Who

In the entertainment business, there's one sure sign that you've made it: Allen Grubman is your lawyer. A partner at the firm Grubman Indursky & Shire, he's represented the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Calvin Klein, and Bruce Springsteen. He's also the father of Lizzie Grubman and the husband of Deborah Grubman.

Backstory

Born to working class parents in Crown Heights—his father manufactured children's underwear—Grubman put himself through CUNY and spent time teaching at a local elementary school before getting married and enrolling at Brooklyn Law. After finishing last in his law school class (or so he says), Grubman teamed up with Paul Schindler in 1974 to start a firm of their own and were soon joined by a third partner, Grubman's cousin, Arthur "Art" Indursky. (Legend has it Grubman's office initially consisted of a folding table and a telephone.) For nearly three decades, the firm operated as Grubman Indursky & Schindler. Following Paul Schindler's departure for Greenberg, Traurig, Larry Shire was made a name partner in 2005. Over the years, Grubman has repped some of the biggest names in town, including Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, David Geffen, Ricky Martin, Shania Twain, Clive Davis, Calvin Klein, David Rockwell, Diane Sawyer, Mariah Carey, Graydon Carter, Tommy Hilfiger, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Robert De Niro, and Vera Wang.

Of note

Although Grubman started out in the music biz, the firm has expanded its practice to cover celebrities and public figures of all stripes. (Shire, for example, focuses on film, TV, fashion and publishing.) That said, Grubman's oversized influence in the music industry is particularly notable: Not only has he represented dozens of A-list recording artists and every major label in town, he's repped both at the same time. His unconventional practice of simultaneous representation has long been controversial—and his oversized influence in the music business has long rankled colleagues. Countless artists and labels don't seem to mind, though: They continue to pay some of the highest fees in the industry to have him on side. Grubman is believed to earn more than $10 million a year—and unlike most lawyers, he rarely bills by the hour, preferring to take a cut of each deal he negotiates.

Soundbite

"If I had a family crest, it would be an 'S' with two vertical lines. That's my crest—the dollar sign."

Drama

Grubman wasn't in good spirits after his daughter Lizzie's July 2001 meltdown outside a nightclub in the Hamptons. Dad was the first person Lizzie called after the accident; the first call he made was to defense attorney Eddie Hayes. Lizzie ended up spending a short stint in jail following the incident, but both father and daughter spent several years settling lawsuits that were filed by people she injured. Grubman has faced high-profile personal suits before. In 1992, Billy Joel sued him for fraud, breach of contract, and conflict of interest. Joel later withdrew the suit, leaving Grubman to brag that no settlement money ever changed hands.

Personal

Grubman was married to Yvette Fischer Grubman for close to 20 years before divorcing in the late '80s. (A one-time music manager, Yvette suffered from multiple sclerosis and died of cancer in 2001.) The couple had two kids, Lizzie and Jenny. In 1991, Grubman married Deborah Haimoff at a lavish reception at the New York Public Library; she's now a top real estate broker at Corcoran and often cuts deals on behalf of her husband's clients. The Grubmans live on Park Avenue, own a condo in Tribeca, and spend weekends at their six-bedroom home on Lily Pond Lane, which is also where Grubman keeps his prized 1961 Jaguar convertible. A beachgoer, though, Grubman is not. Although his spectacular home is less than 50 yards from the beach, he refuses to set foot in the sand.

No joke

Grubman has a weakness for chocolate. The Brooklyn Diner on 57th Street, which is located about 100 yards from his office at the Carnegie Hall Tower, even has a dessert named after him. The Allen Grubman Double Chocolate Pudding Pie with candied hazelnuts will set you back $7.75 plus tax.

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