ROCK ’N’ ROLL LIFESTYLE Star power, tenacity fuel Shawna Hilleary’s entertainment law journey BY MINDIE PAGET
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Shawna Hilleary, L’98, represents artists like Tesla and Gavin Rossdale.
10 KU LAW MAGAZINE
s a music-obsessed teenager in Kansas City, Shawna Hilleary landed her dream internship with a Warner Brothers Records promoter. Her job was to send CDs to radio stations and urge air play for the label’s artists. Aside from a cool experience, Hilleary walked away with an invaluable piece of advice from her boss. “He said, ‘Go to law school and you can do anything you want in this industry,’” Hilleary recalled. Boy, was he right. Since graduating from KU Law in 1998, Hilleary has combined her legal acumen and tenacious personality to mold a resume that reads more like a bucket list. She has headed up the legal department of a popular indie record label in Hollywood; represented artists like Sublime, Tesla, Gavin Rossdale and Vanessa Carlton; and attended the Grammy Awards and American Country Music Awards. “I’ve honestly lived the dream,” Hilleary said. “A lot of it comes down to having the guts to go after something and having confidence.” Case in point: Two days after graduation, Hilleary loaded up a 15-foot truck and headed to California, determined to become an entertainment lawyer. She lived on friends’ couches and studied for the bar exam. A job listing in the Hollywood Reporter led her to an interview with the head of business and legal affairs at Restless Records, whose catalog included the likes of They Might Be Giants, Soul Asylum and the Flaming Lips. When he asked why a lawyer would want to work as his assistant, Hilleary pointed to the pile of contracts on his desk. “I want to take half that stack off