Peter J. Strand is a partner at the entertainment, media and intellectual property law firm Leavens & Strand in Chicago. His clients include content providers and content creators including media companies, television and radio broadcasters, authors, songwriters, recording artists, musicians, television and film writers, independent record labels, independent film producers and documentarians, publishing companies, and production companies in various transactional and litigation matters in the entertainment industry. In addition to contract preparation, analysis and negotiation, Mr. Strand assists clients with protecting and enforcing their copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, licensing or exploiting their creative works, acquiring and distributing content and selecting, securing and protecting product and service names.

Mr. Strand also provides pro bono legal services to musicians, artists and arts organizations through the Lawyers for the Creative Arts, where he’s been involved as a volunteer, Board Member and on the Honors Council for 20 years and has participated in numerous LCA programs and presentations. In 2008, Mr. Strand received the Thomas R. Leavens Awards from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts for his distinguished service to the arts through LCA.

In addition to his law practice, Mr. Strand teaches entertainment and music law. He’s an adjunct professor at Chicago Kent College of Law and has taught at DePaul University College of Law and Marquette University Law School.

Mr. Strand is currently the President of the Board of Governors of the Chicago Chapter of the Recording Academy, the Chairman of the Media & Entertainment Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association, and Chair of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Division of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries.

Mr. Strand has been named by the Chicago Law Bulletin Leading Lawyers Network as a “Leading Lawyer” in Arts, Entertainment and Sports in Illinois from 2003 – 2008; an “Illinois Super Lawyer” in Arts & Entertainment as one of the top five percent of Illinois attorneys in the entertainment field; and a “Leading Business Lawyer” in Media & Entertainment Law in Illinois, 2006 through 2008, in Chambers USA - America’s Leading Business Lawyers.

Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Strand played and recorded as a full time touring musician with several bands including the power-pop band Yipes that recorded 2 albums for RCA/Millennium Records. He continues to write and perform with his current bands Mystery Train and the Blue State Cowboys. He lives in Chicago with his wife Nora Preece.