Lawyers

Donald Woodard is a partner in Gordon & Rees’s Business Transactions and Sports, Media and Entertainment Law practice groups.  He has extensive experience focusing on business and commercial transactions, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Woodard is also a nationally recognized expert with over ten years of specialty experience in entertainment (music, television and film), media, and technology law, including digital rights (strategy and management), social media, copyright, and rights of privacy, publicity and protection for celebrities and public figures.

Mr. Woodard provides comprehensive business and branding counsel to a broad range of corporate and entertainment clients, from startup to mid-sized multi-million dollar companies, entertainment businesses, generally in the capacity as outside general counsel, high-profile celebrities, and Grammy® Award winning recording artists, record producers, and songwriters who have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Mr. Woodard serves as outside entertainment counsel to the City of Atlanta.  His clients also include on-air morning drive radio station talent and on-air television personalities and broadcasters.

Mr. Woodard was the first African-American federal judicial clerk on the Northern District of Georgia's Bankruptcy Court, where he oversaw the high-profile bankruptcy of best-selling female recording group TLC. He also negotiated the first commercial product endorsement deal for a recording artist with the Jordan/Nike brand. Mr. Woodard is a frequent lecturer in the entertainment industry.

Admissions

Georgia

Memberships

American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Entertainment and Sports Law Forum
Future of Music Coalition, Advisory Board
Atlanta Business League
Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association
Copyright Society of the USA
State Bar of Georgia, Entertainment and Sports Section
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (presenter of the Grammy® Awards), former Board of Governors
Zoo Atlanta, Leadership Council

Community Involvement

Atlanta Lawyers for the Arts
Entertainment Industry Commission for the City of Atlanta
United Way, VIP Graduate