Announcing The Signature Film

If you’ve worked with us on Plaintiff Documentaries, you know we bring empathy, craft, and precision to your clients' stories. Adjusting the camera slightly, The Signature Film applies that same care to your life’s work - expanding the emotional range, visual style, and personal depth beyond case-focused storytelling. We capture the person behind the profession, creating a film that feels both significant and deeply personal, honoring your career for years to come.

Our Q&A with The Signature Film's Director, Leo Pfeifer:

Q: So why are you interested in doing this kind of work? 

A: There are so many incredible stories of people who have dedicated their lives to justice, and the people they've helped, the impact that they've made, and the vivid, vibrant personalities they have. Whether that's someone's retirement, or a milestone, or a moment in their career they want to reflect back on, or a way they can show potential clients and peers who they are. I think it's a worthy thing to explore. 

Q: Is there a reason this particular niche of filmmaking is more appealing to you than others?

A: I think if I weren't a filmmaker, there's a good chance I'd be a lawyer. So I'd probably be happier and more miserable at the same time. But there are a few ways I have a connection. One, I think it's storytelling. I am a storyteller in my work, and I think great attorneys are storytellers at their core. Secondly, Catie and Mitchell were the first people who ever hired me to do anything in the film world, so my introduction to film was through a legal lens. I began as a young editor for them, started filming and now my focus is directing.  

Q: Do you think lawyers get the respect they deserve? 

A: If lawyers can also be seen as storytellers in our society, then, yes. For millennia, storytellers have been the linchpin of social groups; the keepers of history. That has evolved into actors and actresses, simply because they tell the best stories. People generally talk about how teachers should receive more attention. I think the same for lawyers. Lawyers should never be the punchline of a joke.  So I feel these Signature Films will bring a certain amount of much-deserved respect to a virtuous career, focusing on the people who devote their lives trying to hold those who’ve done wrong accountable.

Q: Why do you like shooting documentaries in particular?

A: I love documentaries because I'm able to tell real stories that matter and share them with a larger audience. Let me back up: for me, the amazing gift of making documentaries is finding a story in the world that I think profoundly matters and getting to come in and meet that person and make a connection and get to know them in their environment and then make a film that shares that story with the world, and that tells that story in a way that people connect with and generates empathy and understanding and creates a call to action. I love that so much, and then I love getting to make things that can help make a little difference in the world, that can help be a little bit of fuel for a positive change, or help commemorate something important, or help someone sort of get their story on the record. Selfishly, I get to take these field trips all the time and I get to immerse myself in something that I never otherwise would have. I've spent time at a high school in the Bronx with a program that does therapy through hip hop, I've spent time with a family on the border in Texas who have experienced a lot of hardships, I've spent time with a blind skateboarder making a mark in that sport, I've spent time with extraordinary people who lead extraordinary lives. It's unbelievably enriching.