Joseph Lewczak is one of the most experienced advertising, marketing and promotions lawyers in the country. He helps clients ranging from creative, media and public relations agencies to retailers and video game companies assess legal risk and make informed decisions when launching high-impact campaigns for innovative technologies, products and services.
Joseph’s clients need the right answers fast. Often acting as “legal quarterback” in major, multinational marketing and promotional campaigns, he coordinates between agency teams, in-house counsel and other stakeholders to ensure legal compliance across all aspects before launch, including a broad array of intellectual property, advertising, marketing and promotions issues. Whether he’s counseling the smallest agency start-up or the world’s largest communications industry holding company, clients appreciate his uncanny ability to cut through legalese and craft efficient, business-oriented solutions.
Taking a “never say can’t” approach, Joseph is there when his clients need a simple gut check for an idea or when they are developing complex plans for a product or service launch. He advises on strategies to increase brand impressions through a wide array of marketing and promotional tactics, including the use of endorsements and testimonials in social media and beyond, claim support and product demonstrations in more traditional advertising, and sweepstakes and contests and other promotional tools. Joseph bases his advice not only on his legal knowledge, but also on his keen awareness of enterprise risk tolerance.
Joseph has negotiated an endless number of complex talent, production, licensing, sponsorship and agency agreements, worth anywhere from thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars. His clear, practical advice helps clients overcome differences to find common ground.
Before joining Davis+Gilbert, Joseph served as in-house counsel for EMI Music, gaining in-house knowledge that helps him anticipate and address client needs early in the creative process. His experience as an adjunct professor of advertising law at New York Law School and UCLA has deepened his interest in and respect for the history and legal bedrock of advertising law, while further sharpening his ability to spot potential issues and advise on novel legal scenarios.
Joseph is a professional songwriter and guitarist in an indie pop duo with his wife. His intimate knowledge of the music and creative industries gives him an added edge in understanding the pressures his clients face.
