Date: August 31, 2010
Names of Attorneys: James Schwab, D. Branch Furtado, and Adam Hahn
Name of Firm: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Client Served: Downtown Community Television Center (“DCTV”)

Accomplishment: Assisted DCTV with the successful negotiation of licenses and other documentation for $1.4 million in capital funding from NYC Department of Design and Construction toward a new DCTV cinema.
 

Specific Case Highlights: Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV) was founded in 1972 to foster a diverse and inclusive media arts community. DCTV pursues its educational mission by introducing community members to the basics of electronic media through hundreds of free or low-cost production courses, and over the past 35 years DCTV has taught over 50,000 students the basics of television production. Most of the students are from low-income and minority communities.

New York City’s Department of Design and Construction awarded $1,414,000 to DCTV for the renovation of a 74-seat state-of-the-art digital public cinema at the DCTV premises. DCTV came to Lawyers Alliance for assistance with the negotiation, review and preparation of legal documents associated with the capital funding. James Schwab, D. Branch Furtado, and Adam Hahn of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP assisted with the review, negotiation and delivery to the City of contracts including a License Agreement and a Declaration of Restrictive Covenant, as well as all necessary supporting corporate documentation, which DCTV was required to enter into in connection with this award.

The new DCTV Cinema will serve as a destination screen and assembly space where established and emerging media artists and audiences will interact on a regular basis. They will participate not just in viewing completed works, but in the process of creation itself. After its 2010 opening the DCTV Cinema will feature over 200 cultural and screen events in the first year at which audiences and artists will watch, shape, and act on new media art work. A large international virtual audience will also be invited to attend most DCTV Cinema events via interactive webcasts.

About Lawyers Alliance for New York: Lawyers Alliance for New York is the leading provider of business and transactional legal services for nonprofit organizations that are improving the quality of life in New York City neighborhoods. Our network of pro bono lawyers from law firms and corporations and staff of experienced attorneys work together, delivering expert corporate, tax, real estate, employment, and other legal services to community organizations. By connecting lawyers, nonprofits, and communities, we help nonprofits to develop affordable housing, stimulate economic development, and operate vital programs for children and young people, the elderly, recent immigrants, and other low-income New Yorkers. Each year, the 13 staff attorneys at Lawyers Alliance and 1400 volunteers serve more than 550 clients.

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