The lawyers behind Atlanta’s biggest stars
For decades, Black entertainment attorneys in Atlanta have worked to serve and protect high-profile musicians, athletes and creative communities.
Not only do they draft and review contracts. They spend long hours on conference calls, in and out of airports traveling to close deals, or respond with a sense of urgency to personal crises to ensure their clients aren’t taken advantage of.
They sometimes have to put their families and personal time on the back burner to create new pathways for celebrities, create side hustles for themselves and keep Atlanta on the forefront of culture.
Inspired by Black legal pioneers David Franklin, Kendall Minter, Phil Ransom and Vernon Slaughter, here are six, Atlanta-based Black entertainment attorneys.
Monica Ewing
As Atlanta’s hip-hop scene was getting national attention in the early ‘90s, Monica Ewing was a trailblazer striving to protect the city’s homegrown talent.
She started her own practice in 1992 as one of three Black women entertainment attorneys in the nation. Through word-of-mouth, she was sought-after to review early agreements for Dallas Austin, Monica, Outkast, 112, Ciara and T.I. after serving as a city of Atlanta litigator.
“It was exciting and overwhelming. It was every man for himself because lawyers in New York and L.A. were interested in taking our clients and talent pool,” she said.
Ewing, who earned her law degree from Emory University in 1989, closed her practice 15 years ago and went on to become a chief judge for College Park, Fairburn, Hapeville and Palmetto. She also spent two decades teaching at Georgia State College of Law and its music business program.
Vince Phillips
After Vince Phillips achieved massive success in music, law became his exit strategy.
Phillips, a co-founder of BME Recordings with producer Lil Jon, teamed with politician Marvin Arrington Jr. to establish Arrington and Phillips in 2011. At the firm, Phillips helped Bow Wow secure co-ownership of the Scream Tour and roll out his NPR Tiny Desk performance at this year’s BET Awards. He also represents performers Keri Hilson, Sexyy Red, Kevin Gates and NBA YoungBoy.
The Atlanta native began practicing in 1997 after completing his studies at Georgia State College of Law the previous year. Phillips’ earliest clients include Young Jeezy, YoungBloodZ, Bonecrusher and Polow Da Don.
“I got a chance to be in that front row position and see these things happen, so I was thrust into a position of authority and can provide real-life guidance. Young people will always have someone who is pushing the envelope, and I appreciate working with artists that do that,” Phillips said
Leron Rogers
Leron Rogers combines finance and legal expertise to ensure clients like Kanye West, Rick Ross and T.I. can grow their empire.
Rogers, who came to Fox Rothschild from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard and Smith in 2020, is partner and co-head of the Atlanta office’s entertainment and sports law division. In addition to providing counsel for Fuddruckers and Southwestern Athletic Conference, he negotiates brand deals, franchising and estate planning.
The Milwaukee native came to Atlanta in 1994 as a financial analyst who wanted to be a sports agent. He earned his law degree from Florida State University and later started a boutique firm, Hewitt and Rogers. His mission is to help performers grow their net worth.
“They’re getting into those other tentpoles, so they must be serviced properly. I try to treat artists and musicians like Fortune 500 companies,” Rogers said.
Bernie Lawrence Watkins
All it took was Bernie Lawrence-Watkins to witness her brother, music producer Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence, negotiate a record deal to know artists needed education on protecting their intellectual property.
At B. Lawrence Watkins and Associates, PC, the firm Watkins founded in 2002, she counsels producers, songwriters and emerging artists on joint ventures and licensing their publishing and copyrights. Behind rapper 21 Savage’s deal at Epic Records in 2015, Watkins also represented producers Bangladesh, Tay Keith, Jetsonmade, rapper Young Nudy, and artificial intelligence artist Xania Monet.
The Dominica-born, New York-raised lawyer studied at Howard University and University of Baltimore School of Law. Watkins is also CEO of Eclipse Distro, a music distribution company, and an entertainment law professor at Georgia State.
“I was able to see firsthand what it meant to be a true starving artist, so I wanted to make sure they had the best deals possible and get the ones in bad deals out. The industry is constantly changing, but if you want to be a part of it, you must stay abreast of what’s happening and on the cutting edge,” Watkins said.
Uwonda Carter and Donald Woodard
Donald Woodard spent five years as general counsel for USA Track and Field before deciding he wanted to become an entrepreneur.
It took some time convincing entertainment attorney Uwonda Carter to join him, but in January 2021, they formed Carter and Woodard, a sports and entertainment law firm. Woodard, a former corporate attorney from Washington, D.C., works with athletes like Flau’jae Johnson, Angel Reese and Julian “Juju” Lewis to protect their name and likeliness.
“I understand the business, climate and the culture, and it’s important that athletes and entertainers have counsel who understands them and culture. That’s not just a 9-to-5 job,” Woodard said.
Carter, an Atlanta native and former attorney for the City of New York, on the other hand handles contracts and brand deals for Big Boi, Summer Walker, Metro Boomin, Avery Sunshine and Lil Yachty. She said leading a firm means serving in several capacities.
“You have to make time for the message or the text message for that client that’s been on the road, the mother, answering staff questions and putting out a fire that pops up. A lot of times our clients don’t have a middle person, so we’re not only being attorneys. We’re being managers. It’s part of the job, and we accept it,” Carter said.