MUSIC'S HOTTEST LAW FIRMS: BARNES & THORNBURG LLP

With more than 800 legal professionals across 22 offices, including locations in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York, Barnes & Thornburg LLP is one of the largest law firms in the country, with award-winning clients and music lawyers in virtually all entertainment law disciplines.

Jason Karlov
Chair, Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group, Los Angeles

Karlov leads an attorney team that offers clients creative solutions across diverse music-industry platforms. He handles music, sports, advertising and entertainment deals for the industry’s top live events, artists and organizations. Recently, he represented the NFL in its 2023 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Rihanna. Other longtime clients include Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, the song catalog of The Grateful Dead, T Bone Burnett, Michael Bolton and Rufus Wainwright.

Joel Katz
Senior Counsel, Atlanta

Katz has played a profound role in shaping the entertainment industry through his work for music-industry legends, music producers, record companies, concert promoters and corporate heavy hitters. His clients include industry organizations such as the Country Music Association, The Recording Academy and Grammy Global Venture; artists, producers and concert promoters like Saweetie, Polow da Don and TEG; and executives including Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman, Ken Robold and Steve Hodges; Republic Records’ Monte and Avery Lipman; UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan; Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito; Warner Records’ Tom Corson and Steve Carless; and Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta.

Stephen Weizenecker
Partner, Atlanta

Weizenecker devotes his career to developing and utilizing production incentives in the entertainment industry, including music, film, television and video games. He was the draftsman behind the Georgia Music Investment Act, which was the state’s first music-related tax credit. Weizenecker’s clients include Tyler Perry Studios, Paramount Global, Entertainment Software Association and Georgia Music Partners.

Scott Witlin
Partner, Los Angeles

Witlin is a labor & employment attorney advising clients with respect to the guild and union issues in the music, broadcasting, video-game and live-event industries.

Seth Gold
Partner, Los Angeles

Gold focuses his music practice on litigation and dispute resolution. He represents authors and music publishers in copyright-infringement actions. Gold routinely counsels clients on issues relating to the Copyright Act, including fair use, ephemeral use and digital sampling.

Will Lewis
Of Counsel, Atlanta

Lewis represents music executives, musicians, performing artists, video- and concert-production companies and music venues. His co-clients, with mentor Joel Katz, include Saweetie, Tom Corson, Brooklyn Johnny, Steve Carless, two-time Grammy-winning band Ranky Tanky, Edward McCain, Logan Caldwell, Catt McCreary and Drivin’ & Cryin’.

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Amanda Taber
Associate, Los Angeles

As the lead associate in the music department, Amanda Taber focuses her practice primarily on music in the entertainment industry. Her experience includes publishing, recording, IP rights, merchandising, touring, personal appearances, live events, contract negotiation, endorsements, licensing, content creation and production and talent agreements.

Lauren Hancock
Associate, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Offices

With experience as a former Capitol Hill staffer, Hill specializes in artist-rights issues. She provides political advice to artists and advocacy groups and participates in Congressional legislative negotiations and developing agency rulemakings. Hancock is a board member of Songwriters of North America and is on the Executive Leadership Council for the Black Music Action Coalition.

Will Craver
Associate, Los Angeles

Craver handles corporate matters and live events; he also drafts and reviews songwriter and producer agreements, recording deals, side-artist and featured-artist agreements, merchandise agreements and copyright assignments. He created complex models to estimate the costs of music licenses that he leveraged to negotiate settlement agreements with multiple music and copyright holding companies on behalf of dozens of major sports teams across U.S. professional leagues.

Sarah Abeson
Associate, Los Angeles

Abeson’s practice focuses on protecting and exploiting clients’ music and intellectual-property rights. She loves working with artists and entertainment company clients to find solutions to their copyright-related issues and handling transactions from conception to close.

Sarah Odion Esene
Associate, Atlanta

Odion Esene handles music transactional work, music-copyright claims and corporate work, including production and talent agreements. She assisted one of the firm's partners on a significant business reorganization to streamline financing and operations for a major film-production studio.