Attorney Jacqueline Charlesworth Joins Music and Copyright Firm Alter Kendrick & Baron as Partner
Jacqueline Charlesworth, a leading copyright lawyer who helped develop and negotiate the recently-enacted Music Modernization Act (MMA), is joining forces with music attorney Lisa Alter at her firm…
Jacqueline Charlesworth, a leading copyright lawyer who helped develop and negotiate the recently-enacted Music Modernization Act (MMA), is joining forces with music attorney Lisa Alter at her music copyright firm Alter Kendrick & Baron, LLP (AKB), it was announced on Tuesday (May 7).
“Jacqueline Charlesworth has an extraordinary legal mind and is a zealous advocate for her clients, and the creative community in general,” said Alter in a statement. “We are thrilled to have her join us as a partner.”
In addition to legislative and policy work, Charlesworth will be handling litigation and transactional matters at AKB, where she will eventually become a named partner. She previously served as of counsel at Covington & Burling.
“What a privilege to be working with Lisa Alter and her talented colleagues, Jim Kendrick and Katie Baron,” added Charlesworth. “AKB delivers exceptional value to its clients — it’s the perfect home for my music and copyright practice.”
Alter recently represented the family of David Rose in Primary Wave’s deal to purchase the songwriter, composer and orchestra leader’s catalog, as well as the family of Booker T. Jones, whose catalog was purchased by Downtown Music last year. The company also works with a number of prominent music publishers in transactions involving the acquisition of significant music assets: AKB represented Carlin Music in its sale to Round Hill, and Primary Wave in its acquisition of the Bob Marley and Blue Mountain Music catalogs.
Charlesworth was recognized at Billboard‘s Women In Music event last year for her work on the MMA, which brought monumental change to the country’s music licensing system. She previously served as general counsel of the U.S. Copyright Office, where she authored an 1,100 page report that reviewed the Copyright Act of 1976. That report set the stage for the MMA, which was signed into law in October of last year.
Prior to Charlesworth’s work at the Copyright Office, she worked at the National Music Publishers’ Association and The Harry Fox Agency with a focus on intellectual property. She is a graduate of Yale Law School.
This article has been updated.