Legal 500 Names Pryor Cashman a Top Firm for 10th Consecutive Year
For the 10th straight year, The Legal 500 has named Pryor Cashman a top U.S. law firm. 11 of the firm’s partners were recommended as leading practitioners in their fields, while the Media + Entertainment, Immigration, Intellectual Property and M&A practices were ranked among the best in the country.
A Leading Copyright Practice
Legal 500 praised the firm’s Intellectual Property: Copyright practice, highlighting its successful representation of Jay Z, Mike Dean and others in an infringement suit concerning the hit song “Made in America,” as well as its work on behalf of the National Music Publishers Association, for whom the firm secured a $30 million settlement in a matter involving unmatched and unpaid song royalties.
In addition to its work for clients in the music industry, Legal 500 noted the practice “regularly handles matters for motion picture studios” and filmmakers, including Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company.
Donald Zakarin, Chair of the Litigation Group, Brad Rose, Chair of the Intellectual Property Group, and Copyright Co-Chairs Frank Scibilia and Tom Ferber were all recommended for their expertise in this area.
Excellence in Media + Entertainment Matters
Chaired by James Janowitz, the Media + Entertainment Group was recognized for its “contentious expertise, particularly in copyright and trademark issues for music industry clients.”
Rose and Ferber were also lauded in this category, thanks in part to their successful representation of Beyoncé Knowles in a copyright infringement suit concerning the trailer for her #1 Billboard 200 album, Lemonade.
Legal 500 also referenced Scibilia’s defense of Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies in a lawsuit regarding royalties from the band’s highly successful theme song for the television series The Big Bang Theory.
Litigation Partner David Rose and Zakarin were also recommended as top attorneys in this space.
Preeminent Immigration Attorneys
The firm’s Immigration Group was lauded by Legal 500 as “a key player in sports immigration matters, representing a wide variety of leagues, teams and athletes.” The Group’s “strength in advising on immigration issues in the education, entertainment, financial services, pharmaceutical and technology sectors,” was also recognized.
Practice Chair Colleen Caden was recommended for her “experience in immigration planning, policy development and corporate support issues, while Partner Avram Morell was named the “go-to lawyer for complex issues” involving global mobility, foreign talent recruitment, and 1-9 compliance, among others.
Top Advisors for Middle-Market M&A
The M&A + Private Equity practice also received top honors, with Legal 500 noting its “particular focus on middle-market companies and their investors.” The rankings highlighted the group’s work “on behalf of drug development company Marina Biotech, in its wholly owned subsidiary’s merger with IthenaPharma; advising pet product company Worldwise on its acquisition of pet accessories brand SHERPA; and assisting Consumer Testing Laboratories, a multinational retail testing company, with its sale to global independent safety science company, UL.”
Practice co-chairs John Crowe, Richard Frazer and Stephen Goodman were recommended as leading attorneys in this area.
Complete 2017 Legal 500 Rankings
The Legal 500 U.S. rankings are based on work achievements, depth and experience of practice, and independent interviews with clients and peer law firms across the country. The awards are given to the elite legal practitioners, based on the most comprehensive research into the U.S. legal market.
To view the complete 2017 rankings, please visit here.
