MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

The Entertainment Practice Group includes partners, Peter A. Cross and Barry S. Schaevitz, as well as Donald C. Farber, counsel to the firm. The group represents theatrical productions, theatre companies, actors, actresses, directors, producers, authors and creative people in many aspects of theatre, film, media and the arts.

Mr. Cross brings over thirty years of varied experience to the group. He is Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/ New York, the umbrella organization for over 400 not-for-profit theatres in New York. He provides a wide range of legal services to theatre companies, filmmakers, producers and performing artists. He often brings his litigation and dispute resolution skills to bear in assisting clients in the resolution of contractual disputes. Mr. Schaevitz brings broad corporate commercial and regulatory experience to the group. Mr. Farber is widely recognized as one of the foremost theatre lawyers in the United States. He is the founding General Editor (Author of the Theatre Volume) of Entertainment Industry Contracts, a best-selling 10 volume series published by Lexis/Nexis. He is the author of the well-known reference work, Producing Theatre, A Comprehensive Legal and Business Guide, now in its third edition.

Representative Clients and Matters

Jacob, Medinger & Finnegan's representative media and entertainment clients include:

  • Kurt Vonnegut;
  • The Stratford Festival of Canada;
  • Theaters such as: The Classical Theatre of Harlem, The Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America, German Theatre Abroad, Aquila Theatre Company, The Lark Theatre Company;
  • The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York;  
  • The Art Party, founded by Alan Cumming;
  • The film Tarnation and its creator, Jonathan Caouette, who garnered raves at the 2004 Sundance, Cannes, New York and Toronto Film Festivals;
  • Estelle Parsons, as producer and director of Al Pacino and Marisa Tomei in Salome on Broadway;
  • The literary estate of C.A. Tripp, author of the controversial work The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln.