Draft:Simpson and Reed PLLC

Simpson & Reed PLLC is a female-founded boutique entertainment law firm dedicated to providing personalized legal services, building long-term relationships, and helping build empires, exclusively through referrals. The firm is built on the core values of family, loyalty, and grit, where their attorneys bring "creativity and innovation to negotiations and assist clients in navigating the complex landscape of the entertainment industry." The firm represents a diverse range of entertainment industry professionals, including "music artists, producers, songwriters, labels, tech companies, executives, production companies, athletes, and social media influencers."

Notable Clients

Artists

• Demi Lovato
• H.E.R
• Meek Mill
• Busta Rhymes
• Nick Cannon
• Ne-Yo
• Migos
• Chance The Rapper

Record Labels

• Universal Music Group
• Sony
• Roc Nation
• The Orchard
• Human Recourse

Music Publishers

• Universal Music Publishing
• Sony Music Publishing

Founding Attorneys

The founders of the firm, Shardé Simpson and Ciara Reed, are highly accomplished entertainment attorneys with over a decade of experience in the field. Their expertise lies in skillfully navigating and negotiating various types of agreements that are integral to the entertainment industry, such as major record deals, publishing contracts, film agreements, and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) arrangements.

Ciara Reed

Ciara Reed is a renowned music attorney with over a decade of experience in music law. Her experience with commercials, films, and modeling opportunities, at an early age, ignited her passion for working in the industry. According to Ciara, 'once you are in the industry, it is in your blood, and it never leaves.' She landed her first legal internship at an esteemed entertainment law firm in Beverly Hills, during her first year in law school and continued to work with them the remaining school years. Her impressive skills led to a permanent position where she developed expertise in contract negotiations, licensing agreements, and other music-related legal matters. Throughout her career, Ciara has represented a diverse range of clients, including top-tier artists, producers, musicians, songwriters, record labels, and music publishers.

Ciara has successfully handled numerous high-profile clients and complex deals such as joint ventures, endorsement deals, licensing agreements, and artist management contracts. Her exceptional skills and dedication to her clients have established her as a leading attorney in the music industry.

In 2021, Ciara co-founded Simpson & Reed with her business partner Shardé Simpson. They created this all-female entertainment law firm to empower women in the music industry and provide them with the legal support they need to succeed.

Currently, Ciara and her team at Simpson & Reed continue to represent some of the most talented music industry professionals. Ciara's serves as a role model for aspiring attorneys and women in the industry with her commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Shardé Simpson

Shardé Simpson is a distinguished attorney with unique and extensive experience in the inner workings of artist enterprises. She previously served as an associate at Davis Shapiro Lewit Grabel Leven Granderson & Blake LLP, where she drafted and negotiated publishing, management and record label agreements for several artists and entertainers.

Simpson first started her career in entertainment at Roc Nation, where she began as an executive assistant in 2008 before getting promoted to an A&R Coordinator role in 2010. The New York native spent two years in that position, where she earned A&R credits on J. Cole's debut album "Sideline Story" as well as Rita Ora's "Ora" album.

From there, Simpson transitioned to a Business and Legal Affairs Associate, where she crafted contracts, registered master recordings with the United States Copyright Office and handled sponsorship agreements for Roc Nation's clients.

Shardé Simpson currently services as the Vice President of Operations at Dream Chaser Records, Inc. dba DreamChasers  which first launched in July 2019, when Meek Mill formally announced the joint venture with Roc Nation and his position as President of the record label.

In her role with DreamChasers, Simpson currently manages label operations, oversees talent acquisition and supervises creative strategies and marketing tactics.

In addition to her role at DreamChasers, Simpson also serves as an entertainment attorney for her own firm, Simpson and Reed, where she currently represents several artists in the music industry including the artist professionally known as Meek Mill. In the past she has worked with a variety of artists such as H.E.R.

Notable Attorneys

Katherine J. Khazal

Katherine J. Khazal is a young attorney already making significant strides in the industry. Her clientele includes "4x Grammy-winning producer Anthony Kilhoffer (Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott), renowned Egyptian songwriter Farghaly Blax (Mohamed Ramadan), rising Montreal R&B artist Riz, and Libyan director and entrepreneur Ahmed Kwifiya (Adrenaline Entertainment)."

She is dedicated to helping her clients "turn their vision into tangible results." With extensive experience in various music and influencer agreements, she has been involved in negotiations from both sides, equipping her with the expertise to handle complex deals effectively.

Prior to joining Simpson and Reed, Katherine attended Harvard Law School. During her time there, she interned at Roc Nation and the Nashville Predators. After graduation, she worked at Fox Rothschild, LLP's in their Transactional Entertainment Department, supporting numerous celebrities, including Rick Ross, Lady London, Coco Jones, and Hi-Tek.