Allen Grubman ’67 (b. 1942)
Grubman was raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1967. While attending BLS he worked in the William Morris Agency mailroom and as a CBS page, early experiences that helped shape his entry into the entertainment industry. After graduation he went on to found his own firm in 1974, which ultimately became Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, the largest U.S. law firm specializing in media, entertainment, and sports. His clients have included Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Elton John, U2, Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, and many of the most influential performers and executives in the industry. Grubman is widely recognized for negotiating long-term, high-impact agreements that allow major artists to retain creative control over their work. In 2022 he became the first lawyer ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (which he also cofounded), receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award for his decades of transformative work in shaping the modern music business. In 2024 he and his wife Deborah endowed the $1.5 million Allen Grubman Chair in Media and Entertainment Law at Brooklyn Law School.
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