Recording Academy appoints its first in-house lawyer

Recording Academy appoints its first in-house lawyer

The first in-house attorney has been hired by the Recording Academy, the learned academy that determines the Grammy Awards.

Jennifer Jones will become the Recording Academy's first senior in-house counsel after being named as executive vice president of legal affairs by the Santa Monica-based organization in almost 70 years of existence. She will be reporting directly to CEO Harvey Mason Jr. starting immediately.

After spending 17 years with Proskauer Rose, which has a long history of working with the Academy, she joins the organisation. She most recently served as special counsel in the firm's litigation department.

Since her employment with the Recording Academy commenced over a decade ago, she has been advising the organization and its affiliates on a broad range of legal issues.

Bloomberg Law reports that after years of public criticism, Jones' appointment comes in after the Academy did not have an in-house legal department and relied on outsourcing to law firms like Proskauer and Greenberg Traurig. This results in the Academy spending millions of dollars each year on legal work.

During Jones' tenure as EVP of legal affairs, she will oversee all Academy legal matters, like contract, employment, privacy, intellectual property, advocacy and non-profit governance.

The Academy said she would also serve as the liaison between its business units and outside counsel to enforce its intellectual property rights. Her responsibilities will also include providing support and facilitation of the Academy's business interactions with outside counsel.

"It is imperative that we keep our legal practices in alignment with best practices as we continue the Academy's growth and transformation," Mason said.

"The addition of Jennifer will strengthen the Academy's leadership team as we strive to offer better services to the music community. She will be an important strategic advisor to the Academy," he further stated.