Brenner McDonald is based in Nashville on Music Row and she provides advice and counsel on both the legal and business aspects of the entertainment industry to a wide range of clients, including artists, songwriters, comedians, podcasters, athletes, film/tv talent, and other performing and creative artists. Additionally, she represents an array of entertainment business entities and interests, including digital media companies, management companies, independent music labels, television/film production companies, and others.
After a fifteen-year stint in artist management, participating in the management of award-winning talent including Sara Evans, Josh Turner, Diamond Rio, Brandon Kinney and others, Brenner launched her entertainment and digital media law practice in the Business Services Group at Butler Snow LLP and went on to join the Intellectual Property Division of McGlinchey Stafford as a Member. In September 2021, she realized her career goal of joining her family of attorneys and becoming a founding member of Lackey | McDonald PLLC where she continues to grow and expand her entertainment and digital media practice.
During her years in artist management, she developed a hands-on knowledge of both the day-to-day and big-picture aspects of the entertainment industry. This ‘real world’ experience afforded her a solid understanding of both the entertainment and digital media verticals. Her clients benefit from a perspective unique amongst lawyers: a deep appreciation of the end result of the creative process, and an equally deep practical knowledge base of the transactions, agreements, and business operations that surround and support a complex and evolving entertainment and media landscape.
Her work touches on every facet of the entertainment industry - books, comedy, podcasts, music, sports, television/film, and spoken word. She is equipped to help her clients establish the appropriate corporate structures while negotiating the full spectrum of agreements to both protect and monetize creative works, including licensing, recording, distribution, and publishing agreements, TV/film financing agreements, influencer agreements, talent and endorsement rights agreements, live performance agreements and other related contracts, in addition to IP catalog purchases and sales. She is particularly conversant in the legal underpinnings of the digital platforms in the entertainment business and the necessity of protecting and enforcing ownership rights on these digital platforms.
Thanks to her unique industry experience, her integrated knowledge allows Brenner to understand and support the challenges and hurdles her legal clients face and the intuition to provide sound advice on what will work, what doesn’t work, and what is just not a good idea. She truly supports and encourages creative individuals and creative ventures and hopes to serve an invaluable role in their successes.
Her broad network and longstanding industry relationships allow her, when needed, to defer to third-party industry professionals for additional knowledge and insight for her clients. Further, when needed, Brenner will align with her attorney partners who are skilled in the areas of tax, real estate, employment, and if necessary, litigation, so that her clients receive comprehensive legal services. Brenner is admitted to practice in the State Courts of Tennessee, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District Court of Tennessee, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2020, Brenner was named a volunteer of the year by the TN VLPA. Outside the office, Brenner has been a "Big Sister" in Big Brother Big Sisters for more than 10 years and she enjoys farming, fishing, and any activity in the outdoors. She explores new music, new films, and all fiction, new and old. Boxing is her exercise of choice. Cooking is a daily creative outlet, and she loves spending time with family and her array of animals
Graduated University of TN and Admitted to TN Bar 1988.
