Oakland University trustee Henry Baskin has been named to the legal committee for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Baskin, a Birmingham family law and entertainment and sports lawyer, has served on the OU Board of Trustees since 1996.

“The Emmy that I received was for a particular show that was done for something called ‘the drug court’ in Michigan,” he said.

NATAS, best known for the Emmy given for both national and local television programming, is governed by a strict set of bylaws, something the legal committee is responsible for.

Baskin outlined some of his new responsibilities.

“Each chapter has to adhere to a standard body of bylaws and rules and regulations,” he said. “Sometimes that becomes a bit of a problem and therefore, there is a committee of three lawyers across the country who set the bylaws standards and revise them as times change.”

Baskin explained  the bylaws can be important when trying to resolve conflicts.

“When you think of award shows per se, you wouldn’t think of a legal issue that might arise,” he said. “Sometimes there might be issues of who deserves the Emmy. Would it be the producer or would it be the talent? Those issues are usually solved by the bylaws that we put into place.”

Baskin has won an Emmy in the past for his work on “Due Process,” a legal show that ran for 27 years on WDIV and public television. The episode he won for dealt with drugs and the legal system.

OU President Gary Russi commended Baskin on his appointment.

“During his time here at OU, Henry has demonstrated tremendous passion and great generosity — qualities that are sure to serve any organization well,” he said. “I congratulate both Henry and NATAS on this appointment and am confident only good things will come from it.”

Baskin received his introduction to the field of entertainment law during the Motown era.

“I met a young man named Marvin Gaye and that introduced me to the Motown era,” he said. “I represented, you know, 20 Motown people because they were located here and it was an opportunity for a Midwest lawyer who didn’t live on either coast to represent nationally acclaimed artists.”

Baskin also represents television people across the country that work both nationally and in various local markets.

He said it’s hard to make a living as strictly an entertainment attorney when most of the work comes from the coasts. It’s also not as exciting as one might think.

“Is it glamorous? No. It’s a lot of contract work.”

Contact staff reporter Kevin Graham via email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @KevinGraham88