Columbia Professor Named to 'Variety's' List of Music Legal Elite
Loren Wells, one of Variety’s Musical Legal Elite. Photo by Alex Zarek.Ƶ Associate Professor Loren Wells, who teaches in the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, has been named to “Variety’s” list of Music Legal Elite, the attorneys behind the music industry’s biggest stars, deals, and court cases.
Wells, co-founder of the law firm Wells Kappel, represents artists in the deals that define their careers, from record and publishing agreements to licensing and merchandising. But it’s the firm’s work on Vetter v. Resnick that helped Wells and his partner Tim Kappel secure spots on the prestigious Variety list.
“This lawsuit is a fundamental reinterpretation of how copyright law applies on a global basis,” Wells explains. “But we believe it is the correct interpretation.”
About the Copyright Case
At issue is whether U.S. songwriters who reclaim rights after 35 years under American copyright law should get them back only in the U.S. — or worldwide. His law partner, Tim Kappel, successfully argued in federal district court that termination should restore ownership globally, overturning decades of industry assumptions. The case is now before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, with powerful industry trade groups like the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America backing the defense. A wide variety of influential creator organizations have come out in public support of Wells Kappel’s filing, however, including SAG-AFTRA, The Author’s Guild, The Songwriters Guild of America, and music legend Irving Azoff’s Music Artists Coalition.
“If we prevail, it means artists truly get back rights to their own work—worldwide rights,” Wells says. “That’s transformative. And it puts our firm squarely on the side of the creators.”
Oral arguments for Vetter v. Resnik are set for November 3, 2025.
Bringing Industry to the Classroom
Since joining Columbia in 2016, Wells has made his law practice inseparable from his teaching. He leads courses such as Music Industry Deals and Music Publishing, drawing directly from his own professional experience. At Columbia, he also leads the Music Licensing Agency Practicum, which sends students to SXSW in Austin, Texas, as A&R representatives for Musicbed, a prominent national music licensing company.
Wells Kappel represents a vast array of music industry parties, with a focus on talent. Raised on DIY and punk rock music, Wells’ clients include scene stalwarts like Gym Class Heroes, Motion City Soundtrack, Silverstein, and The Wonder Years; as well as contemporary Gold/Platinum-certified indie artists Vundabar, Superheaven, John Vincent III, Dreamer Isioma, and Cafuné. Wells also represents rising artists across “alternative” genres, such as Ivri (whose song, “Tower of Memories” recently reached #5 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 Chart) and heavy metal heavyweights Lorna Shore, as well as industry-leading music companies like indie record label VERSION III, which scored a global country hit in 2024 with Dasha’s “Austin.” Wells Kappel’s wider client roster spans musical genres, including New Orleans icons Big Freedia, Tank and the Bangas, and P.J. Morton.
“I’ve become a better lawyer because I’m a teacher, and a better teacher because I’m a lawyer,” Wells says. “Every class is connected to what’s happening right now in the industry. I’ll walk into class and say, ‘Here’s an issue or challenge I’m facing. What questions would you ask if you were in my shoes?’”
For students, that immediacy is invaluable. “The rules of the business are still being written,” Wells notes. “I want students to see that they might be the ones rewriting them.”
Recognition and Perspective
For Wells, the recognition in “Variety” is both humbling and surreal. “I’m from Normal, Illinois,” he says. “I wouldn’t have imagined, or even had the audacity to predict, a life like this. Sometimes it hits me and I just think, wow—this is wild.”