Integrity is important in building relationships. It is the foundation upon which many other qualities for success are built, such as respect, dignity, and trust. John C. Maxwell
| Joanne F. Hurley has maintained an active business and commercial transactions practice during her legal career which originated in Chicago, Illinois over 40 years ago. Joanne brings her experience to Oklahoma. In practicing in Chicago, France and Oklahoma City, she works extensively with real estate developers, small and mid-sized businesses and start-ups, non-profit organizations, franchisees, and associations in complex transactions and day-to-day business affairs. She has handled many asset and equity purchases, as well as complicated real estate transactions. Joanne’s philosophy on client care is that the more educated the client is on their legal issues, the better the results in any representation. She favors creating a close working relationship with her clients. Therefore, Joanne emphasizes education, counsels on issues and listens closely to her clients’ needs. She values teaching clients to protect their intellectual property in business settings. As a result, Joanne has drafted a variety of commercial contracts in her career. For more than 20 years, she has worked with several domestic and international stock photography agencies addressing copyright issues, drafting photographer and client agreements, participating in the development of an online catalog for a Hispanic-focused stock photography agency, handling copyright infringements against the photographers, employment agreements and other employment issues, leases, trademark violations and other business issues. This experience brought Joanne an understanding of copyright and licensing issues and the eventual representation of those in the arts and entertainment fields including authors, artists, and entertainers, including hip hop and rap production companies, actors, film production companies, screenplay writers, marketing and public relations firms. Joanne also provided legal services through Chicago’s Lawyers for the Creative Arts. In her spare time, Joanne enjoys traveling. She believes, “It’s a great joy that opens you to new people and new cultures.” In addition, she likes exploring cultures through their food and trying new restaurants. |
- Represented numerous real estate developers concerning commercial and residential projects, including handling purchase and sale transactions, leasing, and regulatory issues for strip shopping malls, commercial build-to-suit projects, apartment buildings, and condominium projects in Chicago and other locations, including City of Chicago incentive programs.
- Participated with a team of attorneys on the representation of a client in the acquisition of a $40,000,000 sign company with signs located in numerous states.
- Represented numerous stock photography agencies in their agency acquisitions, general business, leasing, entity organization, photographer license agreements, employment matters, copyright infringements, and supervised foreign counsel in international trademark infringements.
- Served as outside U.S. general counsel for an international stock photography firm. The client, an English company, opened 3 stock photography agencies in the United States under Joanne’s representation, as well as a Canadian location. Consulted closely with the clients to be sure they understood U.S. labor practices as European labor practices differ significantly. The client’s legal work included their asset acquisitions, the development of their U.S. and Hong Kong model stock photography license for their contributing photographers and clients and copyright violations against its photographers.
- Represented a Chicago-based IT consultant with its U.S. and international consulting business, help desk support, and application development.
- Represented the first minority-owned Department of Defense contractor.
- Represented numerous small and mid-sized business owners in connection with start-ups.
- Represented numerous clients in licensing and distribution relationships, including review and drafting of license agreements.
- Represented franchisees with franchise agreement review and negotiation, leasing, general business issues, franchise termination and de-identification issues, and dispute resolution.
- Represented numerous non-profit organizations on corporate and intellectual property issues, including copyright issues surrounding the commercialization of legacy television programming, development and implementation of copyright plans, director, and event planning issues.
- Represented numerous individuals in the negotiation of employment agreements, wrongful dismissal actions, Department of Labor disputes and other employment matters.
- Worked with numerous visual artists and performance artists in Chicago. She’s negotiated event and gallery contracts for them in the U.S. and internationally.
- Represented an innovative fashion designer, artist and performance artist for more than 15 years and worked on all aspects of his business.
- Worked with a Chicago screenplay writer on marketing a Charles Dickens derivative to production companies in the U.S., Canada, Ireland and England and other screenplay writers in obtaining literary rights for their projects.
- Represented art investors and art consultants in the purchase of fine art for art buyers.
- Represented a minor child actress to establish a Coogan Trust (required by Hollywood production companies to be compliant with California law) to enable her to be hired for a Hollywood film.
- Served as hearing officer for the City of Chicago, Park District for disciplinary matters.
- Served as part of the team of legal counsel who represented the Estate of a Tylenol poisoning victim against Tylenol on a product liability claim.
- Represented a large U.S. clothing manufacturer, with national brick and mortar stores as well as an online sales presence, in a large 150-plus defendant whistleblower suit in Chicago with co-counsel and on other Illinois-based legal issues.
- Chicago Bar Association
- Former Member
- Business Committee, Co-Chair
- Entertainment Committee, Co-Chair
- American Bar Association
- Former Member
- Business Law Committee
- Hurley Stanners Mentored Internship Program for U.S. and foreign law students
- Village Players Theatre, Oak Park, Illinois, Former Director
- Teen Living, Chicago, Illinois, Former Director
- Children’s Memorial Hospital, Volunteer
- English Conversation Teacher, Narbonne, France, 2019-2021
- Oklahoma Hospitality Group, Past Member
- Tutor for Oklahoma area children with severe reading problems
- Super Lawyers®, Chicago, Business Law, 2013-2019
- DePaul College of Law, Law Review, Member
- Best practices in crowd safety for music and entertainment venues and the legal consequences for failing to be proactive in protecting venue attendees, Chicago Bar Association, 2003
- Musical Artist Contract analysis and crowd safety issues. Guest speaker, Artist Management classes at Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois, 2012-2015
- Author of Doing Business in Illinois Chapter, Doing Business in the United States, 2013-2015
- Author of two published children’s chapter books in the Zoey and Arthur Series: It Started With the Witch’s Spell and The Great Bednapping Mystery