Ms Sandra Crawshaw-Sparks > Proskauer Rose LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile
Proskauer Rose LLP Offices
11 TIMES SQUARE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036-8299
NEW YORK
United States
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Ms Sandra Crawshaw-Sparks
Work Department
Litigation
Position
Sandra A. Crawshaw-Sparks is a senior partner in Proskauer’s Litigation Department, and Chair of the firm’s Entertainment, Copyright and Media Practice Group. Sandy maintains a bi-coastal practice, specializing in a wide variety of litigation and transactional matters in the entertainment industry with a special focus on music.
A well-known and respected entertainment industry litigator with over 35-years of success, Sandy represents the most iconic names in music on recording, publishing, licensing and management contracts, copyright and trademark infringement claims, unfair competition claims, and the rights of privacy and publicity.
While she fiercely fights high-profile battles for her entertainment clients and wins some of the most visible cases in the media today, Sandy also negotiates pre-litigation and pre-trial resolutions of highly sensitive and confidential personal and entertainment-related disputes, protecting her clients and their reputations from unwarranted media scrutiny and creative distraction. She is also recognized as an expert in the law respecting court approval of personal services contracts with minors.
Sandy is the National Legal Counsel for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (the not-for-profit organization responsible for the GRAMMY Awards) and she has long served on the Board of Directors of the GRAMMY Museum’s Entertainment Law Initiative, which promotes discussion and debate about the most compelling legal issues facing the music industry.
Over the course of her career, Sandy’s clients have included: Madonna; Lady Gaga; Sting; The Police; Britney Spears; Shania Twain; Luther Vandross; U2; Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails; Amerie; Fiona Apple; Hall & Oates; Matisyahu; Meat Loaf; Debbie Gibson; Sally Hershberger; Judd Hirsch; Living Colour; and Just Blaze.
Sandy has also represented numerous entertainment industry leaders, including: Chris Blackwell; Jimmy Iovine; and Russell Simmons. The music industry companies she has represented include: Live Nation; Sony Music Entertainment (including Arista Records, J Records, Jive Records, Provident Music Group, RCA Records, Zomba Recording Corp., and Verity Records); Universal Music Group (including Interscope Records, Def Jam Records, Geffen Records, GRP Records, MCA Music Publishing, MCA Records, Island Pictures, Island Music, Island Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, and PolyGram Records); Warner Bros. Records; Warner/Chappell Music; BMG Rights Management; Primary Wave Music Publishing; Kobalt Music Publishing; the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; American Recordings; Cash Money Records; EMI-Capitol Music Group; EMI Music Publishing; Gee Street Records; IslandLife; the Island Trading Company; JB Music Publishing; Jellybean Recordings Inc.; Palm Pictures; Maverick Recordings; Rykodisc, Inc.; Vagrant Records; and Wind-Up Records.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
As well as handling litigation involving copyright and defamation, Proskauer Rose LLP is skilled in delicate employment matters that involve sensitive and confidential information. The nature of this work demands a discretion that the team is able to use to avoid media scrutiny and prevent industry embarrassment. In Los Angeles, Anthony Oncidi leads the strategy and arguments behind numerous high-profile labor matters. Also in LA, Kate Gold is a skilled litigator that oversees class action employment lawsuits and internal investigations. Team head Sandra Crawshaw-Sparks splits her time between New York and LA; utilizing pre litigation and negotiation skills to protect her clients’ reputations and businesses. Based in New York, Keisha-Ann Gray represents clients in litigation and internal investigations relating to discrimination and workplace harassment on behalf of high-profile media organizations or individuals.
United States > Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
Proskauer Rose LLP‘s established media and entertainment practice is known for its ability to negotiate and structure media distribution deals involving cable, satellite, and telecoms providers. The team is also well-versed in mandates relating to NFTs and over-the-top platforms. Practice co-head Robert Freeman has a proven track record in advising on joint ventures and strategic alliances in the media and entertainment field. Co-head Lauren Boglivi frequently leverages her private and public M&A experience to handle transactions in the gaming and sports spaces, while in Los Angeles, co-head Sandra Crawshaw-Sparks is a seasoned entertainment industry litigator. Wai Choy’s broad practice extends to the negotiation of regional and national content licensing deals. Unless otherwise mentioned, all named lawyers are based in New York.
United States > Intellectual property > Copyright
(Leading lawyers)The US copyright practice at global firm Proskauer Rose LLP represents high-profile clients in music and entertainment involved in complex infringement litigation. The practice was recently involved in the obtainment of a settlement for Miramax in its high-profile copyright and breach of contract claim against director Quentin Tarantino concerning his intention to issue Pulp Fiction NFTs. The practice is led in Los Angeles by Sandra Crawshaw-Sparks, a music industry expert and seasoned litigator, who acts as National Legal Counsel for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (the not-for-profit responsible for the Grammy Awards) and specializes in the negotiation of pre-litigation and pre-trial resolutions. In New York, David Munkittrick, who was promoted to partner in November 2023, acts for a wide base of clients across such sectors as music, medical devices, publishing, sports, and tech.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading lawyers United States > Intellectual property > Copyright
- Copyright United States > Intellectual property
- Media and entertainment: litigation United States > Media, technology and telecoms
- Media and entertainment: transactional United States > Media, technology and telecoms
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Industry focus > Sport
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Insurance > Advice to policyholders
- Investment fund formation and management > Alternative/hedge funds
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Labor and employment > ERISA litigation
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Tax > International tax
- Tax > Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, and charities)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Labor and employment > Immigration
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending