Players on the Move

Uwonda Carter Scott, Donald Woodard and John Seay co-founded Carter + Woodard, Georgia's first majority Black-owned, full-service entertainment and corporate law firm. The firm, which is located in Midtown Atlanta and opened in March, recently hosted its launch party. Scott and Woodard, who are Black, each have more than 20 years of experience in the industry. The third partner, Seay, who is white, comes with 10 years of experience. The co-founders said the only other firm of its kind nationwide is Granderson Des Rochers, which has offices in Beverly Hills and New York. Scott said she and her law partners decided to start Carter + Woodard because there is only one major firm in Atlanta — Greenberg Traurig, where Woodard previously worked — that specializes in entertainment law. Carter + Woodard's clients include recording artists Kelly Rowland, Big Boi, Summer Walker, NLE Choppa, Lil Yachty and Jacquees, plus music producer Metro Boomin, boxer Terence Crawford and USA Track & Field, where Woodard had worked before starting the new firm. "I was working at USA Track & Field the last four and a half years and commuting between Atlanta and Indianapolis," he said. "I wanted to transition back to Atlanta full time and go back into private practice. He contacted Scott, a friend "who had been on the opposite side of deals" in the past. She was a solo practitioner whose business had expanded to include a law clerk, associate and paralegal, but needed more staff to handle all the client work she had. She said, "My conversation [with Woodard] was to come together to combine our resources and handle this." Seay will remain somewhat behind the scenes as the firm's third co-founder. Until recently, he had led The Seay Firm, a small boutique Midtown law office specializing in entertainment and intellectual property law. Prior to practicing law, Seay worked as an artist for 10 years, and as a tour manager and music writer. "I worked with Donald and Uwonda for years … I thought it was a great opportunity to build something with them in Atlanta. Atlanta has been a community of mostly solo practitioners [in entertainment law], and I thought this was a great way to start something in Atlanta that maybe was more reflective of the broader community here."