Benjamin West Janke

Benjamin West Janke is a Shareholder in Baker Donelson’s New Orleans office and a seasoned trial attorney with nearly two decades of experience handling complex litigation. He represents clients in intellectual property, commercial, construction, and financial disputes, including high-profile and bet-the-company matters. His trial record includes judge and jury trials, injunctions, and arbitration proceedings nationwide.

Benjamin earned his B.S. and M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University before receiving both his J.D. and B.C.L., magna cum laude, from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 2008. During law school, he served as Production Editor of the Louisiana Law Review and was active in multiple academic and professional organizations. He is admitted to all Louisiana courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit, and federal district courts across Louisiana.

Benjamin’s practice includes extensive work in trademark, copyright, trade secret, and media law, with significant national and global experience in protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights. He regularly advises clients on issues involving the Lanham Act, DMCA, and international IP treaties. Additionally, he advises companies on media and First Amendment matters, including defamation, name, image, and likeness issues.

Benjamin also has substantial experience in business and construction litigation, frequently representing engineering and construction companies in high-stakes disputes. In the area of commercial finance, he has managed major foreclosures and restructurings, helping recover or protect hundreds of millions of dollars in secured assets. Beyond his litigation practice, he contributes to legal reform as a member of the Louisiana State Law Institute, where he publishes extensively on comparative law and reform issues.

Through his combination of trial skill, intellectual property knowledge, and business litigation experience, Benjamin West Janke provides comprehensive and pragmatic legal representation to clients across industries.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
• Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
• Member, New Orleans Bar Association
• Member, Federal Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, International Trademark Association
• Member, The Federalist Society
• Member and Treasurer, Louisiana Supreme Court Historical Society
• Member, Historic New Orleans Collection
• Member, Louisiana State Law Institute Council
• Member, Association Henri Capitant
• Member, Order of the Coif

Licensed State

• Louisiana

Education

• Louisiana State University
  Juris Doctor (JD)
  B.C.L. (Magna Cum Laude)
• Vanderbilt University
  Master of Education
• Vanderbilt University
  Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude)

Awards & Badges