Leading Music Attorney, Jacqueline Charlesworth Joins Preeminent Music and Copyright Firm, Alter Kendrick & Baron

May 07, 2019 – New York, NY – Jacqueline Charlesworth, key contributor to the Music Modernization Act (“MMA”) and former general counsel of the Copyright Office, is leaving Covington & Burling to join forces with well-known music attorney Lisa Alter at the music and copyright boutique Alter Kendrick & Baron, LLP (“AKB”). In addition to legislative and policy work, Charlesworth will be handling litigation and transactional matters at AKB.

Charlesworth was a critical player in last year’s passage of the MMA, a major overhaul of the U.S. music licensing system. Drawing on her experience at the U.S. Copyright Office and prior roles as general counsel of the National Music Publishers’ Association and The Harry Fox Agency, Charlesworth was instrumental in crafting the 150-page bill ultimately enacted by Congress – and is now assisting with its implementation. Calling the bill’s passage “the most sweeping industry legislation of the last 20 years,” Billboard lauded Ms. Charlesworth’s essential work in “getting the MMA over hurdle after daunting hurdle” in honoring her as one of four female Executives of the Year in 2018.

As general counsel of the U.S. Copyright Office, Charlesworth oversaw a wide range of litigation, legislative, regulatory, and policy matters, including the Office’s participation in Supreme Court cases, rulemaking proceedings, and copyright registration and termination issues. She also advised Congress on copyright-related legislation and policy concerns. During her tenure at the Office, she produced an influential study, Copyright and the Music Marketplace, which helped set the stage for the MMA.

“Jacqueline Charlesworth has an extraordinary legal mind and is a zealous advocate for her clients, and the creative community in general.  We are thrilled to have her join us as a partner,” says Lisa Alter.

“What a privilege to be working with Lisa Alter and her talented colleagues, Jim Kendrick and Katie Baron. AKB delivers exceptional value to its clients – it’s the perfect home for my music and copyright practice,” says Charlesworth.

Jacqueline is also is a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School. Her experience is in litigation, transactional, and policy work, in both the government and private sector. She has served as General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights of the U.S. Copyright Office, where her portfolio included a wide range of litigation, legislative, regulatory, and policy matters. Before that, she worked at the National Music Publishers’ Association and The Harry Fox Agency, Inc., as well as other law firms, where her focus was on intellectual property. She served as a law clerk to the Hon. Betty B. Fletcher of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Hon. Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum of the Southern District of New York.  She received her J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. from Brown University. At Yale Law School, she was an Executive Committee Editor of The Yale Law Journal and a founding member of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism.

About Alter Kendrick & Baron

Alter Kendrick & Baron, LLP is at the forefront of domestic and international music copyright law, handling complex transactions involving significant music assets. Among other successes, AKB recently represented Carlin America in its $245 million acquisition by Round Hill, and Primary Wave Music Publishing in acquiring stakes of the Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, Sly Stone, Count Basie, Dave Mason, and Paul Anka catalogs. The firm also represents BMG Rights Management, Reservoir Media Management, Spirit Music, Steve Miller, Foreigner, David Gilmour, Ray Davies, Gamble and Huff, Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn, and the estates of Ira Gershwin, Syd Barrett, and Billy Strayhorn, as well as equity investors in the music space.