We represent recording artists, songwriters, independent record labels, music publishers, producers, and concert promoters in all aspects of their personal career and professional development.
Our clients in the performing arts include producers, designers, playwrights, actors, dancers and directors.
Blackline Art + Entertainment Law is a boutique entertainment and intellectual property law firm based in downtown Toronto. We provide smart, highly specialized legal counsel and support to a broad range of clients at all levels of their careers.
Our services are focused in three main areas: entertainment law (music, film & tv, literary/publishing, visual arts & design, theatre, new media/interactive), intellectual property law (trade-mark & copyright), and business law (corporate & non-profit/charity).
is a Toronto entertainment lawyer and registered Canadian trade-mark agent. She is also an artist and filmmaker. She holds a BFA in Film Studies from Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts, an LLB from the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law and an LLM (thesis pending) from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law.
Julie founded Blackline Art + Entertainment Law in 2008. She has several years experience providing services in all aspects of entertainment and intellectual property law practice. She was previously an Associate with Kate Henderson Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law (and still maintains an affiliate relationship with Kate). Until recently, Julie also taught courses in music law: contracts, business, and copyright at the Harris Institute.
Before launching out on her own, Julie worked as an Associate with Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, one of Canada’s largest aboriginal law firms, where she gained experience in a variety of civil litigation matters, including complex aboriginal and treaty rights litigation. She also advised clients in respect of human rights law, administrative and employment law, and corporate, non-profit and charitable law matters.
Julie’s experience in the Canadian media industry spans over 13 years, and before becoming a lawyer she worked with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and several divisions of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She has been awarded for her work as a documentary filmmaker, and is the recipient of grants from the NFB and the Ontario Arts Council.
As a compliment to her love of law, Julie has a passionate interest in the use of art and media as tools for social change. Her most recent installation works, collectively titled Fragments & Sightings, were exhibited as part of the City of Toronto’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, and featured in NOW Magazine’s Top 10 picks for Nuit Blanche 2010. Fragments & Sightings was designed to generate public awareness of international human rights issues and support for the justice efforts of the Canadian Centre for International Justice, and involved contributions from Maher Arar and K’naan.
Julie’s latest project applies collaborative design strategy to innovation in the delivery of legal services to low-income Ontarians.
is a trade-mark agent trainee. Prior to joining Blackline, he worked (for 11 years) in the IT and tech industry with large corporations, including Microsoft and KPMG Canada, giving him a unique insight into, and passion for the field of intellectual property law. He has a specific interest in the area of cyber theft.
Dave is also a music buff and book fiend. You’re most likely to find him plugged into a music player with a paperback in his hands (usually a music biography).
We maintain affiliations with several expert entertainment lawyers. In the rare circumstance that we can’t handle your legal matter in-house, we’ll connect you with an experienced specialist who can.
Copyright 2011 Julie Stewart, Blackline Law
