About

When I was studying music for my bachelor’s degree in performance and composition, I took an English class which required me to read “THE NATURE OF THE JUDICIAL PROCESS” by BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO, LL.D, a famous United States Supreme Court Justice. I realized that in crafting a legal decision, Cardozo was doing with letters, words, sentences, paragraphs and overall document structure what I was doing with melodies, chords, phrases, sections and overall music structure. I wanted to learn more about his art. The University of Arizona Law School needed to be convinced that despite my music background, I should be accepted as a law student, so I took a year of philosophy courses. I made straight A’s. They were convinced and I was admitted in 1973, graduating and passing the Bar in 1976.

I opened a solo law practice that year and have continued to this day. Copyright cases have included lawsuits against the Oliver Stone movie “Heaven and Earth Changed Places” for unauthorized use of my client’s music; against Warner Brothers for failing to license use of my publishing client’s song “Springsville” in a 1990’s release of performances by Miles Davis and Quincy Jones; and against Pony Canyon, a Japanese entity, regarding distributions of my client’s recordings in Asia.

Family law has always been significant in my practice, and I regularly represent clients in this area. I have had cases which went all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, such as Iacouzze v. Iacouzze, 137 Ariz. 584, 672 P.2d 928 (1983) and Solomon v. Findley, 167 Ariz. 409, 808 P.2d 294 (1991).

I have also handled commercial cases, Hoag v. Valley Nat. Bank, 147 Ariz. 137, 708 P.2d 1328 (Ct. App. 1985), and construction cases, Chirco Const. Co. v. Stewart Title & Trust of Tucson, 129 Ariz. 187, 629 P.2d 1023 (Ct. App. 1981).

While I have always drafted Wills and related documents for my clients, at this point in my practice there is more and more activity in probate and estate planning matters, including living trusts, living wills and powers of attorney. Apparently I am getting older. Still, I enjoy continuing my music activities as a welcome relief to the practice of law.