

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Wells.
Hi Austin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I feel incredibly fortunate to call myself a “music lawyer.” I grew up in Nashville in a family of musicians, and though I’ve always had a passion for music, football and baseball were really my first love. Football ultimately brought me to Davidson College in North Carolina, and it wasn’t until I got away from Nashville that I really started to appreciate what this town and the music community really meant to me. At that point, I always assumed music would continue to be a hobby, and I was interested in potentially pursuing a career in criminal defense work. As I moved through the college years and began preparing for the law school admission test, I felt myself gravitating more and more towards Nashville and a career in the music business, even though I certainly didn’t know what that would look like at the time. I’m incredibly blessed to have had a number of incredible mentors, particularly a handful of great music lawyers in Nashville, that opened doors for me and showed me how to build a legal practice in the music industry.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth only in the sense that so much of any success I’ve had in this business is the result of my mentors and peers taking me under their wing, showing me the ropes early on, and being there to celebrate the wins and encourage me through the setbacks. Any lawyer can tell you how stressful the practice of law can be – and the ups and downs of the music industry only add to that – but I consider myself very fortunate to work with a special team of lawyers and incredibly talented clients.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m a transactional music attorney in the Nashville office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP. My practice is primarily focused on representation of recording artists, songwriters, music producers, and digital content creators. Our team negotiates a number of agreements on behalf of our clients, including exclusive recording agreements, music publishing agreements, producer agreements, and endorsement agreements. As a contractual lawyer, my primary function is ensuring my clients’ intellectual property and creative interests are adequately safeguarded and recognized in any partnership they may be considering. The most rewarding element of my role is the relationships I’ve built with my clients, the (sometimes) hours we spend talking through the ins and outs of specific deals, and getting to celebrate the culmination of all of their hard work, whether that be at a show, on a release day, or when the ink dries on an agreement.
How do you think about happiness?
My fiancé, Chandler, and our dog, Clifford! My work is incredibly rewarding, but nothing beats my time at home with my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lewisbrisbois.com/attorneys/wells-austin
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wells_at/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-wells-12a198a7/