Jones Walker Expands Entertainment Practice with Addition of Martinez Barbanell LLP Co-Founders

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Walker is pleased to announce that Jose Martinez, Jr. and Nikki L. Barbanell have joined the firm as special counsel in the Entertainment Law Practice Group.

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Mr. Martinez and Ms. Barbanell co-founded Martinez Barbanell LLP, a boutique law firm which represented distributors, investors, lenders, producers, and talent in all facets of development, production, finance, acquisition, and distribution of film, music, and entertainment. The firm represented notable motion pictures that have gone to compete in Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca, and Cannes. Recent productions include The Lifeguard and Ass Backwards, premiering at Sundance 2013.

"We are thrilled to have Jose and Nikki join the firm. They bring with them extensive industry experience that will be of great value to clients at a time when the growth of the entertainment industry in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast is booming," says William H. Hines, Managing Partner.

Prior to joining Jones Walker, Mr. Martinez worked as special counsel for The Marshall Firm and also worked with Palm Pictures as co-founder of Arthouse Films, which distributes and produces 10 titles a year. In 2007, he became General Counsel of Maya Cinemas North America, Inc., a developer of state-of-the-art movie theaters in the State of California and the western United States. In 2008, he co-founded a mini studio dedicated to the production, acquisition, and distribution of Latino themed entertainment content and served as General Counsel, President, and Head Acquisitions. Mr. Martinez is also a founder of www.latinoreview.com, an on-line entertainment news source viewed through a Hispanic lens. In addition to Mr. Martinez's legal duties, he has also co-produced a number of motion pictures and co-founded the Santa Fe Film Festival.

"We are excited about joining Jones Walker given the firm's prestige, resources, and growing footprint," says Jose Martinez. "The film industry is expanding rapidly in Louisiana, and it is the perfect time to augment the practice with our film production and distribution experience in New York and Los Angeles."

Ms. Barbanell began her legal career in the Motion Picture Legal Department of Paramount Pictures, where she worked on notable Paramount titles such as J.J. Abrams' Star Trek and M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender. Thereafter, Ms. Barbanell was an attorney for an independent production and distribution company, where she helped produce a Sundance 2010 pick for dramatic competition.

About Jones Walker
Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre L.L.P. (www.joneswalker.com), with more than 375 attorneys, provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas.

About Jones Walker's Entertainment Law Practice Group
Jones Walker is committed to the support and growth of the entertainment industry, having represented film studios, independent film production entities, film financers, talent management agencies, professional sports franchises, restaurant and hotel franchises, music recording companies, radio communications entities, digital entertainment companies and established actors, musicians, directors, athletes, and artists. Our team of entertainment professionals possess in-depth industry knowledge, providing clients with practical legal, business and creative advice necessary to compete in today's marketplace.

For additional information, visit Jones Walker's Entertainment Law Practice Group, or contact:

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SOURCE Jones Walker