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New York-based entertainment law firm Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy & Worob has appointed Craig Averill as a name partner and announced the reopening of a Nashville office. The firm, which represents a wide range of labels, artists, producers, publishers, managers and booking agencies, has also promoted attorneys Patrick Sabatini and Jeffrey Koenig to partners.
Averill of the newly christened Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy Worob & Averill has a client list that includes LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix, Red Bull, Interpol, Cornerstone and Hudson Mohawke, while the firm has an existing Nashville presence with clients that include Jason Isbell, River House Artists, Zac Brown's Southern Ground Studios, Jamey Johnson and the Kinkead Entertainment Agency.
"It is well deserved for Craig to become a name partner of Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy Worob & Averill," said Joe Serling, founder and senior partner. "From the time Craig became involved with our firm, he has contributed enormously to its growth and organization and I only foresee continued growth in the future."
Averill joined SRHMWA in 2008 and became a partner in early 2016. He began his career at Sony Music Entertainment and was later appointed general manager for Walter Yetnikoff's indie label Gypsy Records before going into private practice in 1999.
"In addition to handling our deals with Fader Label, our music publishing venture and many of the Cornerstone brand deals we do," said Jon Cohen, co-Founder & co-CEO of The Fader & Cornerstone Agency. "Craig has been a tremendous strategic resource for us as we have grown our combined companies over the years. Craig truly understands the landscape of the music business and has been an amazing partner to The Fader and Cornerstone."
The firm said its Nashville expansion represents a "natural evolution" as it already has a number of clients up and down Music Row, including Word Records and Curb Records (both for intellectual property matters), as well as the estates of Country Music Hall of Fame artists Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis, Don Williams and Dottie West.
SRHMWA partner J. Reid Hunter commented, "Our new Nashville office will enable us to better serve those existing clients and to work more closely with the growing number of artists, writers, producers, executives and music and branding companies based in Nashville, while drawing upon the exceptional pool of legal and business talent graduating from the local universities."
Newly named partner Patrick Sabatini is based in Music City and focuses on recording and publishing matters, as well as merch and touring agreements, branding and copyright issues. Jeffrey Koenig, formerly the in-house counsel at Universal Motown Republic Group, has a client list including artists, labels, execs and publishers.
