FROM LAW FIRM
TO LABEL

In “Evolution of the Barristers, Part 1,” I.B. Bad lists a few of the music attorneys who left their firms and took jobs at record companies and other entertainment entities. This changing of teams has been going on since the 1960s, when Clive Davis set the template by moving from Rosenman, Colin to business affairs at CBS Records, setting up his remarkable career.

Here are some of the lawyers who made the shift and where they wound up:

David Berman left Mitchell, Silverberg & Knupp for Warner Bros. Records, then Geffen Records before becoming Capitol President; he later worked at Buena Vista Music Group with Bob Cavallo and eventually returned to private practice.

Jeff Harleston, UMG’s General Counsel and EVP of Business & Legal Affairs, worked as a litigation associate with D.C.-based Covington & Burling and was Associate Independent Counsel during the investigation and prosecution of the Iran/Contra scandal.

Julie Swidler was a litigation associate at two New York law firms, then served as operations counsel for J. Walter Thompson before entering the music business as a senior attorney for PolyGram. She came to Sony Music—where she serves as EVP, Business Affairs & General Counsel—from the BMG side of Sony BMG.

Peter Paterno left Manatt, Phelps to become the first President of Hollywood Records, after which he became a named partner at King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano.

Michele Anthony went from Manatt, Phelps to Sony Music, where she spent 16 years, then formed consulting and management firm 7H Entertainment, where she remained until becoming EVP of UMG.

Milt Olin left MSK for A&M.

Jody Graham-Dunitz went from Manatt, Phelps to Sony/ATV.

Michelle Jubelirer came to Capitol Music Group, where she’s COO, from what was then King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner. She began her legal career doing mergers and acquisition at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett in NYC, then moved over to Sony Music as an in-house attorney before moving to L.A. to join the first-named firm.

Ian Montone worked at Davis, Shapiro, Lewit, et al, before moving into management and founding his own company, Monotone Inc.

Julian Petty, who joined WBR as EVP and Head of Business and Legal Affairs in 2019, worked at AOL as a programming and product integration manager before becoming a partner at Fox Rothschild and then partner and heading the entertainment practice at Nixon Peabody.

Gary Gilbert was a named partner at Mason & Gilbert and a partner at Bloom, Dekom & Hergott before becoming an SVP at Capitol, but he then returned to music law at Baker & Hostetler; he’s now at Manatt, Phelps.

Danny Hayes, after working at Manatt, Phelps and Selverne, Mandelbaum & Mintz, moved to the live business; he’s now CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents.