Linda Edell Howard joined Adams and Reese in 2001 and opened the firm's Music Row office. She has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of entertainment, new media and technology, and domestic and international intellectual property law and is leader of the Entertainment/New Media team. Her transaction-based practice focuses on entertainment and new technology contracts, advocacy for creators and protection for copyright and other rights holders.
Following an appointment to the New Jersey Supreme Court as a judicial clerk for Justice Robert L. Clifford, she practiced law in New Jersey and then in Manhattan, where she handled matters involving international intellectual property rights for the estates of Elvis Presley and George Gershwin. She later joined PolyGram Music Publishing Group as the Vice President of Operations, and in 1994 joined the Nashville office of Loeb & Loeb LLP. She is a Leadership Music alumna and is a member of the Country Music Association, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Linda's representative clients include artists Charlie Daniels, SHeDAISY, Lady Antebellum and numerous key industry executives, independent publishers, songwriters, producers, authors and related industry players such as merchandisers, banks and unions. She has closed more than 50 asset-based copyright acquisitions/sales and multi-million dollar loans.
She is a tireless and passionate advocate for the protection of intellectual property rights and the recapture of United States copyrights by creators and their heirs. Close to her heart is representing the surviving family members of deceased creators. Her other significant experience includes:
ˇ Handling matters concerning international intellectual property rights, including for the estates of Elvis Presley and George Gershwin.
ˇ Leading a team with unsurpassed intellectual property experience who have curtailed the unlawful use of celebrity names on the Internet and reduced piracy in the karaoke industry.
ˇ Participating in ground-breaking new deals between creators and music companies to address the changing times and technologies of music distribution.
Linda is a frequent speaker on various intellectual property topics and has often informed the creative community about new legislation and trends in the marketplace. She serves on the AFTRA Advisory Committee (to create fairness in recording contracts), the Board of Advisors for Songs of Love (a children's charity) and the Advisory Board for the Future of Music Coalition.
Nashville Business Journal has recognized Linda among the "Best of the Bar" in Entertainment Law in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. She is listed in Chambers USA as a leader in the area of Media and Entertainment, listed in Best Lawyers® -Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property Law, and has been recognized among Mid-South Super Lawyers® - Entertainment and Sports, for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. She was also selected by BusinessTN magazine as one of the "2010 Best 150 Lawyers in Tennessee" out of the 18,000 active lawyers in the state. This is a peer review, editorially selected list of the top 150 professionals working in the legal field in Tennessee.
Professional Memberships / Affiliations
Nashville Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Other Distinctions
AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Best Lawyers® - Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property Law
Best 150 Lawyers in Tennessee - BusinessTN Magazine
Chambers USA - Media and Entertainment
Best of the Bar - Nashville Business Journal
Mid-South SuperLawyers - Entertainment & Sports
Women of Influence - Nashville Business Journal
101 Top Lawyers - Nashville Post
Seminars
Songwriters: Win, Lose or Draw? Content Creation in the New Digital Marketplace (What You Have To Know and How To Get There), 6/6/2011
Next Big Nashville/Leadership Music Digital Summit, 9/29/2010
Working Around Legal Barriers to Achieve Innovation, 9/26/2010
Events
Leadership Music Dale Franklin Awards
Linda Edell Howard Celebrates No. 1 Hit with Client Lady Antebellum
Announcements
Music Row Office Rapidly Expands with the Hiring of John Ouellette, 10/16/2006