Trio of Shackelford Partners Honored Among Billboard's Top 'Talent and Litigation' Music Lawyers

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP entertainment and business litigation partners Christian Barker, Lauren Kilgore, and Lauren Spahn have been named to Billboard magazine's 2023 list of Top Music Lawyers.

Billboard's annual Top Music Lawyers list recognizes the nation's top attorneys who serve as an essential resource for the music industry's rising artists, songwriters, and superstars alike. The attorneys were each honored for their "Talent and Litigation" work.

"The major players in the music industry have a sacred responsibility to embrace diversity — of background and of thought," Mr. Barker told Billboard, adding that those companies should be "promoting products and projects that inspire consumers to do the same in a positive and forward-thinking manner."

Mr. Barker represents artists, songwriters, producers, independent record labels, independent music publishing companies, and artist management companies nationwide. He is a former president of the Tennessee Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division and serves on the Board of Advisors for DIME Collective, a Nashville-based digital media company specializing in podcast production and marketing. He also represents television/film, fine arts, and digital media clients and has become known for the creative value-adds he brings to the table for his clients, from pitching songs to TikTok-use strategy.

Ms. Kilgore's practice focuses on intellectual property, entertainment transactional matters, and litigation. She represents a variety of entertainment industry clients, including artists, producers, publishing companies, record labels, media companies, and management companies. She regularly drafts and negotiates entertainment agreements, license agreements, recording agreements, publishing agreements, management agreements, joint venture agreements, distribution agreements, and other entertainment and media contracts. She has served as outside general counsel to an independent record label and publishing company since 2014.

Ms. Spahn represents music festivals, music publishers, record labels, technology companies, recording artists, songwriters, and other entertainment industry clients. She currently serves as Legal Counsel for the Women in Music Business Association and serves on the Board of Advisors for The University of Miami School of Law's Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law LL.M. Program. She is a member of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Association.

The Top Music Lawyers for 2023 were selected by Billboard editors, based upon such factors as peer and colleague nominations, as well as the representation of clients with a notable music industry impact. Recognition covers six categories, including Talent and Litigation, Major Music Groups, Streaming, Live, Music Publishing, and Performing Rights.

About Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP
Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, is a transactional, litigation, aviation, and entertainment law firm with attorneys and offices in Dallas, Houston, Frisco, Fort Worth, and Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee.

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Rhonda Reddick
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SOURCE Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP