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Getting Into His Legal Groove

Carl Schiessl finds harmony as chief lawyer of Kaman Music Corp.

By KEITH BUTTON

In his 24-year career, Carl Schiessl has practiced law in a variety of areas—including his work for a large insurance and wealth management company—and even served as a state legislator. But it wasn’t until 2008 that his job brought him in contact with rock ‘n’ roll legends.

Schiessl joined Fender Musical Instruments Corp. in July as associate general counsel, serving as the chief legal officer for Kaman Music Corp., a Fender subsidiary in Bloomfield, Conn.

So far, he’s met Al Jardine of the Beach Boys and guitar-playing legend James Burton at the Fender Hall of Fame induction ceremony in August. He’s also worked with Kaman artists Melissa Etheridge and Carlos Santana, and the bands Cheap Trick and Van Halen. And his future probably holds more introductions to many others on the Kaman roster, which includes Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Chesney, the Eagles, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood.

“For me, it’s been a blessing that Fender decided to acquire Kaman Music,” Schiessl said. More than once, he said, his legal peers have expressed a hint of jealousy at the dream-come-true job that he’s landed.

“I’ve had an opportunity to work on an array of licensing agreements with artists,” Schiessl said. “It’s very exciting. You can imagine how much more exciting than insurance.”

Kaman makes Ovation, Takamine and Hamer guitars; Gretsch, Gibralter, LP and Toca percussion instruments; and Genz Benz amplifiers. Schiessl’s position was created after fender acquired Kaman Music from Kaman Corp., an aerospace company, on Jan. 1, 2008. Previously, legal matters of the musical instrument business were handled by the team of attorneys that worked primarily on Kaman’s aerospace business.

While his principal client is the president of Kaman Music, now called KMC Music Inc., he reports to the head of the Fender legal department, which includes three other attorneys and two paralegals in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In his work for KMC Music, Schiessl said, he draws on experience he developed throughout his career. Much of his job involves managing KMC’s intellectual property portfolio—not only the signature instruments, but a catalog of more than 36,000 wholesale music products.

One of Schiessl’s first projects at KMC has been to work through the intellectual property issues involved with a new product—the iDea guitar, touted as the first guitar with a built-in MP3 player. That feature allows songwriters to capture their “eureka” moments, and it also can be used for students learning to play, listening and mimicking from downloaded lessons.

He also works on the licensing agreements that KMC has with various artists for signature instrument lines, as well as general corporate matters. These include real estate leasing agreements, regulatory compliance for the manufacturing and distribution businesses, and employment law.

“My life in the law—in private practice, in corporate law, as an elected official—have all prepared me for this position,” he said.

Schiessl started his career at Copp, Koletsky, Berall & Hempstead in Hartford, where he managed the real estate practice. After five years there, he ran his own law practice in Windsor Locks, Conn., from 1989 to 1997, working in a variety of areas that included real estate and commercial transactions, employment law, taxes, general business matters and estate and probate law.

From 1997 until 2008, Schiessl worked as corporate counsel for The Phoenix Companies Inc. in Hartford, where he specialized in corporate transactions, contracts, intellectual property law, technology matters, outsourcing services, employment law and public affairs.

He also served as a Connecticut General Assembly Representative from 1986 to 1998, as well as on various state legislative committees. That service helped him develop the listening and communication skills that are critical in legal work, he said. Also, his experience in dealing with the various levels of government is always helpful for a business.

Now business is intertwined with his appreciation for music, but Schiessl says he’s nothing more than a novice when it comes to playing instruments. He picked a four-string bass guitar four years ago and has owned one for two years.

“I’ve seen good musicians all over this organization,” he said. “I’m certainly not one of them. I’m a student.”•