Smith Entertainment Law Group Continues Rapid Growth with the Addition of Entertainment Attorney Henry W. Root and Team

SELG, LLP founder Kerry Smith will now have offices in New York and Los Angeles with the addition of music dealmaker Root and three other attorneys from Root’s former law firm.

(New York, NY; February 15, 2022) – Smith Entertainment Law Group, LLP (“SELG”) founder Kerry Smith announced today that noted attorney Henry W. Root is joining the firm. Along with Root, attorneys Lynn Quarterman, Leigh Zeichick and Michael Olsen — three lawyers from Root’s former firm of Lapidus, Root & Sacharow, LLP — are also joining SELG.

Root has over 40 years of legal and business affairs experience in the music, television and entertainment industries. He serves as counsel to major and independent entertainment, technology and media companies, award-winning recording artists, songwriters, composers, producers, consumer products companies, commercial banks and large purchasers of music catalogs and NIL rights. In 2021, Root was picked by Billboard magazine for its “Top Music Lawyers” list.

Formed only nine months ago after Smith left Eisner LLP, SELG has been on a growth tear in the entertainment business. Starting with a team of four attorneys and a business affairs department, SELG represents a host of production companies, serving as production counsel on a slew of awards shows, variety shows, specials, scripted and unscripted series, indie films and documentaries, live events and large-scale social media initiatives across every major television network, streaming and social media platforms. SELG also represents above the line talent working in all facets of the content creation space including traditional television and streaming platforms and advertising agencies.

“Henry and I have been friends for 17 years,” Smith said, “and we’ve been trying to figure out a way to work together for a long time. Henry brings a team that is incredible and, with the team I’ve already built, we’re looking to build the firm into a national presence.”

“Kerry’s practice is extraordinarily synergistic with mine and the whole of the combined practices will be far greater than the sum of its parts,” said Root.

With the addition of Root and his team, SELG now expands into the areas of music publishing and recording catalog sales and acquisitions, commercial lending secured by music assets, name, image and likeness (“NIL”) transactions and representation of recording artists, producers, songwriters, music publishers, independent record companies and strategic planning and business development.

Of the other attorneys joining SELG, Lynn Quarterman has a deep list of music artists (Anderson .Paak, Charlie Wilson, En Vogue, Wyclef Jean) and serves as production counsel for OWN Network and numerous production companies. Zeichick, besides representing media companies and TV/film/digital creatives, brings extensive experience in the buying and selling of copyright assets, and collateralized commercial bank lending. Michael Olsen is the former executive vice president of business and legal affairs for Entertainment One. He will have an “of counsel” relationship to SELG and will be an anchor for the firm in Nashville.

ABOUT SMITH ENTERTAINMENT LAW GROUP

Founded in 2021, Smith Entertainment Law Group is a premier boutique entertainment law firm which now boasts offices in New York and Los Angeles. Founder Kerry Smith was the former team chair of Greenspoon Marder’s entertainment law practice group, and a partner in Eisner, LLP. Over the course of her nearly two-decade career, Smith has focused her practice on television and film production, representing Emmy award-winning production companies creating a wide variety of programming. SELG — which also includes attorneys Danielle Falls, Daniel Regan, Sena Harlley and business affairs director Patti Leiva-Hayes — also represents content creators, writers, directors, above-the-line and on-air talent throughout the entertainment industry.

ABOUT HENRY W. ROOT

Root is a member of the Planning Committee and a former member of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on the Sports and Entertainment Industries, having served for six years as Chairman of the Music Division. He was presented with the Ed Rubin Award, the Forum’s highest honor for outstanding leadership and service, at the 2017 Annual Conference of the Forum. He is a past director and officer of the California Copyright Conference. Root is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law where he teaches music law.

For more information about the Smith Entertainment Law Group, visit www.selg.com or LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/smith-entertainment-law-group/about/

PRESS QUERIES

Ross Johnson (for SELG)
Ph: 877.947.2496
Email: [email protected]