “I’m an industry generalist. While I do have areas of expertise, I get to contribute without feeling siloed or stuck in my profession. I’m always learning.”

For Moye, success has come as she’s learned to balance the demands of work with her obligations at home and in the community. She recalls working on a major copyright infringement case in the final weeks of her first pregnancy. ABC and other television broadcasters were suing Aereo, an online streaming service funded in part by mogul Barry Diller that used tiny antennas to stream live television content to subscribers.

Moye’s daughter was born while the case was pending before the US Supreme Court. A few months later, the justices ruled in favor of the television broadcasters, issuing a landmark copyright decision in 2014.

Her position at Disney is just one of many ways Moye uses her talents. She’s a basketball coach, a diversity, equity, and inclusion advocate, and a lead pro bono lawyer. She is also an adjunct faculty member at University of Southern California Gould School of Law, teaching courses in intellectual property and copyright law.

The Taiwanese American was raised by a single mother who was an accountant at a correctional facility after her family immigrated to the US. For three years, she lived with her family inside San Quentin’s employee housing complex. Moye graduated from high school early, earned her bachelor’s degree in women’s studies and politics, and spent a year working at a domestic violence emergency shelter before enrolling at University of California (UC) Hastings (now UC Law San Francisco), ultimately transferring to NYU Law School.

These early experiences have deeply affected how Moye spends her time in and out of the office. She works on various pro bono initiatives and has represented Los Angeles families who adopt children in the foster care system by appearing on their behalf at adoption proceedings. She also advocates for adopting parents to receive benefits and support for children who often experience significant emotional or physical abuse.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do interesting legal work and to give back to the community in a way that makes a meaningful difference.”

Monica Pa Moye

Recently, Moye represented a female service member in her application before the US Department of the Navy to upgrade her discharge status to honorable because the service member had been the victim of military sexual violence. Moye is currently preparing an asylum application for an Afghan national who fled in August 2021 after receiving death threats from the Taliban for his prior support of the Afghan National Army. 

Moye gives back in a personal capacity, as well. She coaches her two children in public Los Angeles Parks and Recreation sports leagues at a center in a nearby working-class neighborhood. “I believe rec centers serve a crucial public service,” she says. “As a member of the center’s public advisory board, this is one of the most direct ways to provide services and support to kids and families while fostering community and supporting a healthy lifestyle.”

Before becoming volunteer coach, Moye hadn’t picked up a basketball in almost thirty years. Doing so fulfilled part of a challenge she made to herself. “I try to be thoughtful in how I direct my own life. I think that means one has to assess their path every few years and always stay open to trying new things,” she explains.

The principal counsel encourages her law students and young lawyers to think about how to be thoughtful in carving out a meaningful career and a balanced life. As a copyright and entertainment lawyer, she finds fulfillment using her degree to guide a top company while taking on pro bono cases, and making an impact on schools, public sports leagues, and the greater community.

“I no longer identify myself as a face-paced New York entertainment lawyer,” she says. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do interesting legal work and to give back to the community in a way that makes a meaningful difference.”

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