CREATIVE ATTORNEYS for a CREATIVE INDUSTRY

Stephanie Taylor is an entertainment and music industry attorney and was honored as one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers in 2021.  She provides a broad range of legal services to clients involved in the creation, production and management of creative works. With over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Stephanie understands the special needs of creative individuals and entrepreneurs. She has represented record labels, recording artists, songwriters, producers, artist managers, music publishers, concert promoters, production companies, television talent, music industry entrepreneurs, and businesses involved with the creation, use and distribution of copyrighted works. Stephanie has developed extensive understanding of copyright law, music publishing, catalog sales, record label operations, media, television, radio, and general business matters. She was named one of Nashville's "40 under 40" by the Nashville Business Journal and has been honored as one of the "Best Lawyers®  in America" in the area of Entertainment Law - Music, Entertainment and Theatre, and is a member of the 2018 class of Leadership Music. Stephanie was a member of Stites & Harbison and Bone McAllester Norton before launching her own firm in 2017. She was a tenured professor of music business at Middle Tennessee State University, served as Associate Chair of the Department of Recording Industry, and directed the school's Recording Industry Exchange program with Russia. Stephanie is a South Dakota native, but her love of country music inspired her move to Nashville. She is a classically trained violinist and country/bluegrass fiddle player. Her musical career has included eight years as a contract violinist with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra in Lincoln, Neb., and she has performed with numerous recording artists, including Chris Young, Joey + Rory, and others. She was inducted into the South Dakota Old Time Fiddlers Hall of Fame. Taylor currently serves on the University of Nebraska’s Council of Alumni Ambassadors and is a Trustee for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Taylor spends her free time with her husband and two children. They enjoy cheering on Nebraska Football and making frequent trips to Nebraska and South Dakota to enjoy the beauty of the great plains with their families.   

Professional Accolades:

Leadership Music, Class of 2018

Forty Under 40, Nashville Business Journal

Alumni Achievement Award, University of Nebraska

South Dakota Old Time Fiddler's Hall of Fame

The Foundation for Bluegrass Music Trustee

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Trustee 2012-present

University of Nebraska, Council of Alumni Ambassadors 2013 – present

Best Lawyers in America ® in Entertainment Law

Education: 

Belmont University, M.B.A.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law, J.D.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln B.A., Music Education

Bar Admissions: TN, SD   

Rachel Simes Guttmann is an entertainment and music industry attorney. She provides a broad range of legal services in both transactional and litigation matters to clients involved in the creation, production, and management of creative works. She understands the special needs of the entertainment industry, including copyright law, trademarks, music publishing, record labels, media, catalog sales, and general business matters. Rachel represents recording artists, songwriters, producers, artist managers, record labels, music publishers, concert promoters, music industry entrepreneurs, and businesses involved in the creation, use, and distribution of creative works. Before moving to Nashville, Rachel served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Dee D. Drell in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Following her clerkship, Rachel worked as an attorney in New Orleans at mid-size litigation defense firms, representing major corporations, public bodies, and insurance companies in defense and coverage matters throughout Louisiana. She has significant trial experience in State and Federal courts throughout Louisiana. In 2017, Rachel argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 2018, Rachel taught Legal Issues I as an adjunct professor in the Department of Film and Music Industry Studies at Loyola University New Orleans. While in New Orleans, Rachel developed her own music and entertainment practice and spent much of her free time working with organizations to support the music community including New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness, the Music Business Summit at the Ellis Marsalis Center, and Bringing Down the House with the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation. Rachel currently spends her free time supporting the Nashville music community through SOLID, WMBA, MusiCares Ambassadors, and Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts – Arts Immersion Committee. When she is not volunteering, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband and numerous rescue dogs. They enjoy cheering on the New Orleans Saints and taking walks through the hills of Tennessee. 

Professional Involvement:

SOLID – Society of Leaders in Development 

(Social Chair, 2021; Music Market Co-Chair, 2020; 2019 Member of the Year)

WMBA – Women’s Music Business Association

(Ambassador Award, 2019)

MusiCares Ambassadors

Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts - 

Arts Immersion Committee

Education:

Tulane University Law School, J.D.  Middle Tennessee State University, B.S., Music Business

Bar Admissions: TN, LA (inactive)