BESLA Remembers Co-Founder David Franklin

Noted pioneering entertainment attorney, entrepreneur and activist David McCoy Franklin passed away in his native Atlanta, GA on September  7, 2008. In addition to his role as a Founding  Member, Franklin was also the first BESLA Chairman, setting the organization's course from a handful of attorneys of color to the 600 plus member  industry force that it serves as today.

"David Franklin should be dubbed the "godfather of Black entertainment lawyers" as he pushed the door open for us, led by his exemplary negotiating skills, always reached back to help someone else, rose to the top of his game as a manager, lawyer, political activist and entrepreneur, and made us all proud to call him a friend, mentor and colleague," says BESLA Founding Member and  former Executive Director Kendall A. Minter, now Chairman of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.

Franklin managed the careers of such artists as Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Miles Davis, Cecily Tyson, Lonetta McKee, Luther Vandross, Lou Gossett, and Richard Pryor.

Professor Michael Eric Dyson keynotes BESLA Conference!

Noted author, radio host, commentator and Georgetown University professor Micheal Eric Dyson will serve as the keynote speaker on Saturday, October 25 at BESLA's grand finale Gala. Dyson is also known as a leading scholar on hip hop music and culture. This year, the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King assassination, Dyson published his most recent work, "April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King's death and how it Changed America."

President's Message           

I am sure that you are all aware that we are on the eve of choosing new leadership for our great nation.  As the buzz surrounding this historic election heightens, this year’s BESLA gathering is more astute to the changes in play between Hollywood and Capitol Hill. read more...

BESLA Answers the Call!
BESLA has answered the call! Facing industries driven by constantly evolving new technologies, corporate buyouts and restructuring within the entertainment, sports and media entities, globalization and shifting demographic trends force legal practitioners to adopt new strategies and seek new partnerships to remain competitive. BESLA offers them a strong, expanding network of sports and entertainment executives who have their fingers on the pulse of emerging challenges- and opportunities. Today, there are over 600 members of BESLA who eagerly tap into the organization’s vast network to improve their client services and mentor a new generation of professionals.

In October 2007, BESLA became the first African American organization to hold its annual conference at the Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort property, which is owned by Robert Johnson, BET founder and NBA basketball team owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. BESLA Chairman Edward Woods, Jr. described the organization’s unprecedented move, saying,  “Not only does this partnership represent the type of synergy that BESLA is committed to achieving in its organizational endeavors, it also represents the type of synergy our individual members are able to generate across industries and practice areas through their very affiliation with BESLA.”

BESLA's Annual Conference
BESLA’s annual conference has become an A-list event. Drawing highly respected and entertainment and sports lawyers and executives in the United States and the world, the conference has a well-earned reputation for substance, celebrity and inspiration. Top-notch professional advancement seminars and round-the-clock networking opportunities keep people coming back for more, year after year.

Yes, BESLA Means Business!

BESLA's New Board Of Directors and Advisory Board

BESLA Board Applications Deadline Notice