Joan Morgan McGivern
Counsel

631-727-2180 Ext. 331

jmcgivern@suffolklaw.com

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Joan Morgan McGivern
Counsel

Joan Morgan McGivern concentrates her practice on real estate, zoning and land use, business and corporate law, civil
litigation, intellectual property law, and trademarks and copyrights.

In private practice since 2014 in New York City and East Hampton, New York, Ms. McGivern is a member of the board
of the Southampton Arts Center, the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals, the East Hampton Town Energy
Sustainability & Resiliency Committee, and served as East Hampton Town Representative for the Suffolk County
Planning Commission.

She retired as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers), and as Senior Legal Adviser to the ASCAP Foundation after fifteen years with the organization, serving
a membership of over 500,000 songwriters and music publishers —distributing over $1 billion in royalties every year
from licensing member copyrights. For ASCAP, she negotiated Intellectual Property (IP) agreements in the global music
industry, managed the Legal Department, and supervised outside counsel.

Before ASCAP, Ms. McGivern was a Litigation Associate for twelve years at the law firm White & Case in New York and
Washington, D.C. She handled complex commercial litigation, appellate matters, and internal corporate investigations -
including federal and state trials, U.S. administrative cases, arbitrations, bankruptcy proceedings, contested probate
matters, and trustee accountings. Prior to joining White & Case, she served as a Law Clerk to Hon. Thomas Platt of the
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

After graduating from Chapin School in New York City, Ms. McGivern earned her honors degree in government from
Dartmouth College with high distinction: a Master's from the Columbia University School of International and Public
Affairs: and a law degree from Georgetown University, where she was editor of the International Law Journal.

She has been admitted to practice in New York State: the Eastern and Southern Districts of the U.S. District Court of
New York: the Second Circuit for the U.S. Court of Appeals: and the United States Supreme Court.

Education

  • Georgetown University
  • Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
  • Dartmouth College with high distinction

Professional and Civic Associations

  • Member, East Hampton Town Zoning Board

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