Hal Kant

Harold Sanford Kant, known as Hal Kant (1931 to 2008), was an American entertainment industry attorney who specialized in representing musical groups. Born in the Bronx, he earned his law degree at Harvard Law School and began his career as a clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco. He is best known for his 35 years as principal lawyer and general counsel for the Grateful Dead, where he managed the band's intellectual property and merchandising rights and recommended that it keep ownership of its music masters and publishing rights. His business cards with the band gave his role as Czar. His other clients included Janis Joplin, Captain Beefheart and Hot Tuna. He also won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1987, and he died in Reno, Nevada, in 2008.