Deborah Wagnon Joins Firm to Lead New Division
NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 01, 2001 - Like the clients they serve, attorneys for entertainment and sports figures are an elite group in Nashville. Not many get in the club. But times are changing, with significant shifts occurring in 2000 - providing an opportunity for the adept and the agile to join the club.
One of the city's oldest law firms is stepping up to the microphone. Cornelius & Collins, a 58-year-old firm with a strong litigation tradition, is moving its offices and building on its Music Row experience to establish a new entertainment and sports division - headed by an attorney with national and international experience in the field. Deborah Wagnon, formerly of Greenberg Traurig Law Firm, is joining Cornelius & Collins as Of Counsel to manage the enhanced division. She has worked with many entertainment industry heavyweights, and is a former partner/shareholder with two of the top entertainment lawyers in the industry, John Mason and Joel Katz.
"With the advent of the Internet and the blurring of distinctions between country and pop, among other forces, Nashville's music industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation. And professional sports is a new industry in our city. There is a growing need for qualified legal counsel in these areas, and we are looking forward to being of service," said Tom Carlton, managing partner.
"We are especially proud to welcome Deborah Wagnon to our firm," Carlton continued. "She brings a wealth of national and international experience to her new position as head of our Entertainment and Sports Division - as well as a solid grounding in Nashville's music community. We look forward to the contributions she will make to our clients' welfare."
A former professional musician and singer who worked her way from music producer to head of Music Business Affairs and ultimately General Counsel at Landmark Entertainment in Hollywood, California, Wagnon comes most recently from the Entertainment division offices of Greenberg Traurig, in Atlanta. At Greenberg Traurig she concentrated her practice on music and film, including mounting the film project "The Journey" intended for release in 2001.
"I first got to know Cornelius & Collins through Ben Harrison, a partner at the firm, whom I worked with on a particularly complex case," said Wagnon. "I was impressed by the firm's litigation strength and their experience in entertainment law through representing Music Row institutions like ASCAP and Acuff-Rose Publishing. At the same time, I'd been hoping to relocate to Nashville, and I believed that associating with a well-respected firm would be essential to my success here. So this just seemed like a great matching of talents and timing. I'm looking forward to the synergy this is going to create for us."
Deborah has worked with a who's who of entertainers, producers and songwriters, including Reba McEntire, Lorrie Morgan, Olivia Newton-John, Gloria Estefan, Lee Ann Womack, Robert Earl Keen, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, John Berry, Jon Secada, and Deana Carter, She has also handled international entertainment issues, taking her to London for Virgin Records UK and EMI Records UK, as well as working with one of the leading entertainment law firms in England. Deborah has an international roster of clients which include Shalim Ortiz, a Crescent Moon/Sony artist produced by Emilio Estefan, Ernesto Tamayo, classical guitarist from Cuba, Chapman Brothers, the London pop group, and newcomer Cosima DeVito, a 23-year old Australian pop diva. Her corporate clients include the Bacardi Family Foundation, Creative Technologies of the Silicon Valley, and Virgin-Asia Pacific Limited - Richard Branson's Asia based Virgin companies, as well as the National Women's Football League (NWFL) for entertainment activities including books, film/TV and corporate sponsorships.
Wagnon is also active in the local and regional Tennessee community, and was recently appointed a member of University of Middle Tennessee's Communications Board of Visitors. She previously served as Professor of International Recording Industry for the University's College of Mass Communications. She has also served on numerous boards of directors, such as the Tennessee Repertory Theater, Nashville Entertainment Association, and the Nashville Screenwriters Conference. Wagnon has been an adjunct professor of International Recording Industry for l999 - 2000 at Georgia State's School of Music, and in 2001 will teach the course via a combination of on-site and distance learning, working to link the university course with that of MTSU's Recording Industry program.
A graduate of Stanford Law School, Wagnon speaks Spanish and will bring global business to her services at Cornelius & Collins. In conjunction with the creation of the new practice area in entertainment and sports, Cornelius & Collins has relocated their of fices from the 27th floor, to the 15th floor of the Nashville City Center.
Carlton said. "This is an exciting time for our firm, and we look forward to sharing it with those who have made it possible. This coming year should see some extremely rewarding times for our clients and us. We're gearing up for a very active and productive 2001."
Established in 1942, Cornelius & Collins, LLP was founded by Charles L. Cornelius, Charles L. Cornelius Jr. and W. Ovid Collins Jr. The firm specializes in all areas of civil litigation, including trials and appeals in all local, state and federal courts, as well as state and federal administrative forums. In addition to its traditional representation of major insurers and their policy holders, Cornelius & Collins offers a wide range of legal services in the areas of general business, corporate, real estate, labor and employment, product liability, medical/professional malpractice, governmental liability and civil rights, estate and probate, bankruptcy, copyright and entertainment law.