MUSIC’S HOTTEST FIRMS: BARNES & THORNBURG LLP
With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg LLP is one of the largest law firms in the country, with offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C.
The founder of B&T’s Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group, Chair Jason Karlov leads a diverse team of entertainment attorneys who offer clients seasoned experience and creative solutions across diverse platforms in a rapidly evolving music industry.
The Century City-based Karlov handles music, sports, advertising and entertainment deals for the industry’s top live events, artists and organizations. He recently represented the NFL in its partnership deals with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, including the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show featuring The Weeknd and the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
He continues to handle the legal work for longtime clients Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, T Bone Burnett, Michael Bolton, Rufus Wainwright, Billy Mann and Benton James (along with Mann and James’ new label, Icons & Giants) in areas including tours, merchandising, branding, recordings, publishing and licensing. In 2020, Karlov finalized catalog sales for The Killers and Imagine Dragons. He also continues to represent The Grateful Dead’s catalog in publishing deals and agreements, as well as doing music work for companies like MGM Studios and Beachbody.
Joel Katz recently joined Barnes & Thornburg from Greenberg Traurig, where he was the founder of the firm’s Entertainment and Media Practice. Katz has played a profound role in shaping the entertainment industry through his work for music-biz legends, producers, record companies, concert promoters and corporate elite.
Working out of the firm’s Atlanta office, Katz continues to work with long-term clients Little Big Town and Why Don’t We, industry organizations from the Recording Academy to the Country Music Association and Big Machine Records, and a number of executives including Sony Nashville’s Randy Goodman and UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan, Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito, and Republic Records principals Monte and Avery Lipman.
Katz has been a featured speaker at prominent biz events and has a history of giving back to the industry—he endowed and established one of the largest commercial music programs in the U.S. at the University of Georgia campus at Kennesaw State University.
