Lee Phillips

Practice Areas

Lee Phillips, senior partner and pioneer of Manatt’s Entertainment practice, has been one of the music industry’s most prolific attorneys for more than 40 years. Lee has been the go-to representative for some of music’s greatest legends as well as for composers, record companies and publishing companies, working on a wide range of deals and contract negotiations throughout the industry’s digital transformation over the past more than four decades. Lee has guided artists, songwriters, music publishers, producers, celebrities and their estates, as well as major record companies through some of the music industry’s most lucrative and well-known deals.

Nearly 50 years later, following Lee’s vision and guidance, Manatt Entertainment has grown into one of the nation’s most respected and sought-after advisors for clients facing the gamut of legal issues, from transactions and licensing deals to company litigation. His vision has been realized—a full-service firm to serve all legal and advisory needs of entertainment clients, going beyond the artist group to include major companies in the music entertainment industry.

Professional Memberships

Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and California

Member, Board of Directors, Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC)

Member, Board of Directors, Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)

Former President and Chairman, City of Hope Music Division

Lecturer on the subject of legal practice in the music industry for The Practicing Law Institute in New York and California, various bar associations, and Harvard and UCLA law schools