JEFFREY E. JACOBSON was born in the Bronx and received his degree in Philosophy from Fordham University at the age of 19. He worked his way through college as Manager of the Criterion and Embassy Theatres on Broadway. While attending New York Law School, he won the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition with an article on Copyright and Fair Use which was published in the Fall 1980 issue of "Communications and the Law" and serialized in New York Law School and Pace University Law School publications. He graduated from New York Law School in 1980 at age 23. Jeffrey Jacobson is a member of the Bars of the State of New York and the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, in addition to Federal trial courts, and the U.S. Court of International Trade. Previously, he served as attorney for SESAC, Inc., the music licensing and performing rights organization.
Jeffrey is a prominent figure on the lecture circuit, having lectured at many institutions including the American Guild of Authors and Composers, the Songwriter's Guild, the Center for Media Arts, Fordham University, Pace University, the Detroit School of Law, the American Federation of Musicians, the Media Law Project Seminar of New York Law School, the Mid-America Music Conference, The College Music Journal annual conference, Philadelphia Music Conferences, Black Radio Exclusive Conference, and others. Some of his lectures are available on videotape and cassette, including a lecture entitled "Copyright in the Performing Arts," published on the audio cassette periodical "The Audio Lawyer," and distributed by the American Law Institute and Touro Law Center in Central Islip, Long Island.
Adding to the impressive list of his accomplishments, Jeffrey serves on the prestigious Entertainment Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and has served on their Trademark & Unfair Competition Committee and CLE faculty as well as their special N2K Task Force. He has also served numerous times as subcommittee chairman in the Intellectual Property Law section of the American Bar Association, composing reports on topics such as "Satellites," "Copyright Renewal," and "Copyright Law Compliance for Authors." He was also on the Advisory Committee of the New York Music Task Force, Inc., and has served as Vice-President of the Performing Arts Unit of B'nai Brith. For over twenty years, he has been a member of the Copyright Society of the USA, and has served on the editorial board of the society's journal for many years starting in 1989. Currently, Jeffrey is a Trustee, serves on the Executive Committee, as well as co-chairman of their web committee. He also founded the Urban Intellectual Property Seminars program conducted by the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association. He serves on numerous entertainment law committees and is extremely active in the copyright bar. Jeffrey is also a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, The Audubon Society, as well as many other civic and entertainment organizations. Jeffrey is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY where they presently teach Music Business Contracts. They have also taught Copyrights and Music Publishing.
In his pre-attorney life, Jeffrey managed several bands, served as a consultant to record companies, was President of a music production company, Vice-President of an advertising group, and President of two music publishing firms. He is listed in "Who's Who in America," "Who's Who in the World," "Who's Who in American Law," "Who's Who in Entertainment," "Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America," and "Who's Who in the East," as well as many other domestic and foreign biographical works.
ERIC W. FRIES was sworn in to the Bar of the State of New York in May 2011 after graduating from the City University of New York School of Law and passing the bar examination in the preceding year.
A native of Yonkers, New York, Eric spent his formative years in the shoreline Connecticut town of Old Lyme where he played varsity basketball. Eric went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. While an undergraduate, Eric helped to organize an international videoconference on the future of the United Nations and various community service projects dedicated to increasing awareness of pressing public health issues. Eric eagerly moved back to the northeast to attend law school at CUNY School of Law in scenic Flushing, New York.
During his law school, Eric spent two years working as an intern for Jeffrey E. Jacobson where he acquired the skills and knowledge necessary to become an attorney practicing in the intellectual property and entertainment fields. A highlight of Eric’s experience was the opportunity to participate in a trademark infringement trial before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Eric gained a skills based legal education at CUNY School of Law, a leading institution in clinical legal training, which prepared him to practice as an attorney immediately after graduation, and was also a teaching assistant in both Criminal Law and Torts classes. Also during law school, Eric interned at a non-profit medical university where he learned the fundamentals of operating a nonprofit organization. Eric identifies with creative individuals having played guitar in a rock band during law school, and as a self-taught banjo and piano player.
As an attorney, Eric has extensive experience in trademark prosecution as well as in litigation, copyright matters, will drafting and probate proceedings, and entertainment industry contract drafting and negotiation.
Justin M. Jacobson was born to the law, son of one of New York City’s most prominent intellectual property attorneys. Moving from New York City’s trendy Soho to the “Five Towns” on Long Island, he graduated from G.W. Hewlett High School in Long Island, and then earned a B.A. in Sociology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C, often making the Dean’s List.
Justin made history as the first college intern at the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C., where he streamlined www.copyright.gov’s Frequently Asked Questions section and designed the official step-by-step PowerPoint Tutorial for the new electronic Copyright Office (eCo) site. He added further to his experience in the Digital Music and Website Development department of the M.T.V. Networks, working extensively on digital music video distribution.
In yet another internship, he learned the ropes of Marketing and Promotions at renowned reggae label R.A.S. Records (which subsequently became a subsidiary of Sanctuary Records). His later work with the Digital Hometaping Royalties (D.A.R.T.) department of the Alliance of Artists and Record Companies led him to write his first article, “What is the A.A.R.C.?” published in The Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A, explaining the company and its role in collecting digital hometaping royalties under the Audio Home Recording Act. From there, he went on to intern in the Marketing and Promotions department of Trump World & Poker Life Magazines.
Also as a GWU student, Justin helped co-found, D.C. Partyline, a D.C. based non-profit promotions and marketing firm. The company soon expanded to promotion and marketing events in New York City and London. An active member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, he served as the Social & Formal Chair as well as the Eminent Warden.
While attending the Touro Law Center in New York, Justin worked as a member of the Touro Law Review, served twice as the President of the Touro Arts, Entertainment, and Sports Law Society, and actively participated in the Touro Law Intellectual Property Society.
In 2011, Justin’s article “Cablevision's Remote DV-R: A Solution for the Digital Recording Age” was published in the Touro Law Center Law Review. During his law school career, Justin interned in the Business & Legal Affairs Department of Tommy Boy Entertainment as well as in the Legal and Membership departments of A.S.C.A.P. He also continued as a party promoter, helping with the graphics, promotions, and marketing for an up-and-coming New York City club D.J.
Upon graduating, Justin joined his father, Jeffrey, to bring a new pro-active attitude and youthful vigor to the legal profession at The Jacobson Firm, P.C. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in March of 2012. He was admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York in April of 2012.
