Billboard-recognised partners target music, media and corporate deals

Billboard-recognised lawyers Rob Glass and Julian Hewitt have opened Hewitt Glass in Sydney, aiming the new practice at music, entertainment and media clients already working on an international stage.

The pair bring a combined 40 years of industry experience. Over the past three years, they have worked on more than $300 million in entertainment and media transactions for artists, executives, rights holders and companies.

Hewitt Glass will centre its work on three practice areas: music, entertainment, and M&A and corporate advisory. Its matters will range from recording, publishing and touring deals to catalogue sales, intellectual property strategy, entertainment finance and advice on Artificial Intelligence.

The launch reflects stronger demand for specialist legal advisers as Australian artists, festivals and entertainment businesses expand overseas. That growth has increased the need for lawyers with experience in international dealmaking, rights management and complex commercial work.

Glass framed the move as a response to how quickly the sector has changed. He said Australian artists and entertainment businesses are now reaching a level of success that was hard to picture even 10 years ago.

RUFUS DU SOL to Dylan Alcott

The firm starts with an established roster of high-profile Australian clients. Names listed in the launch include RUFUS DU SOL, Dom Dolla, Tones & I, Matt Corby, The Veronicas, Abbie Chatfield and Dylan Alcott.

Across the founders’ client base, those acts and entertainers have generated more than 25 billion streams worldwide. They have also appeared at major venues and events including Coachella, Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks.

The briefing also notes that Hewitt and Glass advise entertainment companies, rights holders and executives, not only performers. That broad client mix matches the firm’s plan to combine legal advice with commercial dealmaking support.

Both founders appeared in Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers list in 2024 and 2025. That placed them among the first lawyers based in the Asia-Pacific region to receive the recognition.

Hewitt has picked up another industry award as well. He was named the inaugural Music Industry Observer Music Lawyer of the Year.

By launching as a specialist Sydney practice, Hewitt Glass is positioning itself around the parts of the market where artists and media businesses now spend heavily: cross-border contracts, ownership of rights, financing, acquisitions and fast-moving technology issues.