According to @billboard, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has hired a well-known lawyer who has experience in the music industry, including working with Jay-Z and Megan Thee Stallion.
Adams will be represented by Alex Spiro from the law firm Quinn Emanuel, a lawyer who gained prominence in recent years for representing high-profile clients like Elon Musk. Recently, he achieved a notable victory in a manslaughter trial involving Alec Baldwin related to a shooting incident on the set of the movie “Rust.”
The charges against Adams, made public on Thursday morning, include five federal counts concerning bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and soliciting campaign donations from foreign individuals looking to gain influence over him. The mayor has firmly rejected these accusations.
Spiro, recognized as one of Billboard’s leading music attorneys, is particularly well-known in the industry for his legal representation of Jay-Z and the various Roc Nation enterprises.
Spiro managed a lengthy legal battle for Jay-Z regarding a problematic cologne endorsement deal, ultimately rejecting a claim for $67 million in damages and securing $7 million in unpaid royalties for the artist. Additionally, he assisted Jay-Z, Meek Mill, and other musicians in drafting an open letter advocating for legislation that would prevent prosecutors from using rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials.
Currently, he is involved in complex legal proceedings concerning the upcoming auction of Damon Dash’s share in Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records, having recently filed a motion related to the rights to the rapper’s famous debut album, *Reasonable Doubt*.
Another notable client of Spiro’s is Megan Thee Stallion. He represented her for several years in a contentious lawsuit against her former record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, where she alleged that she was misled into signing an “unconscionable” record contract as an emerging artist.
He also represented Megan Thee Stallion as a victim and witness during the trial of Tory Lanez, who was found guilty in 2022 of shooting her in the foot during a dispute in 2020. When the defense attorneys began the trial by suggesting that the case stemmed from “jealousy,” Spiro was direct in his response during an interview with ABC News: “It’s obviously absurd and an attempt at distraction. [Tory Lanez] shot her and that’s what the case is about.”