Jeffery E. Jacobson was born in the Bronx and received his degree in Philosophy from Fordham University at the age of 19. He worked his way through college as Manager of the Criterion and Embassy Theatres on Broadway. While attending New York Law School, he won the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition with an article on Copyright and Fair Use which was published in the Fall 1980 issue of “Communications and the Law” and serialized in New York Law School and Pace University Law School publications. He graduated from New York Law School in 1980 at age 23. Jeffrey Jacobson is a member of the Bars of the State of New York and the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, in addition to Federal trial courts, and the U.S. Court of International Trade. Previously, he served as attorney for SESAC, Inc., the music licensing and performing rights organization.
Jeffrey is a prominent figure on the lecture circuit, having lectured at many institutions including the American Guild of Authors and Composers, the Songwriter’s Guild, the Center for Media Arts, Fordham University, Pace University, the Detroit School of Law, the American Federation of Musicians, the Media Law Project Seminar of New York Law School, the Mid-America Music Conference, The College Music Journal annual conference, Philadelphia Music Conferences, Black Radio Exclusive Conference, and others. Some of his lectures are available on videotape and cassette, including a lecture entitled “Copyright in the Performing Arts,” published on the audio cassette periodical “The Audio Lawyer,” and distributed by the American Law Institute and Touro Law Center in Central Islip, Long Island.
Adding to the impressive list of his accomplishments, Jeffrey serves on the prestigious Entertainment Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and has served on their Trademark & Unfair Competition Committee and CLE faculty as well as their special N2K Task Force. He has also served numerous times as subcommittee chairman in the Intellectual Property Law section of the American Bar Association, composing reports on topics such as “Satellites,” “Copyright Renewal,” and “Copyright Law Compliance for Authors.” He was also on the Advisory Committee of the New York Music Task Force, Inc., and has served as Vice-President of the Performing Arts Unit of B’nai Brith. For over twenty years, he has been a member of the Copyright Society of the USA, and has served on the editorial board of the society’s journal for many years starting in 1989. Currently, Jeffrey is a Trustee, serves on the Executive Committee, as well as co-chairman of their web committee. He also founded the Urban Intellectual Property Seminars program conducted by the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association. He serves on numerous entertainment law committees and is extremely active in the copyright bar. Jeffrey is also a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, The Audubon Society, as well as many other civic and entertainment organizations. Jeffrey is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY where they presently teach Music Business Contracts. They have also taught Copyrights and Music Publishing.
In his pre-attorney life, Jeffrey managed several bands, served as a consultant to record companies, was President of a music production company, Vice-President of an advertising group, and President of two music publishing firms. He is listed in “Who’s Who in America,” “Who’s Who in the World,” “Who’s Who in American Law,” “Who’s Who in Entertainment,” “Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America,” and “Who’s Who in the East,” as well as many other domestic and foreign biographical works.