Michael Ashburne

Website: www.mrashburne.com

Mr. Ashburne has specialized in the representation and guidance of talent in the entertainment industry for over three decades. His experience has included working with renowned artists such as Richard Pryor, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Dead Kennedys, Brenda Russell, ecology activist Julia Butterfly Hill, Walter Hawkins, Taj Mahal, and Ice Cube. Stellar producers Narda Michael Walden, Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, and Dwayne Wiggins have also consulted with Mr. Ashburn.

Mr. Ashburne has written numerous articles including the genre-defining book: Sampling in the Record Industry. He is an experienced educator, having taught entertainment courses for over 10 years at institutions such as Golden Gate University Law School, Laney Community College, and San Francisco State University. In addition to being an expert trial witness in high-profile entertainment litigation cases, Mr. Ashburne is a frequent guest speaker for California Lawyers for the Arts and is currently developing a course on Digital Distribution of Music for San Francisco State.

Mr. Ashburne's law practice continues to evolve. Currently he represents a diverse group of clients that include: Danny Glover, En Vogue founders Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster; Hieroglyphics Enterprises, hip-hop artists Souls of Mischief and Del the Funky Homosapien as well as independent record labels and television/film producers. A long-time resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael is an alumnus of Howard University Law School and U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. He is also one of the founders and Hall of Fame member of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association.