Jon D. Cantor

Senior Counsel


Jon Cantor might not appear in the credits, but the deals he strikes contribute to the launch of feature films, documentaries, television shows, streaming series, and live events.

Not only a savvy transactions lawyer but also a fierce business litigator, Jon anticipates the risks that threaten clients throughout the entertainment and sports world, and he advocates to protect their interests.

Whether seated next to them across the negotiating table or on the other side of the courtroom, Jon has earned the respect of major studios, production companies, investors, advertisers, animators, filmmakers, athletes, sports team owners, and league officials.

His business savvy isn't limited to entertainment law. Jon also represents clients—many without in-house counsel—in real estate, construction, corporate, commercial, and employment matters.

Jon's sports and entertainment law repertoire encompasses various media platforms and all stages of the creative development process, from obtaining story rights and securing talent to arranging financing and investment.

He has negotiated agreements with—and for—Walt Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount Pictures, Marvel, DreamWorks, Netflix, and General Motors, as well as the NFL and the CART Association.

When disagreements escalate into disputes, Jon aggressively defends clients' rights, such as securing an injunction against releasing an Aretha Franklin documentary hours before its Telluride Film Festival debut.

In his construction law practice, Jon represents general contractors, subcontractors, developers, and investors. He advises on business entity selection and formation, operating agreements, and financing arrangements on the front end, and he negotiates contracts throughout the business's or development's lifecycle. He also counsels clients on property transfers, buy/sell agreements, and other exit strategies.

In court, he ensures clients either avoid liability or get paid by litigating construction defect claims, enforcing mechanic's liens, and bringing and defending breach of contract actions.

Jon has also pursued pro bono matters involving prisoners' and victims' rights. He has filed and argued habeas corpus petitions for death-row inmates, and in another pro bono case, he collected an aging civil judgment against a convicted sex trafficker in favor of a survivor.

I see myself as a Swiss Army knife. I can deploy different tools and tactics depending on the situation to get clients the results they need.
    • University of San Fernando Valley, J.D., Law Review
    • California State University at Northridge, B.A.
  • Bar Admissions

    • California
  • Court Admissions

    • Supreme Court of California
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
    • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, 2023 and 2024

    • Selected for Who's Who in the World, 2008-2009 edition
    • Recipient of the Margaret A. Costello Pro Bono Award in 2008 for Outstanding Pro Bono Service to an inmate on Death Row
    • California State Bar Association
    • Los Angeles Bar Association
    • Visiting Professor of American Business Law, Center for International Legal Studies (Salzburg, Austria), Odessa National Academy of Law (Odessa, Ukraine), Fall 2008
    • Los Angeles County Bar Association Committee for Judicial Elections
    • State of California Small Business Committee

Contact

Areas of client focus

Industries

Construction