John E. Seay, Esq.

The Seay Firm is an entertainment law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. We are artist advocates, dedicated to advising and protecting all manner of artists and arts-related businesses.

Our founder, John Seay, is a former artist with a decade of experience in the entertainment industry as a musician, tour manager, and writer. John spent three years as Of Counsel in the entertainment practice group in the Nashville office of Loeb & Loeb and worked in the legal department at Turner Broadcasting before founding The Seay Firm in 2011.

In 2021 and 2022, John was named a Top Music Lawyer by Billboard. He has also been recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite, both in the fields of entertainment law. John has spoken about entertainment law at SXSW, the Americana Festival, and the AJC Decatur Book Festival, and is presently Chair of the State Bar of Georgia Entertainment & Sports Law Section.

John is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served as Executive Articles Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and President of The Sports & Entertainment Law Society. He’s also a husband and father, and lives in Decatur with his wife and two daughters. Follow John on Twitter and Instagram: @TheSeayFirmLLC.

Recognition

• Billboard Top Music Lawyer (2021 – 2022)
• Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star in Entertainment Law (2016 – 2020)
  • Awarded to 2.5% of attorneys in Georgia
• Legal Elite in Entertainment Law by Georgia Trend Magazine (2016, 2018, 2021)
  • Awarded to 13 attorneys in Georgia
• AVVO-rated 10.0 “Superb” Top Attorney in Entertainment Law

Professional & Community Activities

• State Bar of Georgia Entertainment & Sports Law Section, Section Chair
• Member: Recording Academy, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and Georgia Lawyers for the Arts

Education

• University of Georgia School of Law, J.D. (2010)
• Birmingham-Southern College, B.A. (2003)

Quoted In

• Rolling Stone – Can Taylor Swift Really Be Banned From Playing Her Old Albums?
• Rolling Stone – What the Messy Legal Battle Over Lil’ Peep’s Death Reveals
• CNN – ‘Joker’ uses a song by convicted pedophile Gary Glitter. He’s probably making money off it
• Bloomberg – Why Can’t Taylor Swift Perform Her Own Songs? It’s Complicated.
• Quartz – A Bulgarian scheme scammed Spotify for $1 million – without breaking a single law

Selected Publications

• Why Pandora Wants to Pay Less and What it Means for Licensing Reform, Copyright, St. B. Ga. Ent. & Sports L. Sec. Newsl.) (2013)
• You Look Complicated Today: Representing an Illegal Graffiti Artist in a Copyright Infringement Case, 20 J. Intell. Prop. L. (2012)
• Legislative Strategies for Enabling the Success of Online Music Purveyors, 17 UCLA Ent. L. Rev. 163 (2010)
• Hang ‘Em High: Will the Recording Industry Association of America’s New Plan to Posse Up With Internet Service Providers in the Fight Against Online Music Piracy Finally Tame the Wild Internet?, 16 J. Intell. Prop. L. 269 (2009)

Philip A. Ordonez, Esq.

Philip Ordonez has been involved in the music industry in a variety of capacities since he was 13. From hospitality to production to performance, Philip has experience both on stage and behind the scenes. He is an artist who still plays around his current hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, with various musical projects, and brings his wide range of experience to the table to assist in all aspects of the entertainment industry.

Philip is an honors graduate of the Emory University School of Law, where he served as Vice President of The Sports & Entertainment Law Society and successfully completed the Transactional Law Certificate Program. While in law school, he and several fellow musician law students formed the first Emory Law School band, Disorder in the Court.

Philip is proficient in Spanish. 

Professional & Community Activities

• Member: State Bar of Georgia Entertainment & Sports Law Section,
• Member: Georgia Lawyers for the Arts

Education

• Emory University School of Law, J.D., with Honors (2020)
• Auburn University, B.A. Sociology, Summa Cum Laude with Honors (2014) 

Certifications

• Transactional Law and Skills Certificate – Center for Transactional Law and Practice (Emory University School of Law)(2020)

Haley Carlson

Firm Manager Haley Carlson is a dedicated arts leader, advocate, and enthusiast, with a passion to advance opportunities for creatives in Metro Atlanta and beyond. She has worked at large and small arts institutions alike, such as Dia: Beacon, Southern Highland Craft Guild, BluBus Screen Printing, and the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. She received her master’s in Arts Leadership & Cultural Management from the LEAP Institute for the Arts at Colorado State University in 2017. Haley serves on the board of S.T.A.M.P. (Sustainable Touring for Artists, Musicians, and Performers) and is the co-founder of the Dream Warriors Foundation.

Directions

Our office is located at 750 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 — Piedmont Ave. is a one-way street. Drive north on Piedmont Ave. and take a

Our office is located at 750 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 —

TRAVELING NORTH: Piedmont Ave. is a one-way street. Drive north on Piedmont Ave. and take a left turn onto 4th Ave. (two-way street) and then take the first right turn, about halfway up the block, into an alley street. Take the very first right into a gravel parking lot, park anywhere, and then call the office at (404) 913-4232. Someone will come and grab you from the lot. Alternatively, if there is a parallel space on Piedmont Ave., then feel free to take it, and then call the office.

TRAVELING SOUTH: Drive south on Juniper Street (one-way street) and take a left turn onto 4th Street (two-way street) and then take the first right left, about halfway up the block, into an alley street. Take the very first right into a gravel parking lot, park anywhere, and then call the office at (404) 913-4232. Someone will come and grab you from the lot. Alternatively, if there is a parallel space on Piedmont Ave., then feel free to take it, and then call the office.

The Seay Firm is located at 750 Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. Call (404) 913-4232 or contact us to schedule an appointment.