Billboard Names Helen Yu of Yu Leseberg As A Top Lawyer For 2023

Helen Yu
Founder, Yu Leseberg

Yu negotiated client Paulo Londra’s 2022 label contract with Warner Music Latina after managing litigation that freed the Argentine rapper from label Big Ligas. The resulting album, Back to the Game — his first in three years — arrived in November. The firm also closed exclusive apparel deals for client Westside Merchandising with hip-hop supergroup Mount Westmore (Snoop Dogg, Ice-Cube, E-40, Too $hort) as well as hip-hop magazine The Source. Yu’s diverse roster includes Ty Dolla $ign, Diane Warren, Jeff Gitelman, Gerardo Ortiz, members of the Black Eyed Peas and Adrián Chaparro. Yu says that as the first Asian American woman to lead a music law firm, she is passionate about inclusion and creating opportunities for underdogs.

“It’s a privilege & honor to once again be named as a Billboard Top Music Lawyer.  Our passion and commitment to our clients as trailblazing advocates for creatives remains unwavering.”

BILLBOARD: Billboard’s 2023 Top Music Lawyers Revealed

Billboard Honors Helen Yu As Part Of Women In Music For 2023

Billboard Magazine has made Helen Yu of Yu Leseberg an honoree as part of 2023’s Women In Music Awards. Helen is grateful for this recognition and pays tribute to all the great women in music.

Top Lawyers: Helen Yu Of Yu Leseberg On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this career path in Law? Did you want to be an attorney “when you grew up”?

I always loved music and I started as a musician. I played keyboards and I was in a band in high school. We recorded an EP at Westlake Studios on Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles. We would play local high school parties and it was a ton of fun.

I got my first professional introduction to the music business when I was 15. My best friend’s father helped me land an internship at a record company not far from where I grew up at a label called Enigma Records. It was a great way to start. I didn’t even drive yet, I was 15. My mom would drop me off. That’s how I started at this very cool indie label. It was run by two brothers, Bill and Wes Hein. This was pre-Silicon Valley, but Enigma Records was set up in a large warehouse space with a ton of desks around the room for all their departments (now this was the 1980’s and no one worked in offices with that setup). They had all the departments there — radio, retail, distribution and finance. This was my first introduction to how a record company worked. I did whatever they needed me to do, answer phones, box stuff up, called retail record stores. Back then, labels did data gathering by calling retailers to find out what records were selling. The internet didn’t exist, so it was super old school.

In high school, I wanted to be a musician or in the creative field somehow. My family really discouraged it as my parents wanted me to be a lawyer, as that is something they understood, not being a musician.

When I started taking driving lessons — it’s funny, you never know where the inspiration is going to come from — I was learning how to finally drive so my mom wouldn’t have to continue to drive me around. This older hippie gentleman was my instructor, Ian, and he asked me ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I told him I wanted to be in a band, but my parents wanted me to be a lawyer. And he said, ‘Well you know, there’s lawyers that do that.’ And I said ‘Yeah, you’re right, there’s lawyers that come in! They handle the record company’s legal business. I think that really was it, it was a way to contribute to the arts and still satisfy what my parents wanted.

Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

Entertainment law is really a conglomeration of contracts, corporate transactions, and intellectual property, usually trademarks or copyright based in entertainment and media agreements. Music, I feel is more complicated than television, film, or other digital media, as there are about 50 different types of royalty streams. Music deals are also very diverse as there are no real standards, and very little unionized work (unlike SAG-AFTRA in television and film). The focus of my job is to negotiate deals, skillfully navigating business strategies and advising on various types of transactions. Specifically, I advise on brand and endorsement deals, new technology agreements, worldwide recording and music publishing deals, licensing, merchandising and management agreements. I’ve been very fortunate to have had the distinction and honor of lawyering many Billboard Hot 100 Top 10’s and Billboard Hot R&B Top 10’s throughout my 30-year career, along with representing some of the most talented artists, producers and songwriters of our generation. I am grateful each day that I’ve had the opportunity to serve my clients, many of whom are my closest friends and mean family to me.

You are a successful attorney. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Determination, Detail Orientation and Trustworthiness. A successful music attorney must have all three to secure the best deals for clients and to build a reputation as someone artists will trust to help manage their careers. You must be very detail-oriented with a high level of reading comprehension. You also need to be a good creative writer. The difference between “and” and a “or” in a sentence is huge. You can’t say “this or that” or “this and that,” the difference is enormous. If you miss one zero it’s the difference between 10,000 and 1,000. You can’t make mistakes, so you have to check, and you have to re-check, and you have to be very detail oriented. Even where you put your punctuation, where does that comma go in that sentence can make the sentence have a different meaning.

What unique qualities do you have that others may not?

First and foremost, I’m a creative and a musician. So, I understand where my clients are coming from creatively, emotionally and of course in terms of business. I believe I am unique in the same way that old saying goes: “Where There’s A Will…. There’s A Way”. That’s me. If I want to manifest something and make it happen, I have been blessed by God with the ability to make it happen. Some people call it tenacity, others call it ingenuity.

I have built a successful law practice in the music industry despite traditional ethnic and gender power structures. Most lawyers in the business do not look like me. Early in my music and law career, I was often intimidated and lonely because many who I considered colleagues, were dismissive because I didn’t fit in and had “no tribe.” I knew I could not settle for being ‘good’ at what I did, to get a seat at the table. I had to be extraordinary. This meant I had to keep my head down and let the results speak for themselves. I don’t want the next generation of lawyers to feel like I did when I first started my legal career.

I am the first and only Asian-American woman led music law firm in the United States. A first-generation Los Angeles native, whose parents came from South Korea in the 1960’s to attend graduate school at the University of Southern California, I initially had to overcome the cultural expectations of my family, then move on to push the boundaries of limitations in both music and law.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

You will have to see. Unless the deals are finished, it’s all attorney client privilege. I am handling a lot of catalog sales and valuations now. It’s been very exciting.

Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?

The next chapter, I hope, will be one in which I can use my experience to help lead the next generation of artists who need guidance and a great lawyer. I have received so much from music. I’m hopeful that I may also start to give back in other ways to the music community through taking a leadership role at a music company making immense strides in this business, using my knowledge and experience to really implement lasting changes in the industry.

Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story”? Can you share the funniest?

Not sure if I should be laughing or crying about this one. I’m a peacemaker for the most part, not a war victor, but one of the biggest wars I have won was recovering the Marc Bolan/T. Rex U.S. copyrights on the seminal album “Electric Warrior.” For those that do not know, Marc Bolan is essentially the Kurt Cobain of the U.K. He died young, tragically in a car crash in the middle of London in 1971, with his girlfriend Gloria driving the car. Marc Bolan will forever be one of the coolest rock stars in music history. I represented Marc Bolan’s son in finally getting his father’s copyrights, along with access to an offshore trust in the Cayman Islands of over $30 million dollars containing Bolan’s royalties, all of which benefited his son. Four decades of Bolan’s family chasing these monies and copyrights, with many lawyers trying. I was finally able to recover the whole enchilada in 2016. His son lived a very meager existence before I was able make the recovery for him. Despite the most incredible work I had done over a period of 3 years (which the family had been working on for four decades), Bolan’s son did not want to pay our firm from the recovery. Our firm had to finally file a lawsuit, take the son to trial… so it’s funny that someone who should have been so grateful to me for recovering over $30 million dollars in fact wanted every single penny for himself. At the time, I thought it was awful, but what a funny paradox. There is even BBC documentary about Marc Bolan’s royalty earnings and how no one could ever recover the money, which they said went into the Bermuda Triangle!

How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?

So many things have changed since COVID. In terms of legal, a lot of people are working remotely from home. With working from home, I think there is loss of connectivity, so we are back in our offices working. I don’t know how things will change in the near future. I know for our firm, we need to collaborate on the projects with different people in our office, so for us, despite COVID, we still want to keep that human connection with our co-workers and our clients by keeping our offices open.

Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?

Our clients rely on social media to share their music and build their brands so it’s important for music lawyers to have a presence there too. I am working to build my Instagram and TikTok content so I can engage with my current clients and connect with new ones.

What are the 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?

Commitment, tenacity, creativity, passion and honesty.

AUTHORITY MAGAZINE: Top Lawyers: Helen Yu Of Yu Leseberg On The 5 Things You Need Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field Of Law.

Latin Trap Star Paulo Londra Victorious in Legal Battle with Big Ligas, LLC

(Miami-Dade County, FL) September 8, 2021 – On September 1, 2021, In the Circuit Court Of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Judge William Thomas ruled that Latin Superstar artist Paulo Londra’s contract with Big Ligas ended on February 14, 2021, with Londra having no further recording obligations or future contractual grants to Big Ligas.  Judge William Thomas stated in his 13 page written order that Big Ligas’s claim in the case “does not give the Big Ligas Defendants the right to control the personal services of Londra in perpetuity without his consent” and that Big Ligas’ position could “constitute an illegal restraint of trade and lead to absurd results.”

As a result, Londra is now free of any obligations to Big Ligas and can move forward in control of his own music, name, and likeness. This ruling follows an extensive nearly 2- year battle and legal exchange between Londra and Big Ligas. Londra’s heavy-hitting legal team is led by well-known veteran entertainment attorney, Helen Yu, Esq. (Yu Leseberg), lead trial counsel James Sammataro, Esq. and Brendan Everman, Esq. (Pryor Cashman) and Henry Self, Esq. (Harder, LLP). 

At the root of the dispute was a deal memo allegedly entered into by Londra, who was duped into signing the document when he was told the document was a “prop” for the filming of a social media announcement early in Londra’s career when he was 19. The document of trickery contained terms which allegedly required Londra to give up his own rights to his name, his concert performances, recordings, and songwriting rights to a joint venture he co-founded with Salazar and Oviedo which they called Big Ligas LLC, who claimed they were the only controlling members of Big Ligas.

Judgment in favor of Paulo Londra can be found here: https://we.tl/t-4PjREtgnKn

Billboard Names Helen Yu of Yu Leseberg As A Top Music Lawyer for 2021

April 5th, 2021 (Los Angeles, CA) – Helen Yu, Principal of Yu Leseberg, Entertainment Attorney and music advocate is named for a second year in a row to Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers 2021. Helen Yu’s inclusion on Billboard’s Top Lawyers list reinforces recognition of her successful legal career spanning over twenty-five years in the entertainment industry. 

I’m truly honored to be acknowledged again this year by Billboard as one of the top attorneys on this elite list.  Being recognized for my legal acumen and commitment to our clients is particularly gratifying as my firm & I strategically navigated thru unprecedented times.  We look forward to continuing our unyielding advocacy and successes for our clients and the entertainment industry.”

During her remarkable career, she has executed deals resulting in billions of sales, downloads and streams, and numerous #1 chart-topping hits, all while maintaining a firm stance on advocacy for artists, songwriters, producers and music companies she proudly represents.  Helen Yu’s commitment and tenacity are unmatched, being known for her vigorous negotiations on her clients’ behalves and strategizing architectural business moves.

Whether its recovering record setting copyright estates on behalf of heirs, such as T. Rex/Marc Bolan, Jimmy Holiday,  Helen Yu has been a consistent trailblazer in music business history. 

Early in her career, Helen Yu served as the legal force behind producers and songwriters for superstar acts including Tupac, Post Malone, Fifth Harmony, Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, will.i.am, Big Sean, Tyga, 2 Chainz, Migos, Junior Mafia, Britney Spears, Drake, Wiz Khalifa, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, Back Street Boys, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson, and P. Diddy.  Helen Yu has also been on the forefront as a legal eagle moving hip-hop’s culture forward for the past 25 years among many in her legal representation of:  Ty Dolla $ign, YG, Mustard, Snoop, BAS, as well representing some of the most prominent Latin stars of today and yesteryear:  Joan Sebastian, Gerardo Ortiz, Paulo Londra, and Silent Giant Entertainment.  

Yu Leseberg Clientele Among the Nominees and Winners of the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards

Yu Leseberg hopes everyone was watching Music's Biggest Night, the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, last Sunday. We are beyond proud to announce several of our clients were among the winners of this year’s GRAMMY Awards. We would like to say a big congratulations to the following:

 

1.      Kanye West, “Jesus Is King”, which was awarded Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. Yu Leseberg client, Ty Dolla $ign was a featured artist on “Everything We Need”; and

2.      Thundercat for winning Best Progressive R&B Album with “It Is What It Is” – Ty Dolla $ign was a featured artist on his track, “Fair Chance”.

 

A big round of applause to all the nominees and winners of the GRAMMY’s. This has been a tough year for many, especially artists in the music industry, and in this time music has become a form of therapy for so many individuals struggling, and we appreciate all the amazing tracks artists have released to help us all get by.

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Yu Leseberg client, Producer - Jess Jackson, soars to the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot R&B Charts for his contributions on Pop Smoke’s posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.

Big congratulations to Yu Leseberg Producer and Mix Engineer client, Jess Jackson, who mixed 29 songs and produced numerous lead hits on Pop Smoke’s posthumous album that took the world by storm, debuting at #1 on Billboard 200 Albums, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.

Jackson’s humble beginnings commence as a teenager producing music from his childhood bedroom in London, United Kingdom, where he participated in the early UK garage music culture, which can still be traced in his current production method through his use of effervescent drum and bass-heavy mixing.  

Jess Jackson is a skillful mixer and producer, having worked on music released by several lead hip-hop artists currently rocking the top music charts, including Tyga, Lil Pump, Pusha T’s Daytona album, and, of course, his major work on some of Pop Smoke’s greatest hits, such as For The Night (feat. Lil Baby & DaBaby), which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B / Hip Hop Song Chart, The Woo, which debuted at #3 on the same chart, and Hotel Lobby.

Buy a copy of Sound on Sound’s 35th Anniversary Issue here:

HERE

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Jackson, despite now living in Los Angeles, still brings the life and energy of UK drill to the songs he collaborates on, contributing a fresh take on the US hip-hop scene. Pick up a copy of Sound On Sound magazine’s 35th Anniversary Issue to read more about Jess Jackson and the creative production and mixing process he implements to assist in the creation of some of your favorite songs.

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Remembering Deon “Big D” Evans on Tupac’s Birthday

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June 16, 2020 - Happy Birthday, Tupac. On this day, I remember one of my closest friends and an early believer in my ability to make the deals which help producers and creatives change their lives. Deon “Big D” Evans was one of Tupac’s most important team members as a producer and collaborator. “Big D” Evans (a true gentle giant) made me proud to handle deals on many of Tupac’s most iconic records: “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” “Ghetto Gospel,” and “Changes,” to name a few.

Ty Dolla $ign & J. Cole Hit RIAA Gold With “Purple Emoji”

Gold Certification: May 1, 2020

Yu Leseberg and Helen Yu, Prof. Law Corp has been working with Ty Dolla $ign for a decade now. Today, May 1, 2020, we celebrate the gold certification from RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for his single, “Purple Emoji,” featuring J.Cole  

Helen Yu notes “I’m always amazed and proud of how many hit records he’s been able to garner.” Ty also worked with well-known street artist, Gregory Siff on the cover art for “Purple Emoji.” The Brooklyn born Los Angeles based creative has made a slew of polarizing works of art drawing inspiration from anything like the Black Lives Matter movement to Vans footwear. Siff’s work has been featured in the pages of The New York Times and W Magazine, among many others.

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“Purple Emoji” debuted on May 20, 2019, yet the record’s ability to still gain recognition during this (awful and unfortunate) global pandemic, proves how much of an influence Ty has on his fans and the industry. In an interview with Beat 1’s Zane Lowe, Ty explained how “Purple Emoji” came into sonic fruition.

"I was at this studio called Jungle City in New York working on Yandhi with Kanye. And then just turns out Cole was in the room right next to me. When I saw him I was like bro I got something to play you," he said. "I’m like, 'Yo, I just did this one I thought would be crazy for both of us.' So he came in my room, I played it for him immediately and he did his verse in five minutes."

It’s that innate ability to recognize a hit when he hears one coupled with the dexterity of a song making mastermind that has set Ty apart from his peers, and has made his collaborations rise to the top.  

YG "My Krazy Life" Anniversary

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It’s been six years since Compton’s own YG has released his debut album My Krazy Life on March 18, 2014.

“March 18th for me marks a special day, the date serves for me as a good luck charm that I’ll always keep in pocket,” Helen Yu notes. “I’m proud to have been a big part of YG’s career especially our legal work on all the complex deals involving Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jeezy, Nipsey Hussle and many others on YG’s debut album on Def Jam.“ 

Yu has been able to help catapult his career from gangster rapper to a ubiquitous artist whose appeal transcends the palm tree lined streets that make up Los Angeles, the city, that birthed and raised him. He uses his LA roots as his muse for the music, and it’s proving to pay off.

“That’s why a lot of people respect me in L.A. that’s around my age group, because they saw me in the streets. They saw me at all these parties performing,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 2014. “Mustard was DJing. Ty [Dolla Sign] used to come perform with us. That’s how the sound that we have now was created — all the [stuff] we was doing when we was young, just our lifestyle. And when we sat back on it and looked at it, that’s how it was supposed to sound. It was some party gangsta [stuff], some real street [stuff] at the same time.”

“With an Artist like YG with deep LA hip hop roots there’s definitely a method to navigating the entertainment madness,” Yu concludes.