Joel A. Katz of Greenberg Traurig Earns Prestigious Distinguished Alumnus Award from University of Tennessee, Knoxville

ATLANTA, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Joel A. Katz, chairman of the Global Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice for Greenberg Traurig, will receive the University of Tennessee Distinguished Alumnus Award at a special ceremony on Sept. 10 in Knoxville.

The prestigious honor is presented by the University of Tennessee Knoxville board of directors.

"Joel Katz has been a devoted friend and avid supporter of the College of Law and UT for many years," said Douglas A. Blaze, dean of the College of Law at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, in his letter nominating Katz for the award. "Katz has also been very generous with his time, and he worked to enhance the educational experience for UT law students."

Katz's support of the University of Tennessee spans several decades. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1969.

He later established the Katz Family Scholarships to support law students with special interest in entrepreneurial or business law.

Katz also endowed a professorship, and in 1999, Katz received the University of Tennessee's Founders Day Medal as the university dedicated its newly constructed law library as the Joel A. Katz Law Library. Recently, SunTrust Bank and Katz co-sponsored a law lecture series with programs ranging from a talk presented by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch to a panel discussion about entertainment law featuring country music legends Brooks & Dunn.

According to the university's alumni affairs team, in their program notes for the awards event, "Fellow alumni have called Katz 'an extraordinary individual and a credit to the legal profession [because] he represents all that is great about the College of Law and the University of Tennessee.'"

About Joel A. Katz

Joel A. Katz is considered a definitive leader in entertainment law. In 1971, he founded Katz, Smith & Cohen. In 1998, the firm merged with Greenberg Traurig, where Katz is chairman of the global entertainment, media and sports practice and co-managing shareholder emeritus. Katz's first client was James Brown and his practice grew to include legendary entertainers such as Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, Renee Fleming, Julio Iglesias, and Michael Jackson/the estate of Michael Jackson. Katz's corporate client list includes The Coca-Cola Company, AEG, Dick Clark Productions, AFLAC and Nokia Corporation. Katz is general counsel for The Recording Academy, special counsel to the Country Music Association, and general counsel/board member for Farm Aid Inc. Katz also serves as a Music Industry Representative for the State of Georgia. For additional detail, visit http://www.gtlaw.com/People/JoelAKatz.

About Greenberg Traurig LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with approximately 1800 attorneys serving clients from more than 30 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. In the U.S., the firm has more offices than any other among the Top 10 on The National Law Journal's 2009 NLJ 250. In the U.K., the firm operates as Greenberg Traurig Maher LLP. Additionally, Greenberg Traurig has strategic alliances with the following independent law firms: Studio Santa Maria in Milan and Rome and W'Law Weber Wicki Partners Ltd. in Zurich. The firm was Chambers and Partners' USA Law Firm of the Year in 2007 and among the Top 3 in the International Law Firm of the Year at the 2009 The Lawyer Awards. For additional information, please www.gtlaw.com.

SOURCE Greenberg Traurig