Matthew J. Middleton is the founder and principal of Middleton Law, PC, a boutique entertainment law firm in midtown Manhattan specializing in transactional entertainment law. Mr. Middleton has been practicing law for over 26 years and has over 22 years of experience as a transactional entertainment attorney. Applying competency, integrity, and professionalism as his mantra for successful client representation, Mr. Middleton’s entertainment practice focuses on providing counsel to recording artists, music producers, filmmakers, songwriters, managers, executives, independent labels, production companies, music publishers, writers, authors, athletes, and actors with respect to all facets of the entertainment industry. Specifically, Mr. Middleton specializes in complex recording deal negotiations, unscripted television projects, domestic and international touring, publishing, branding and corporate sponsorship, intellectual property licensing, and motion picture project development.
Prior to forming Middleton Law, PC, Mr. Middleton was a partner at the law firm of Simon, Eisenberg & Baum, LLP, where he was the head of the firm’s Entertainment Law Practice Group. Subsequently, he was Of Counsel to the firm of Sweeney, Johnson & Sweeney (which represented Lil Wayne & Yung Money Records, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, to name a few).
During his career, Matt Middleton has represented various entrepreneurs and celebrity clients as well as Grammy & Oscar award-winning artists, songwriters, and producers, including Lil Uzi Vert, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Cam’ron, K. Michelle, Keyshia Cole, Fabolous, DMX, Hood Celebrityy, Rhymefest, and the estate of Christopher Wallace, for which he brokered the deal for the hit movie Notorious about the life of the late Notorious B.I.G.
Mr. Middleton continues to represent Blackground Records (Aaliyah, Timberland, Tank); filmmakers Manny Halley (True to the Game) and Moises Verneau (Money and Violence); and several reality TV stars, as well as celebrity DJ D-Nice and Beverly Bond, who is the creator and producer of the groundbreaking and NAACP award-winning television show Black Girls Rock!
Middleton began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the New York County District Attorney’s office. As a prosecutor in the trial division, Middleton tried felony cases in New York State Supreme Court. In 1998 he shifted his complete focus to entertainment law full time. He and his longtime partner, the late Edward L. Woods, launched a boutique entertainment law firm, Woods & Middleton, LLP, for which he served as managing partner.
Matthew Middleton graduated cum laude from Howard University’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in 1991 with a bachelor of arts in political science and a minor in business administration. He attended Howard University School of Law on a full merit scholarship.
Mr. Middleton is a member of the New York State Bar, where he is admitted to practice, and presently serves on the Board of Directors for the New York Urban League. He is a past Chairman of the Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA) and was named the 2014 “Entertainment Attorney of the Year” by the National Bar Association’s Entertainment, Sports & Art Law Section. Mr. Middleton is an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and a frequent speaker and lecturer at various industry conferences and universities.