CDAS Brings in Former Penguin Group EVP to Expand Its Publishing and Litigation Practice

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owan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP (CDAS) is proud to announce the addition of prominent publishing attorney Alex Gigante, formerly Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs for Penguin Group (USA) LLC, who has joined the firm as Special Counsel.

Through October 2014, Mr. Gigante also will continue his association with Penguin Random House LLC in the part-time position of Senior Counsel.

Mr. Gigante began his former position at the then newly formed Penguin Putnam in April 1997. Before joining Penguin, Mr. Gigante was a partner in his own litigation law firm for thirteen years, specializing in intellectual-property matters, with particular emphasis on book publishing.  Between 1982 and 1984, Mr. Gigante was general counsel of Simon & Schuster, after gaining extensive litigation experience at Proskauer Rose.  Mr. Gigante graduated from Brooklyn College, with a B.A. in American History, and received his J.D. from NYU Law School.

Mr. Gigante was attracted to CDAS because of its forward-looking perspective and dedication to offering excellent legal services in the fields of IP and entertainment law. “CDAS provides in-depth expertise in publishing law and intellectual-property law generally to rival other top intellectual-property firms of all sizes.  In particular, it is a proven leader and innovator in digital publishing, social media and cross-platform transactions,” Mr. Gigante observed.  He continued “I am excited to join the firm’s dynamic publishing practice.  “We are pleased to pair Alex’s decades long publishing and litigation practice with CDAS’s cutting edge IP and Entertainment focus in the expanding digital media arena,” explained Kenneth N. Swezey, CDAS’s Managing Partner.  “One of our goals is to enable our clients to successfully explore all the opportunities that new distribution platforms and technologies offer to publishers, journalists and authors. Alex is a perfect addition to the firm.” CDAS Partner Ellis B. Levine added “Alex is greatly respected within the book publishing industry.  Having had the pleasure to work with him in the past, I am excited for him to bring his considerable expertise to CDAS.”

More information about Alex Gigante is available here.

About Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP

For over 25 years, Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard has provided legal counsel to leading media and entertainment clients.  A boutique firm, it provides transactional services to the media and entertainment industry, handles all forms of copyright, trademark and media disputes and has a rapidly growing digital media and venture law practice. www.cdas.com

Filed in: News

January 23, 2014