James A. Janowitz
James Janowitz
New York
New York (NY)
Entertainment & Sports
Business Litigation
Banking
Profile
James Janowitz is Chair of the Entertainment Group and a senior partner in the Litigation Group. His practice in the Entertainment Group focuses primarily on film financing and production. Together with an interdisciplinary team assembled from the firm’s entertainment, finance and corporate groups, he has led numerous complex multi-picture financings as well as the financing of individual pictures and other assets. He devotes significant attention to representing senior executives of major studios and major film companies in connection with their employment agreements, the structuring of benefits and disputes which may occur.
Pryor Cashman’s film practice, headed by Mr. Janowitz, covers a wide variety of film production and finance. Within the past year, Mr. Janowitz has represented both producers and lenders with respect to film financings which typically include both senior and subordinated debt as well as monetization of tax benefits. Other representative matters include:
- Structured finance transactions including complex capital structures involving equity, sub-debt and senior debt
- Assisted in launching new film distributors
- Representing lenders in connection with bridge loans and collateralization of multi-picture transactions
- Representing lenders in connection with library acquisitions and collateralization of library assets
- Various joint ventures between distributors and investors for both live action and animated films
- Mergers and acquisitions of film companies
- Negotiation of studio out-put deals
- Negotiation of employment agreements for high level studio executives and executives at major independent film companies
- Purchase of complex film rights in bankruptcy
Mr. Janowitz' litigation practice focuses on complex commercial litigation. His practice is broadly based and he has experience in a wide variety of class action and RICO litigation, as well as entertainment litigation. He is currently representing institutional investors in a securities fraud action against Paramount Pictures.
Selected To
New York Super Lawyers 2011 - Metro Edition
New York Super Lawyers 2010 - Metro
New York Super Lawyers 2009 - Metro
New York Super Lawyers 2008 - Metro
New York Super Lawyers 2007 - Metro
Top Lists
About James Janowitz
Admitted: 1972, New York
Professional Webpage: www.pryorcashman.com/attorneys-63.html
Honors and Awards:
- Named as “Super Lawyer” in Entertainment by Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition magazine (2009)
- Named by The Best Lawyers In America as one of the leading attorneys in Entertainment Law (2010, 2011 & 2012 editions)
- Named by Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, as one of the top attorneys in Media and Entertainment (2009-11 editions)
- Named among the “Best Of The Best” attorneys in Entertainment by Best of the Best USA 2009
- Named in “Super Lawyers” under Entertainment in New York Super Lawyers – Metro Edition magazine (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011 editions)
- Named by The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. as one of the “100 Most Influential Attorneys in Entertainment” in its “Power Lawyers” selections (2007, 2008, 2009 & 2011 editions)
- Named by Legal 500 – Intellectual Property, Technology, Media & Telecoms US as one of the top attorneys in the areas of Film Production and Finance, Media and Intellectual Property (2007-08 editions)
- Selected for inclusion in Who's Who In America
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Professional Affiliations: New York State Bar Association; Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
- Bar Admissions: New York (1972); U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1974); U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (1973)
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- Teaching Positions: Instructor, Entertainment Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Guest Lecturer, Columbia University joint program class offered by the Law, Film and Business Schools.
- Speaking Engagements: Presenter, Employment Issues Affecting The Entrance And Exit Of Attorneys From Private Firms And Corporate Environments, New York State Bar Association 2010 Annual Meeting, Corporate Counsel Section, New York City (January 27, 2010); Guest Lecturer on Hedge Fund Investment In Media at SJ Berwin’s Media Asset Financing Conference (June 2007);Guest Lecturer on Latin Films Funds and Financing at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival (September 2006).
Educational Background:
- J.D., New York University School of Law, 1971
- B.A., Haverford College, 1967
James A. Janowitz:
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