I am an intellectual property and entertainment attorney. I characterize my practice as a blend of transactions (deals, due diligence, and IP portfolio development and management) and litigation.

I moved to Houston from Nashville, to start law school in the thick of the financial crisis. That decision has been crucial to who I am today. I was able to develop a practice in a large legal market, in a state reputed for its strong personalities and even stronger IP litigators. However, and you might not know this, Houston isn't well-regarded for its excess of record labels, film and television studios, or publishing houses. As a result, I had to (was afforded the opportunity to?) forge my own path. In my practice, I have represented and continue to represent songwriters, record labels, recording artists, publishing companies, authors, fashion brands, actors and actresses, film producers, documentarians, directors, dancers and choreographers, and the list goes on.

In the last ten years, I have come to the realization that my legal career is vocationally oriented toward two purposes. First, do everything I can to help Houston, and Texas more broadly, develop, secure, and retain the valuable talent we have here at home. We must incentivize folks to stay in Texas, do deals with Texans, and make Texas their home base. Second, help students and young attorneys who want to do what I do, forge an easier path with a greater probability of success than I had.

I am engaging this mission in a number of ways, not the least of which is developing a successful and reputable practice that my clients and future clients can be proud of. I believe in teams, collaboration, and the power of networks. I believe in educating clients to make the best decisions for them, not dictating outcomes. I belive if I do good work, people will feel comfortable asking for help in the future.

I am also engaging my mission directly with the arts community and young lawyers. I have been a long supporter of the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, the premier non-profit in Texas supporting artists and inventors, as a pro bono volunteer. In 2022, I joined the organization’s board to help steer the ship. I have been teaching law students as an adjunct professor in the field of entertainment law at the University of Houston Law Center since 2014, just one year after I graduated and passed the bar. In 2021, I took my commitment to education of law students one step further and joined the University of Houston Law Center as the director of the new Entertainment Law Clinic. Since, 2021, I have volunteered as a coach alongside my fellow Houston litigators the University of Houston Law Centers interscholastic mock trial team, taking two teams to the American Association for Justice Southern Trial Advocacy Competition.

If you are an artist looking for help in Texas, or a law student or young attorney, I would love to connect and see how my mission can fit into what you are working on.