Nashville partners Lauren Kilgore, Christian Barker selected among leading ‘Talent and Litigation’ attorneys
DALLAS – Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP entertainment and business litigation partners Lauren Kilgore and Christian Barker have been selected to Billboard magazine’s 2022 list of Top Music Lawyers.
Ms. Kilgore and Mr. Barker, who were both recently promoted at Shackelford to equity partner, were honored for their “Talent and Litigation” work. It was the third selection for Ms. Kilgore and the first for Mr. Barker.
Billboard’s annual Top Music Lawyers list recognizes the nation’s “savviest legal counselors” who are advising clients on a range of issues from “familiar contracts and a surging tide of catalog sales” to new ventures arising from the metaverse.
“We are going to see a future that’s ripe with tokenization of intellectual property, where every songwriter has the ability and know-how to be in tune with real-time ownership and valuation of their assets,” said Mr. Barker, who was recognized for his representation of breakout TikTok star Warren Zeiders in securing a “record-setting” contract with Warner Records.
Ms. Kilgore’s practice focuses on complex litigation and sophisticated entertainment and business issues involving license agreements, trademarks, copyrights, rights of publicity, general releases, distribution agreements, publishing agreements, recording agreements, artist development agreements, and management agreements. She also handles online media issues and crisis management for individuals and corporate clients.
Mr. Barker represents artists, songwriters, producers, independent record labels, independent music publishing companies, and boutique artist management companies nationwide. He also has experience in family law matters involving disputed intellectual property assets. He is a former president of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and serves on the Board of Advisors for DIME Collective, a Nashville-based digital media company specializing in podcast production and marketing.
The Top Music Lawyers for 2022 were selected by Billboard editors, based upon such factors as peer and colleague nominations, as well as the representation of clients with a notable music industry impact. Recognition covers six categories including Talent and Litigation, Major Music Groups, Streaming, Live, Music Publishing, and Performing Rights.
