Intellectual property partner and music industry veteran Ross J. Charap has joined Barton as its latest AmLaw 100 lateral partner hire.
Ross has built a long and successful career representing some of the most legendary musicians, songwriters, and independent music publishers in the music industry, assisting his notable clientele in recapturing U.S. copyrights and licensing, selling, or purchasing valuable music assets. Ross is routinely recognized as a Music Lawyer of the Year by Billboard, which touts him as “a respected music industry attorney and a fixture in Billboard’s annual list of top counselors.”
Ross comes to Barton from ArentFox Schiff, bringing along his star-studded client roster including icons such as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones; legends of the Motown Era such as Billy Preston and Sylvia Moy; multiple writers of the Great American Songbook such as Harold Arlen and Leroy Anderson; vocal trio The Pointer Sisters; Jessye Norman, the famed international opera diva; and Larry Smith, Sr. who discovered, produced, and wrote for Run-DMC on their first two albums and went on to write the music of Whodini.
Throughout his career, Ross has bought and sold over $1 billion in musical assets. He has won significant legal victories, including critical policy changes at the Mechanical Licensing Collective (which returned millions in royalties to songwriters) and successfully defending the Rolling Stones in a 2023 copyright infringement action. Additionally, Ross successfully represented Joe Simon, the creator of Captain America, winning Simon’s case against Marvel to recapture copyright in the famed superhero.
Ross, recognized as a “music rights heavyweight” by Law360, has been an influential presence in the music industry for over five decades, previously serving as in-house counsel for the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), representing the National Music Publishers’ Association, and working closely with BMG Rights Management and other notable publishers on many occasions.
“Ross is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished legal minds in the music and entertainment industry,” said Roger E. Barton, Managing Partner of Barton LLP. “His arrival signals our firm’s commitment and ability to provide unparalleled representation for the creative industry. Few can match his depth of understanding of the legal complexities and business realities facing today’s songwriters, musical artists, and publishers.”
“I am delighted to join Barton and its many talented lawyers,” said Ross of his move. “I intend to continue to vigorously represent my many music clients—whether world-renowned or lesser known—in their daily pursuit to protect and enforce their intellectual property rights against the entities that own and control their musical creations. Barton gives me the platform to continue this important legal struggle.”
Roger E. Barton
Ross J. Charap