2021/2022 officers

  Stevie Fitzgerald is the Chair of ESLABA. Stevie is currently the Deputy General Counsel at SXSW, LLC. Where she manages the intellectual property portfolio and drafts and negotiates the entertainment related agreements among other duties. Stevie started her career in New York as a Staff Attorney & Estate Manager at the Authors Guild. During this time, she worked with law makers on intellectual property protection and organized multiple Amicus Curiae briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court on matters of copyright law. In 2015, she co-authored the 4th Edition of Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self-Publishers, which has become the definitive legal guide for publishing law. Stevie returned to Austin in 2016 to accept a position as Corporate Counsel for Greenleaf Book Group. She consulted across the company on issues involving copyright, trademark, defamation, and privacy concerns. From 2017 through 2021, Stevie operated her own firm to continue to advocate for the creative community focusing on the publishing industry and ancillary literary deals. Stevie maintains an active license to practice law in Texas and New York and regularly teaches classes on publishing law to both authors and lawyers. 

  Alyce Zawacki is the Chair Elect of ESLABA and owner of Alyce Zawacki Law, PLLC. Inspired by the bold and visionary, Alyce is a supporter and protector of Creatives, determined to help them monetize their work and manage the risks associated with bringing their projects to life. Alyce strongly believes that legal education and representation should be within reach for all Creatives. Armed with a degree in both Media and Law from La Trobe University in her home town of Melbourne, Australia, as well as a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Texas Tech University School of Law, Alyce opened her practice, in Austin, Texas in 2018 enabling her to combine her legal experience with her passion for the arts.  Outside of her practice, Alyce enjoys soaking up Austin’s vibrant art scene with her husband, discovering upcoming artists, searching for Austin’s best coffee shops, and snuggling with her two cats, Tiramisu and Cannoli. Alyce is an avid volunteer for local music and legal organizations, she regularly volunteers for the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, is the current Secretary for the Texas Bar Association’s Entertainment and Sports Law Section, is the past chair for the Austin Bar Association’s Entertainment and Sports Law Section, and is the current Board President for Austin Classical Guitar. Alyce also is an Adjunct Professor at Austin Community College, where she teaches Legal Aspects of the Entertainment Industry.

Michele Martell is the Immediate Past Chair of ESLABA and owner of Martell Media House. Michele is a rare commodity as a community, marketing and legal strategist, and implementer. Michele provides business strategy and implementation as an experienced legal, marketing, and business executive. She leads digital marketing and social media programs for clients such as Ayla Networks, Echelon, WindSpring, and other technology companies. With a background in entertainment and edtech as well as intellectual property law and a focus on innovative storytelling for every screen, Michele has been part of the executive management teams for The Jim Henson Company, Cinedigm Entertainment, SD Entertainment as well as WWE. She can be found tweeting at Austin music shows, food festivals, and edtech events or speaking on panels at SXSW on virtual reality issues.

Michele is on the Development Council for the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy at the University of Texas, at Austin. Michele was a 2013 nominee for the Women in Toys Wonder Woman Award, and serves on the WiT Legal Committee. Michele obtained her JD from UCLA School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from Pomona College.

Adrian Resendez is the Treasurer of ESLABA and partner at Brough & Resendez. Adrian grew up in Houston, Texas and moved to Villahermosa, Mexico and Maracaibo, Venezuela where he learned to speak, read, and write Spanish. He attended the University of Texas at Austin on scholarship and graduated in two and a half years with a double major degree. He then attended Texas A&M School of Law, focusing on intellectual property, international business, and immigration. Adrian is currently the chair of the board for the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas and the Austin Bar Solo/Small Firm. Additionally, Adrian has served as a committee member for the Silicon Labs’ Austin Sunshine Run through the Young Men’s Business League (YMBL), a member of the Austin Bar Association, American Bar Association Intellectual Property division, American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA), Hispanic Bar Association of Austin, Austin Young Lawyer’s Association (AYLA), and Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts (TALA). In his legal practice, Adrian concentrates in the areas of immigration, business, probate, and intellectual property, devoting himself to effective counseling and communicating with each of his clients. Outside of the office, Adrian enjoys following his favorite sports teams, spending time with his dogs, and traveling the world with his wife Lexi.

 Curtis Fuller is the Secretary of ESLABA and an attorney at Carr & Ferrell LLP. Originally from East Texas, Curtis now lives in Austin with his partner and several house plants in varying stages of demise. Curtis began practicing in 2021 with a mission to help Texas creatives and entrepreneurs establish, grow, and protect their businesses. He received his associate degree in foreign language from Austin Community College, a bachelor’s degree in communication conferred cum laude by the University of Texas Permian Basin, his Juris Doctor with concentrated study in IP from the University of Nebraska College of Law, and an LL.M. in Business Law from The University of Texas at Austin. He volunteers with Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts and The Dance Project ATX. Curtis currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board at Nebraska Law and has won awards for leadership and academic excellence.

 Lindsay Bailey is the Vice Chair of ESLABA. Lindsay is a cross-border art and entertainment lawyer with practices based in Vancouver and Austin, working with arange of entrepreneurs, creative professionals and organizations — from musicians to music industry entrepreneurs, artists to cultural organizations and foundations, and film/TV production companies to digital innovators. Serving as External General Counsel to a number of such clients, Lindsay is able to provide strategic and pro-active oversight with a view to IP portfolio management, corporate governance, privacy, compliance and risk management matters, among other things. Lindsay is a registered mediator for entrepreneurs and innovators in business and creative sectors in order to efficiently and meaningfully resolve disputes, maintain relationships where possible and return to growth and impact. Lindsay trained as an art historian at U.B.C.’s Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory before going to law school, which has informed her practice and her involvement in the visual arts and cultural ecosystems since. Lindsay was a government appointed board member of the B.C. Arts Council from 2015 to 2021, which administered $45 million in grants toartists and organizations annually, and for which she chaired the Governance Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. She currently sits on the boards of The Polygon Gallery (Vancouver), where she chairs the Governance Committee; The House of Songs (Austin and Bentonville), which board she chairs, and Lift Collective (Austin), as well as serving on the Advisory Boards of the Technical Apparel Program at The Wilson Design School at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Vancouver) and Sonic Guild (US nationally). Lindsay also regularly serves on the juries of the Junos, the Western Canadian Music Awards and Austin’s Art in Public Places, among others. In addition, she is a sought-after lecturer on topics that critically impact the sectors she serves at various conferences such as MusicBiz, Americana Fest, SXSW, etc. and for various industry organizations. Away from the office, Lindsay is an avid art collector with a focus on emerging and mid-career artists, contemporary IndigenousCanadian artists, and Abstract Expressionist painters. She is an avid music fan, known to travel as much for an amazing singer-songwriter as for opera. Lindsay has her WSET Level 3 as an excuse to pursue a passion for wine and wine touring. Raised onthe remote northwest coast of Canada on a mountainous lake, she is an avid hiker and naturalist and is perpetually in search ofgreat waters to swim in.