Brooklyn Law School: Alumni and Giving

September 8, 2008

A L U M N I S P O T L I G H T S

Online Directory | Alumni Association | Class Notes & News | Events |

Spotlights

Alumni Services | Class of 2008 | Contact Us | Alumni & Giving Home

Linda S. Rein '77 Oversees Legal Affairs at Lifetime

In March 2007, Linda S. Rein '77 became senior vice president and general counsel of Lifetime Entertainment Services in New York. Lifetime is a diverse, multi-media company that offers entertainment and information programming and advocates a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. In her new role, she oversees all legal matters for Lifetime.

Rein's 30-year career in entertainment law has encompassed the television, movie, music and theater industries. Before joining the company in 2001 as a vice president of business and legal affairs, she held positions at Columbia House as associate general counsel and at BMG as vice president of business and legal affairs for the classical division. She was also a senior associate at Grubman Indursky & Shire, P.C., a high-profile entertainment law firm headed by Brooklyn Law School alumni Allen Grubman '67 and Arthur Indursky '67. Over her career, she has represented the interests of some of the biggest stars in the pop music business, including Bruce Springsteen, and had the opportunity to work with classical music legends James Galway, Evgeny Kissin, and Leontyne Price.

Before she attended Brooklyn Law School, Rein worked in theatrical production at a time when there were few women in positions of power in the field. "To raise money, producers would go to their wealthy friends," she says, noting the absence of corporate investors that are so prevalent today. She saw a law degree as a way to advance in the entertainment field. In law school, she participated in the Moot Court Honor Society and was a finalist in the northeast competition in her third year, arguing a trademark case.

Following law school, Rein worked in the music industry in the 1980s, a time of major growth for the record business. She worked for Silverman & Shulman, a small firm whose clients included theater producers, noted jazz artists, and other music industry professionals. In both her positions at Columbia House and BMG, her duties included negotiating and drafting talent, production, licensing and marketing agreements; supervising litigation and contract administration; and handling trademark and copyright matters.

"Throughout my professional career, I've been fortunate to be able to combine my lifelong interest in the arts with the practice of law," Rein says. She credits her mentors and contacts who she says were eager to help her launch a career in the entertainment business. "Now, I'm in the same position to help others," she says.