Bob Donnelly Joins Lommen Abdo

4/13/2007

Media Notice

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Martin Keller, Media Savant Communications Co.
612-729-8585, mkeller@mediasavantcom.com

PROMINENT NEW YORK MUSIC BIZ ATTORNEY BOB DONNELLY JOINS AND EXPANDS MIDWEST’S ENTERTAINMENT LAW PRACTICE AT LOMMEN, ABDO, COLE, KING & STAGEBERG

NEW YORK/MINNEAPOLIS – April 11, 2007 – Bob Donnelly, a life-long New York music attorney who has been awarded 38 gold and platinum records over his nearly 30 years of representing music clients world-wide, is joining his practice with the growing entertainment department of the Midwest firm of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg PA (www.lommen.com). Donnelly is considered one of the premier artist’s rights lawyers in the country, who brought a recent case with then-New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, which resulted in the major record labels having to pay their artists $55 million dollars in back royalties. His client list reads like a "Who’s Who?" in many genres and includes Grammy-award winners and nominees in jazz such as Dianne Reeves, Dave Holland, Ornette Coleman, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Brad Mehldau and John Scofield.

His law firm also represents many successful managers (e.g. Invasion Group); music publishers (Cherry Lane); composers (Riverdance’s Bill Whelan); producers (Michael Beinhorn); and emerging artists (Matisyahu and Roots Tonic). He also represents other Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Bootsy Collins and the Lovin’ Spoonful. He started his career as the in-house attorney for legendary artist managers Steve Leber and David Krebs, who were responsible for launching the careers of Aerosmith, AC-DC, Def Leppard, Michael Bolton and many others.

Lommen Abdo’s clients range from popular young musicians such as Grammy® winner Jonny Lang and Anna Nalick to venerable recording artists such as recent Recording Academy ® Lifetime Achievement Award winner Booker T. Jones, Johnny Rivers and Lake Wobegon’s Garrison Keillor. The firm’s film clients also include recent Spirit® winner "Sweet Land", Emmy®, Peabody® and Oscar® winning films. Creating an affiliation with a prominent law firm like the one operated by Donnelly is Lommen Abdo’s first step in becoming an important presence in the most critical entertainment capitals of the industry.

"A Perfect Union" and Great Home for Donnelly’s Music Clients

"Over the years I have had many opportunities to associate my law practice with a larger firm, but I have always resisted because I wanted it to be a perfect union," says Donnelly, who will continue to practice in his downtown Manhattan office at 133 West 25th Street under the Lommen Abdo banner, effective immediately. "I believe the Lommen Abdo Law Firm is that perfect union because it’s not only great for me to work beside lawyers whom I genuinely respect but it’s also a really great home for my clients."

"The entertainment practice is run by Ken Abdo and Dan Satorius, who have been my close friends and business colleagues for the past 12 years," he continues. "This new relationship gives my clients and me a bench composed of several full-time music lawyers as well as access to expertise in other entertainment fields such as book publishing, film and television plus 36 other attorneys who specialize in areas such as tax, real estate, litigation, trademark and corporate law. Dan and Ken have diligently established a national reputation for the firm while based in the Midwest and have further expansion plans."

Ken Abdo, who currently is the National Chair of the Grammy Foundation® Entertainment Law Initiative and is the immediate past National Chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries notes, "By bridging from the Midwest to the east coast, we are realizing a broader business vision for the firm and our clients. In many ways, we are emulating many of our major clients who remain grounded with family and other ties to the Midwest while establishing a professional and social presence in the coastal communities where many of the entertainment industries are centered."

Dan Satorius, a national independent film law leader, adds," We believe our combined firepower now with Donnelly will readily help retain and attract entertainment clients from around the country." Bob Abdo, one of the firm’s Board of Director members and an officer for the Lommen Abdo firm, explains that, "The addition of someone of Donnelly’s caliber, plus a New York office, demonstrates our firm’s commitment to excellence in expanding our entertainment law and other law practice areas."

More About Bob Donnelly

"Bob Donnelly is one of the foremost protectors of artist’s rights in the entire music industry," notes music veteran David Krebs. Donnelly will continue to stand up for those rights in his move with Lommen Abdo.

"Every artist should be so lucky as to have an attorney who fights as hard for them and is as wonderfully dependable as Bob Donnelly has been in my career!" exclaims rock icon Ronnie Spector who led the Ronettes and is a recent Rock ‘n ‘ Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

About Lommen Abdo

For more information – or to interview any of the above attorneys or principals about the firm’s growth – please contact Martin Keller at Media Savant Communications (612-729-8585, mkeller@mediasavantcom.com).