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| Full Name |
Kenneth J. Abdo |
| Email |
ken@lommen.com |
| Phone |
612-336-9316 |
| Fax |
612-339-8064 |
| Vcard |
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| Profile |
Ken Abdo is a Vice President of the Lommen Abdo Law Firm and Chair of the Entertainment, IP and Sports Law Department. In over more than 25 years of practice, he has helped build one of the largest, most visible and successful entertainment law practices in the Midwest. Ken's practice is limited to entertainment law and his primary focus is on music law transactions. He is a known artist advocate and leader within the national entertainment law community. He is a popular author and lecturer.
The firm's clients have included multiple Grammy® award recipients, gold and platinum recording artists as well as Oscar, Emmy, Peabody and Spirit award winners. Ken is a voting member of The Recording Academy, a current member of the Recording Academy Chicago Chapter Board of Governors, the past National Chair of The Grammy® Foundation Entertainment Law Initiative, the past National Chair of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries and is a contributing author to the law school textbook, "Law & Business of the Entertainment Industries" (Biederman, et al.).
He has been on the Minnesota Super Lawyers® list in Entertainment Law and a "Minnesota Leading Attorney" every year since 1994. He was selected as a "Minnesota Attorney of the Year" in 2009 by Minnesota Lawyer. He is rated AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 in entertainment and intellectual property by Martindale-Hubbell.
For more information than you need to know on Ken Abdo, read the article published in the newsletter of the William Mitchell College of Law or read the article on Ken Abdo which was published in the American Bar Association’s Forum in the Entertainment and Sports Industries quarterly publication. Ken was interviewed for an article on the MinnPost.com news blog on the Performance Right Act. Read the article: "As stations bombard us with ads against the 'radio tax,' here's the other side of the story."
Ken Abdo describes his entertainment practice from Lommen Abdo's Vimeo page.
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| Bar Admissions |
Minnesota, 1983
U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1983
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| Representative Clients |
Anna Nalick (Columbia); Billy McLaughlin (Narada/Virgin Records); Bobby Vee (Liberty); Garrison Keillor (Rounder); Gingerjake; Jessica Harp (Maverick); Jimmy Thackery (Telarc Records); Johnny Rivers (Soul City Records, Inc.); Jonny Lang (A&M/Interscope); Kristen Hall (Sugarland); Austin City Limits; Luther Allison (Alligator Records); Michelle Branch (Maverick); Prophet Omega (Capitol); Reeve Carney (Interscope); The Replacements (Twin Tone/Reprise); Rockie Lynn(Universal); Steven Anderson (American Gramaphone); Tagine (Bluhammock); Tiny Tim; Music Estate; Vienna Teng (Rounder); Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, The Emmy® Award winning, made for TV movie, “Deep In My Heart”, starring Anne Bancroft and Gloria Reuben (CBS); The Off-Broadway play “Triple Espresso;” Major market radio disc jockeys, TV anchors, program directors and managers.
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| Published Works |
“Law & Business of the Entertainment Industries,” 5th Edition, Praeger
“Shopping Record Deals for Lawyers: A&R Approach and Ethics Issues,” ABA Entertainment and Sports Lawyer
“Entertainment Law Ethics,” Entertainment, Publishing and The Arts Handbook, Thomson/West
“Entertainment Law Ethics,” ABA Entertainment & Sports Lawyer
“The Economics of Developing & Maintaining an Entertainment Law Practice,” Entertainment, Publishing & Arts Handbook; State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Conference Journal
“Agents, Managers and Lawyers: A Roadmap for the Entertainment Attorney,” Entertainment Law: Cases and Materials (3d ed.), Matthew Bender & Co. Inc.
“Entertainment Law Ethics,” Practising Law Institute
“The Practical Musician – A Legal Guidebook to the Music Industry,” Minnesota CLE, Contributing Author |
| Classes or Lectures |
American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries Annual Meetings, USA
American Law Institute, Los Angeles, California
Beverly Hills Bar Association, Beverly Hills, California
Billboard Music & Money Symposium, New York, New York
National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University School of Law, Marquette, Wisconsin
Practising Law Institute, Los Angeles, California
The Recording Academy and Grammy® Foundation
South by Southwest, Austin, Texas
Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California
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| Membership |
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences/The Recording Academy®, (presenter of the Grammy® Awards) Chicago Chapter, Governor, Voting Member (musician/producer)
The Recording Academy®, Entertainment Law Initiative Executive Committee, Charter Member; Past Chair
American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries; Past National Forum Chair
American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries: “The Entertainment & Sports Lawyer,” Editor-in-Chief, 2000 - 2002
Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California, Donald E. Biederman
Entertainment and Media Law Institute International Advisory Board, Board Member |
| Office Location |
Minneapolis |
| Areas of Practice |
Business Law
Entertainment Law, with emphasis on music law
Intellectual Property
Media Employment |
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