The Recording Academy, the learned academy behind the Grammy Awards, has hired its first in-house lawyer. 

The Santa Monica-based organisation has appointed Jennifer Jones as executive vice president of legal affairs in a move that makes Jones the Recording Academy’s first in-house counsel in its almost 70-year history. She will report directly to CEO Harvey Mason Jr. effective immediately, according to a statement. 

She joins the organisation after 17 years at Proskauer Rose - a firm with a longstanding relationship with the Academy - where she was most recently special counsel in the New York firm’s litigation department.

In her role, she worked with the Recording Academy for over a decade, advising the organisation and its affiliates on a broad range of legal matters, 

Jones’ arrival comes after a period of prolonged public criticism of the Academy’s lack of an in-house legal department, which resulted in it paying millions of dollars each year in order to outsource all legal work to firms including Proskauer and Greenberg Traurig, according to a report from Bloomberg Law. 

As EVP of legal affairs, Jones will oversee the Academy’s day-to-day legal matters relating to contracts, employment, privacy and data protection, intellectual property, advocacy and non-profit governance. 

She will also act as the liaison between the Academy’s business units and outside counsel and support and facilitate these interactions to enforce the Academy’s intellectual property rights, the organisation said. 

"Taking a fresh look at the Academy's legal practices and ensuring they are best in class is crucial as we continue the organisation’s growth and transformation," Mason said.

 “As a new and very important strategic advisor for the Academy, Jennifer will strengthen our leadership team as we push toward our goal of doing more to service our music community.”