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Pryor Cashman partners Howard Siegel and James Janowitz have been named by The Hollywood Reporter and The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. as being among the Top 100 Power Lawyers in the entertainment industry.

The July 24-30, 2007 edition of The Hollywood Reporter and the July 24-August 6, 2007 special edition of The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. note how “some of the most plugged-in entertainment and media lawyers and business affairs executives nationwide” were asked “to nominate the most influential attorneys in various categories.” After a rigorous screening process the Top 100 Power Lawyers were selected.

The article contains the following profiles of Siegel and Janowitz:

Howard Siegel

Active in the New York Bar Assn.’s entertainment section, Siegel built his practice representing East Coast talents like Aerosmith, Paul Schaeffer, Bill Wyman, Steven Van Zandt and agent Don Buchwald (who awards Siegel “five stars”). But experience with Backstreet Boys and a gig representing early “American Idol” finalists Justin Guarini and Ruben Studdard led the Harley enthusiast to be chosen this year to rep all the show’s finalists. Did he have any leverage?  “If you have a TV show that is being watched by 30 million people each week and you have 24 (candidates) who have gotten to the final stage and have signed no paper,” he says, “It seems to me there is leverage to be had.”

Testimony:  “Howard Siegel is my favorite lawyer,” says Van Zandt of “The Sopranos” and the E-Street Band. “He’s also my only lawyer.  Whenever I’ve faltered, he’s kept me focused on my life-long goal: to break even.  And with his help – and billing – I might just get there.”

James Janowitz

With one toe in the producer’s world and the other in investment banking, Janowitz’s phone number is popular these days. Yet his favored approach is to make the first call to a producer whose work he appreciate to propose a big finance deal.  With a litigation practice on the side and as the chair of his well-connected firm’s entertainment group, Janowitz has represented studios and producers in one deal and Wall Street interests in the next. In March, he represented global investment firm TPG-Axon Capital in a groundbreaking $205 million deal to finance a slate of films from Groundswell Prods. CEO Michael London, the first deal to fund a producer without a distribution agreement in place. He also regularly handles M&A and joint venture deals in the film world.

Testimony:  “Janowitz has a tremendous understanding of both the transactional and legal side of our business, which makes working with him and lawyers of his type much more efficient when negotiating deals,” says MGM COO Rick Sands.