Message from the Chair

We, as artists, are the people that get to change the molecular structure of the hearts and minds of the people that live on this planet.

Please don’t ever stop doing that.

Please don’t ever stop telling the truth.”

--Billy Porter, 71st Emmy Awards Acceptance Speech

Greetings, fellow entertainment and sports lawyers; I hope this finds you well. I’m coming to you “Live from New York,” and I’m honored to be the new Chair of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. I’m looking forward to working with you, helping provide great resources for you, and hopefully crossing paths in person, over the next two years.

The Forum has some terrific events already in the works for 2022. We are hosting a one-day CLE event in Atlanta on Thursday, April 7 (followed by our mid-year Governing Committee meeting on April 8 and 9), along with our LIVE Annual Meeting and CLE Conference at The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas from October 6 - 8. Additional details and registration links for both events will follow shortly by email. We will also be bringing you a variety of webinars and stand-alone CLE programs (both live and pre-recorded) featuring leading speakers from the entertainment and sports worlds. And if you haven’t already, please consider joining one of the Forum’s twelve specialized Divisions; it’s a great way to connect with colleagues and keep up with the latest developments in your respective fields.

Given the difficulties experienced by virtually everyone over the last two years since the arrival of Covid-19, it’s increasingly clear that the arts, entertainment and sports – in multiple forms, all over the world – have provided immeasurable comfort and distraction during difficult times. Billy Porter’s words above ring truer now than ever. There have been seismic shifts in how our industries operate and how content is delivered, but the pandemic has made it very clear how important entertainment and sports are to society (can you imagine how much worse quarantining would have been without music, ball games, and movies on demand?!). So in light of these challenges and new opportunities, we’ve got our work cut out for us.

Here’s to healthier times and smoother sailing ahead.

Stay safe, stay connected, and rock on,

Judy Tint