photo_cameraJens Michow - photo by Bernd Pakalski Fotografie
Industry
Michow and Ulbricht End Legal Partnership After 23 Years
German live music industry veteran Jens Michow and fellow entertainment lawyer Johannes Ulbricht will continue their legal practices separately from the end of October.
Hamburg-based entertainment lawyers Prof. Jens Michow and Dr. Johannes Ulbricht have announced the amicable dissolution of their legal partnership, effective 29 October 2026, ending a professional relationship spanning 23 years.
The two lawyers have specialised in legal advice for the cultural and entertainment industries, particularly concert and tour promoters, booking agencies, artist managers and other businesses operating in the live music sector.
Michow established his law firm in 1992, with Ulbricht joining in 2003. The two formed a legal partnership in 2007.
"After 23 years of working together, our ideas about the future direction and continuation of our legal activities have increasingly diverged. Against this background, we have decided to end the partnership by mutual agreement," Michow said.
Michow to Continue Independent Practice
Following the separation, Michow will continue operating from the firm`s existing Hamburg offices under the name KANZLEI MICHOW.
Long-standing employees Barbara Jovanovic, Birgitta Schlüter-Uckert, Sigrid Angeli and Juli Orkin will remain with the practice.
The firm will continue advising clients across the cultural and live entertainment industries, covering contract law, copyright, trademarks, competition law, taxation, artists` social insurance and collecting societies.
Michow also plans to expand the firm`s activities in advising entertainment businesses facing financial difficulties, restructuring and other corporate challenges.
Decades of Experience in Live Music
Michow has played a prominent role in Germany`s live entertainment industry for more than five decades, with a career spanning concert promotion, artist management, booking agencies, legal practice and industry representation.
He began working as an artist agent and manager in Hamburg in 1974, initially representing musicians from the local jazz and folk scenes before moving into international artist representation and concert promotion.
His career included working with artists such as Fats Domino, Gheorghe Zamfir and B.B. King, alongside other international performers.
He subsequently established Michow Concerts & Management, which he operated for more than three decades before selling the business in 2015 to Uwe Kanthak, known for managing German singer Helene Fischer.
Key Role in Germany`s Concert Industry
In 1985, Michow founded the Interessenverband Deutscher Künstlervermittler (IDKV), an organisation established to represent booking agents and artist managers in disputes over Germany`s regulations governing artist representation.
The organisation later expanded to represent concert promoters and became the Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft (bdv).
In 2019, the bdv merged with the Verband der Deutschen Konzertdirektionen (VDKD) to establish the Bundesverband der Konzert- und Veranstaltungswirtschaft (BDKV), Germany`s principal concert and live entertainment industry association.
Michow remained in a leading executive role throughout the organisation`s development, serving as managing president until stepping down in 2022 after 37 years.
During his tenure, he was involved in industry discussions and legislative developments covering artist representation, taxation, copyright and the legal framework for concert promotion. He also contributed to the development of government support programmes for the live entertainment sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michow was also instrumental in establishing the German Live Entertainment Award (LEA), which recognised achievements across the country`s concert and event industry.
Under its new structure, KANZLEI MICHOW intends to continue combining specialist legal advice with Michow`s practical experience in concert promotion, artist representation and industry advocacy.