| Profile |
What do the chart-topping Matisyahu and Roots Tonic, superstar duo Hall & Oats, the composer of the Irish hit show Riverdance, current Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Ronettes and four-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves have in common? All rely on attorney Bob Donnelly to negotiate their entertainment contracts. This year marks Donnelly's 30th year as an attorney focusing solely on the representation of music industry clients. His first job was to serve as in-house counsel for legendary managers Leber-Krebs, who launched the careers of Aerosmith, AC/DC, Def Leppard and many other well-known recording artists.
Donnelly has had his share of interesting gigs over the years. He was part of the legal team that won a multi-million dollar judgment in unpaid royalties for his client Ronnie Spector against her former record company. Bob Donnelly also figured prominently in handing the record companies one of their few major legislative set-backs by helping to convince Congress to repeal the pro-record company/anti-artist "Works-for-Hire" law revisions. Bob Donnelly was part of the team that presented the famous Central Park free concert series that included artists such as James Taylor, Diana Ross and Simon & Garfunkel. Bob was also one of the very first lawyers to do a superstar endorsement deal when he put Blondie's Deborah Harry into a pair of Murjani jeans. Other superstar endorsement deals have included Sir Elton John and Michael Jackson.
Donnelly is considered one of the premier artist's rights lawyers in the country. He is probably best known for having brought the recent case within then-New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer which resulted in the major labels having to pay their artists $55 million dollars in back royalties. Bob also settled the largest case in world music on behalf of his Irish music clients Atlan, Eileen Ivers, Mick Moloney and Cherish the Ladies.
Bob's law practice has covered the full gamut of the entertainment spectrum from television (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous) to commercials (Diet Pepsi) to record labels (UFO) to music publishing (Cherry Lane) to internet business (Priceline.com) to licensing (Gloria Vanderbilt), and to theater (Beatlemania).
Bob helped launch the careers of current chart-toppers the Dave Matthews Band. Donnelly's list of clients reads like a "who's who?" of jazz, including Grammy award winners and nominees Dave Holland, Dianne Reeves, Brad Mehldau, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Chieli Minucci, Henry Threadgill and John Scofield. His roster of clients reflect his own eclectic taste in music: Jazz Hall of Famer Ornette Coleman, Rock Hall of Famers Bootsy Collins, and the Lovin' Spoonful, superstar producr Michael Beinhorn and the managers of multi-platinum artists such as Godsmack.
When he's not negotiating contracts, Bob can usually be found doing guest lectures on entertainment law at many colleges and law schools. He is also a frequent contributor to Billboard and other legal and music industry trade magazines on the subject at various artist's rights issues. He has even served as a Justice of the Peace in his home county of Westchester, New York. His awards within the industry include the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts' highest service award. Bob Donnelly has also been awarded 38 platinum albums, which gives him a rightful place in the "Who's Who in Entertainment."
He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
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| Bar Admissions |
New York, 1974
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1974
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| Membership |
Entertainment Law Initiative
Entertainment Panel of the American Arbitration Association
New York State Magistrates Association
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences/The Recording Academy
New York State Bar Association
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| Areas of Practice |
Contracts
Copyright
Intellectual Property
Licensing |