MSBA is excited to welcome Aarash Darroodi, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Fender Musical Instruments Corp., as a Keynote Speaker at the MSBA Legal Summit 2023 on June 7-9, 2023, in Ocean City, Maryland. Darroodi will join MSBA President David Shapiro for a fireside chat on Friday, June 9.
Darroodi, a Maryland native and MSBA member, grew up in the Frederick area and describes himself as “a Maryland guy at heart.” He describes his mission as wanting to to evolve the traditional notions of what it means to be a General Counsel. Darroodi believes that through business intelligence/acumen, in-house lawyers can completely change the trajectory of the industry. He is dedicated to embracing the impending technological changes (A.I., machine learning) as a lawyer to ensure the relevance of the legal profession. In his own words, being a “Business Minded General Counsel” or a “Lawyer 3.0” will not only help him and his peers be successful, but it will contribute to the legal profession. He is looking forward to speaking about the impact of technology on the practice of law and his unique experiences as general counsel at the Legal Summit.
In his role at Fender, the iconic guitar manufacturer, Darroodi is responsible for all global legal needs across Fender whose portfolio of owned and licensed brands includes Fender®, Squier®, Gretsch®, Jackson®, EVH®, Charvel®, Bigsby® and PreSonus®–including mergers and acquisitions, compliance, litigation, intellectual property, corporate governance, advocacy and risk management. He also serves as an officer to the Board of Directors for Fender. In addition to his General Counsel role, Darroodi was appointed as President of the Fender Play Foundation™, the brand’s 501(c)(3) public charitable organization on a mission to equip, educate and inspire the next generation of players through music education.
Darroodi is a big proponent of modernization of the legal profession through implementation of modern technology, promoting business acumen/intelligence, and diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. He is frequently invited to speak on topics including modernization of the profession, DE&I initiatives and the future of the legal profession.
The MSBA’s Legal Summit is the biggest event of the year, and we hope to see YOU there!
