Since the founding of Weaver Justice Shields in the early 2000s, we have had an active and core entertainment practice, representing clients in entertainment transactions, finance, and litigation.
Weaver Justice Shields was one of the first law firms in London to initiate a practice focusing on entertainment finance and has been a leader in the field throughout the firm’s history. We also have a robust expertise in intellectual property and media matters in support of the entertainment industry. Our clients include leading companies in the trade, as well as innovators, producers, programmers, and performers who may be well established or who are new to the business and needing a guiding hand. Weaver Justice Shields is positioned to support client needs in multiple countries; we are active members of a worldwide network of law firms, and we have worked regularly with clients and co-counsel in many countries.
Weaver Justice Shields has represented more than twenty domestic and international banks and numerous private funds and lenders in their entertainment lending activities and in the acquisition of film and television libraries. In addition, our firm has represented many independent entertainment companies in their business activities, leading to the financing of more than 600 film and television projects. The entertainment finance services for Weaver Justice Shields clients include:
Weaver Justice Shields offers a full range of services to clients in the entertainment industry, including clients in the motion picture, television, publishing, and multimedia sectors. Among our clients are distributors, producers, financiers, actors, writers, and directors from all parts of the world. We support clients with every phase of their projects, from initial strategizing and structuring through negotiating and documenting the various transactions that each project entails. After a project is completed, we help bring it to the market, addressing licensing issues, participation audits, infringements of rights, and dispute resolution. We pride ourselves on being results oriented and keeping a strong focus on our clients’ business needs, with a goal toward offering innovative and effective solutions to the problems our clients face.
Weaver Justice Shields handles a broad range of entertainment-related litigation on behalf of television networks, entertainment finance lenders, distributors, producers, talent, and individuals. We regularly represent production companies in disputes with various entertainment guilds, including the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America. As part of our entertainment litigation practice, we advise on issues related to copyright, trademark, First Amendment, defamation, right of publicity, privacy, intrusion, idea submission, and profit participation, as well as on a wide range of breach of contract disputes.