Sandra (Sandy) Crawshaw-Sparks is a senior partner in the Litigation Department, and Chair of the firm’s Entertainment, Copyright and Media Practice Group. Sandy maintains a bi-coastal practice, specializing in a wide variety of litigation and transactional matters in the entertainment industry with a special focus on music.
A well-known and respected entertainment industry litigator with over 35-years of success, Sandy represents the most iconic names in music on recording, publishing, licensing and management contracts, copyright and trademark infringement claims, unfair competition claims, and the rights of privacy and publicity.
While she fiercely fights high-profile battles for her entertainment clients and wins some of the most visible cases in the media today, Sandy also negotiates pre-litigation and pre-trial resolutions of highly sensitive and confidential personal and entertainment-related disputes, protecting her clients and their reputations from unwarranted media scrutiny and creative distraction. She is also recognized as an expert in the law respecting court approval of personal services contracts with minors.
Sandy is the National Legal Counsel for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (the not-for-profit organization responsible for the GRAMMY Awards) and she has long served on the Board of Directors of the GRAMMY Museum’s Entertainment Law Initiative, which promotes discussion and debate about the most compelling legal issues facing the music industry.
Over the course of her career, Sandy's clients have included: Madonna; Lady Gaga; Sting; The Police; Britney Spears; Shania Twain; Luther Vandross; U2; Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails; Amerie; Fiona Apple; Hall & Oates; Matisyahu; Meat Loaf; Debbie Gibson; Sally Hershberger; Judd Hirsch; Living Colour; and Just Blaze.
Sandy has also represented numerous entertainment industry leaders, including: Chris Blackwell; Jimmy Iovine; and Russell Simmons. The music industry companies she has represented include: Live Nation; Sony Music Entertainment (including Arista Records, J Records, Jive Records, Provident Music Group, RCA Records, Zomba Recording Corp., and Verity Records); Universal Music Group (including Interscope Records, Def Jam Records, Geffen Records, GRP Records, MCA Music Publishing, MCA Records, Island Pictures, Island Music, Island Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, and PolyGram Records); Warner Bros. Records; Warner/Chappell Music; BMG Rights Management; Primary Wave Music Publishing; Kobalt Music Publishing; the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; American Recordings; Cash Money Records; EMI-Capitol Music Group; EMI Music Publishing; Gee Street Records; IslandLife; the Island Trading Company; JB Music Publishing; Jellybean Recordings Inc.; Palm Pictures; Maverick Recordings; Rykodisc, Inc.; Vagrant Records; and Wind-Up Records.
Los Angeles +1.310.284.4525
New York +1.212.969.3915
Education
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Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
cum laude
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Drew University, B.A.
cum laude
Admissions & Qualifications
- California
- New York
- New Jersey
- District of Columbia (Inactive)
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, New York, Eastern District
- U.S. District Court, New York, Southern District
- U.S. District Court, California, Central District
Awards & Recognition
Los Angeles Times’ Business of Law "Visionary" 2023
Benchmark Litigation, Top 250 Women in Litigation 2017-2023
Benchmark Litigation, Litigation Stars 2018-2024
Billboard Top Music Lawyers 2021-2023
Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law Awards: Copyright Lawyer of the Year 2022
Los Angeles Business Journal Women of Influence: Attorneys 2021
The Hollywood Reporter New York Power Lawyer 2021, 2023
Chambers USA: New York: Media & Entertainment: Litigation 2008-2023
Chambers USA: California: Media & Entertainment: Litigation 2019-2023
Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards, Shortlisted for Entertainment Lawyer of the Year 2023
Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards, Shortlisted for Copyright Lawyer of the Year 2022-2023
Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law Awards: Media and Entertainment 2015, 2018, 2022
Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law Awards: Copyright 2016
Daily Journal, Top Women Lawyers 2014, 2017-2019
Variety Legal Impact Report 2019
Managing Intellectual Property IP STARS 2021, 2023
New York Super Lawyers: Top Women Attorneys in New York Metro 2016
New York Super Lawyers 2011-2022
The Legal 500 United States: Intellectual Property: Copyright 2014-2023 (Leading Lawyer, 2023)
The Legal 500 United States: Trademarks Litigation 2016-2019
The Legal 500 United States: Telecoms and Broadcast: Transactions 2022
The Legal 500 United States: Media & Entertainment 2017-2018
The Legal 500 United States: MT & T: Media & Entertainment: Transactional 2019-2023
The Legal 500 United States: MT & T: Media & Entertainment: Litigation 2019-2023
The Legal 500 United States: MT & T: Film, Music & Television: Advice to Corporates 2009
The Legal 500 United States: MT & T: Film, Music & Television: Advice to Talent 2009
“Top 50 Women,” New York Metro Super Lawyers, 2019-2020
Best Lawyers in America Litigation – Intellectual Property, Lawyer of the Year, 2020, 2024
Best Lawyers in America Litigation – Intellectual Property, Best Lawyers 2020-2022
Best Lawyers in America Entertainment Law – Music, Best Lawyers, 2020-2021