Jonathan Freiman

Practice Areas

Jonathan Freiman co-chairs Wiggin’s Art and Museum Law practice group along with Dave Hall, the first Special Prosecutor to FBI Art Crime Team. Jonathan represents clients in some of the most significant art law disputes in the United States. He successfully defended a client’s title to one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, The Night Café, garnered a U.S. Supreme Court victory for Germany and the Berlin equivalent of the Smithsonian in a case alleging that a major collection of medieval art was obtained through duress in the Nazi era, and following it up with a D.C. Circuit victory on remand. He represented Yale University in its litigation with the Government of Peru over Incan artifacts from Machu Picchu. He regularly counsels clients on the investigation and resolution of claims involving a wide range of issues involving art and artifacts, and he assists collectors and museums outside the U.S. in understanding, defending and resolving claims involving U.S. law. He has represented artists, estates, individual collectors, dealers, museums, universities and other cultural institutions in claims involving provenance, title, authenticity, export law, copyright, auctions, private sales, loans, collections practices, appraisals major donations, and NAGPRA and related issues. Non-profit clients often call on him for assistance with governance issues, including the establishment of collections management policies and protocols for the investigation and response to claims. He also represents clients on issues involving other collectibles, such as rare automobiles, coins, and fossils.

Clients have described Jonathan in confidential interviews to attorney rating publications as “absolutely brilliant,” “a fiercely bright” “who handles high end problems,” “a very cost-effective resource in contentious matters,” “extraordinarily bright and practical…a rare combination and one that provides tremendous value to his clients,” “an exceptional advocate,” “absolutely outstanding,” “knowledgeable, erudite, incredibly articulate and strategically excellent.”

In addition to representing some of the world’s most famous art museums and natural history museums, Jonathan was the first practicing lawyer to teach Art and Artifacts Law at Yale Law School. He has lectured widely at both law schools and art schools.

Professional Memberships

American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, American Bar Association, American Bar Foundation - Life Fellow, Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Foundation - Life Fellow, Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society, International Bar Association, Committee on Art, Cultural Institutions and Heritage Law, and the United States Supreme Court Historical Society.

Personal

J.D., Yale Law School

B.A., Oberlin College