Jeffrey E. Jacobson

JEFFREY E. JACOBSON is a member of the Bars of the State of New York and District of Columbia. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, in addition to Federal trial courts, and the U.S. Court of International Trade. He is President of the Jacobson Firm. P.C. In New York City and Westhampton as well as an Adjunct Professor. Named a SUPER LAWYER for the seventh time in a row in 2020, he has been Av rated by Martindale-Hubbell for nearly 35 years. Previously, he served as attorney for SESAC, Inc., the music licensing and performing rights organization. 

For over thirty-five years, he has been a member of the Copyright Society of the USA and has served on the Editorial Board of the society’s journal since 1989, been a Trustee, sat on the Executive Committee, and co-chaired their web committee. He also founded the Urban Intellectual Property Seminars program conducted by the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association. He serves on numerous entertainment law committees and is extremely active in the copyright bar. Jeffrey teaches Advanced Music Business at Ramapo College of New Jersey and was an Adjunct Associate Professor at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY for a decade instructing students about Music Business Contracts. He has also taught Copyrights and Music Publishing as well as The Business of Music at the Institute of Audio Research in New York City for several years. 

Jeffrey is a prominent figure on the lecture circuit, having spoken at many institutions including NARAS’ Musicares, the American Guild of Authors and Composers, the Songwriter’s Guild, the Center for Media Arts, Fordham University, Pace University, the Detroit School of Law, the American Federation of Musicians, the Media Law Project Seminar of New York Law School, the Mid-America Music Conference, The CMJ (College Music Journal) annual conference, Philadelphia Music Conferences, the Black Radio Exclusive Conference, the Touro Law Center, and many others. Some of his lectures are available on videotape and cassette, including a lecture entitled “Copyright in the Performing Arts,” published on the audio cassette periodical “The Audio Lawyer,” and distributed by the American Law Institute. 

Adding to this impressive list of accomplishments, Jeffrey has served on the prestigious Communications and Media Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York as well as serves on their Entertainment Law Committee, has served on their Trademark & Unfair Competition Committee, Copyright and Literary Property Law Committee. He has been on their CLE faculty as well as their special N2K Task Force. Chairing the subcommittee in the Intellectual Property Law section of the American Bar Association, Jeffery composed reports on topics such as “Satellites,” “Copyright Renewal,” and “Copyright Law Compliance for Authors” as well as Chairing their Broadcasting, Sound Recording and Music Committee. He was also on the Advisory Committee of the New York Music Task Force, Inc., and served as Vice-President of the Performing Arts Unit of B’nai Brith. 

He was born in the Bronx and received his degree in Philosophy from Fordham University at the age of 19. Working his way through college as Manager of the Criterion and Embassy Theatres on Broadway he attended New York Law School. While there, he won the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition with an article on Copyright and Fair Use which was published in the Fall 1980 issue of “Communications and the Law” and serialized in New York Law School and Pace University Law School publications. Subsequently he chaired the Nathan Burkan Competition review committee in the Copyright Society. He clerked in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and graduated from New York Law School in 1980 at age 23. In his pre-attorney life, Jeffrey managed several bands, served as a consultant to record companies, was President of a music production company, and President of two music publishing firms. He is listed in “Who’s Who in America,” “Who’s Who in the World,” “Who’s Who in American Law,” “Who’s Who in Entertainment,” “Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America,” and “Who’s Who in the East,” as well as many other domestic and foreign biographical works. Jeffrey is also a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, The Audubon Society, and many other civic and entertainment organizations.