what does an entertainment attorney do

by Mossie Eichmann 6 min read

A typical day in the life of an entertainment law transactional attorney might involve:

  • Drafting and negotiating development and production contracts, such as writer agreements, talent agreements, and recording agreements.
  • Facilitating and negotiating distribution deals for an entertainment project.
  • Working on financing agreements for sponsorships, bank loans, co-production investments, grants, and other types of investments.

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They secure talent releases, advise their clients on jobs and contracts, and negotiate fee arrangements. Connecting clients with other service providers: An entertainment lawyer can serve as a liaison between the talent and other professionals, from agents and tax preparers to networks and venues.

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What is the job description for an entertainment lawyer?

Apr 08, 2021 · An entertainment lawyer can specialize in certain entertainment industries or legal aspects. Their duties can vary depending on their area of specialization, but common responsibilities can include: Assisting with the negotiation process for entertainment contracts

How much does an entertainment lawyer cost?

Career Overview. Some entertainment lawyers represent individual persons, such as actors or musicians, while others work to protect the trademark rights of major production companies from infringement on characters, plot lines, and brand names. Entertainment lawyers are additionally found in the political arena of the entertainment industry, working to represent bodies of …

How to become an entertainment attorney?

According to Schroder, entertainment lawyers may protect their clients’ intellectual property rights, represent them in court over disputes, negotiate contracts, show them ways to maximize earnings, and help them manage their taxes, among other tasks. Image via Flickr by elsa.org.

What do entertainment lawyers charge?

Oct 26, 2018 · What Does an Entertainment Lawyer Do? Entertainment law, sometimes referred to as “media law,” provides various legal services to individuals and businesses involved in the entertainment industry. This area of law covers all different types of media including: Film; Music; Publishing; Advertising; Internet; TV/Radio; Theater

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What is an entertainment lawyer job description?

Entertainment Attorneys help their clients to understand legal agreements, ensuring that the terms are in their clients' best interests. They work with Recording Groups, Record Producers, Songwriters, Music Publishers, Record Label Executives, Music Producers, and Composers.Jul 3, 2020

What do entertainment lawyers do on a daily basis?

A typical day in the life of an entertainment law transactional attorney might involve: Drafting and negotiating development and production contracts, such as writer agreements, talent agreements, and recording agreements. Facilitating and negotiating distribution deals for an entertainment project.Jun 20, 2017

What exactly is entertainment law?

Entertainment law, also referred to as media law, is legal services provided to the entertainment industry. These services in entertainment law overlap with intellectual property law. ... Much of the work of an entertainment law practice is transaction based, i.e., drafting contracts, negotiation and mediation.

How do you become an entertainment lawyer?

How to become an entertainment lawyer? If you're considering a career path in entertainment law, many universities in India offer an LL. M and an online degree or diploma program. However, you initially require a law degree to be eligible for consideration.Jun 15, 2021

What is the highest paid lawyer?

Highest paid lawyers: salary by practice areaPatent attorney: $180,000.Intellectual property (IP) attorney: $162,000.Trial attorneys: $134,000.Tax attorney (tax law): $122,000.Corporate lawyer: $115,000.Employment lawyer: $87,000.Real Estate attorney: $86,000.Divorce attorney: $84,000.More items...•Dec 14, 2021

Is it hard to get into entertainment law?

Turns out, it's really difficult to break into. It now seems to me that people break into the entertainment law field in one of three ways: Good connections, great experience on the business side, or incredible credentials.

Where do entertainment lawyers make the most money?

Average salaries for entertainment lawyers vary by city. For example, Law Crossing reports that average salaries were highest in Los Angeles where they earned ​$165,000​ per year. Those working in Glendale and San Franciso averaged ​$164,500​ per year. New York City entertainment lawyers averaged ​$161,000​.Jan 20, 2022

What can you do in entertainment law?

What does an entertainment lawyer do?Assisting with the negotiation process for entertainment contracts.Drafting deal and payment agreements regarding bookings or events.Advising clients on legal matters and answering questions related to the entertainment industry.Establishing intellectual property rights for clients.More items...•Apr 8, 2021

What is a celebrity lawyer?

Celebrity lawyers evaluate all of the strengths and expertise in their toolbox to understand how those skills will best help them to achieve their goals. They understand their priorities and make certain that everyday life encompasses those ideals and beliefs.May 15, 2015

What type of lawyer makes the most?

10 Types of Lawyers That Make The Most Money1: Immigration Lawyer. ... 2: Civil Rights Lawyer. ... 3: Family and Divorce Lawyers. ... 4: Personal Injury. ... 5: Criminal Defense Lawyers. ... 6: Corporate Lawyers. ... 7: Bankruptcy Lawyers. ... 8: Real Estate Lawyers.More items...

How much do top entertainment lawyers make?

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $118,000 and as low as $24,500, the majority of Entertainment Attorney salaries currently range between $85,500 (25th percentile) to $100,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $107,000 annually across the United States.

How much do Hollywood lawyers make?

The average annual salary for Entertainment Attorneys is approximately $117,600. The salary range for Entertainment Attorneys runs from $77,000 to $186,000.Jul 5, 2019

What is an entertainment lawyer?

An entertainment lawyer is a law professional who specializes in legal matters related to the entertainment industry. Entertainment lawyers may focus on advising clients on entertainment contract laws, intellectual property or entertainment labor laws.

What does an entertainment lawyer do?

An entertainment lawyer can specialize in certain entertainment industries or legal aspects. Their duties can vary depending on their area of specialization, but common responsibilities can include:

Where does an entertainment lawyer work?

Entertainment lawyers can work in a law firm or they may work directly for a large entertainment company. Many entertainment lawyers live in or near large cities because cities tend to have more entertainment opportunities. An entertainment lawyer may choose to work in a certain location depending on their specialty.

How do you become an entertainment lawyer?

If you are interested in becoming an entertainment lawyer, consider following these steps:

What do entertainment lawyers do?

Some entertainment lawyers represent individual persons, such as actors or musicians, while others work to protect the trademark rights of major production companies from infringement on characters, plot lines, and brand names . Entertainment lawyers are additionally found in the political arena of the entertainment industry, working to represent bodies of workers such as actors, directors, or writers by working for the unions affiliated with such groups. Regardless of the specific role an entertainment lawyer plays in the field, they will have many of the same duties and responsibilities shared by other types of attorneys.

How to become an entertainment lawyer?

A prospective entertainment lawyer must attain a high school diploma or the equivalent, followed by a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. He or she then must take the Law School Admission Test and apply to law school. If possible, an aspiring entertainment lawyer should choose a school that specializes in entertainment law. Upon graduation, he or she will receive a Juris Doctor (J.D.). After passing his or her state bar exam, an entertainment lawyer should seek employment at a firm specializing in this discipline.

What is the job of a lawyer?

Unless they are self-employed with a few small-scale clients, lawyers typically act as supervisors to support staff, such as legal assistants, paralegals, and/or secretaries. Day-to-day tasks include conducting research regarding specific matters or cases at hand to prepare for court or negotiation.

How much will the number of lawyers grow in 2029?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ( www.bls.gov) predicts that the employment of all lawyers should grow by about 4% between 2019 and 2029, which is as fast as average compared to other job sectors.

Do attorneys have to communicate with clients?

All attorneys must communicate well with not only members of their legal team, but most especially with clients and prospective clients. Although some administrative duties will be fulfilled by others, attorneys must be organized and adept at preparing and filing legal documents.

What do entertainment lawyers do?

According to Schroder, entertainment lawyers may protect their clients’ intellectual property rights, represent them in court over disputes, negotiate contracts, show them ways to maximize earnings, and help them manage their taxes, among other tasks. Image via Flickr by elsa.org.

How long does it take to get an entertainment license?

A program with Entertainment and Industry certification requires approximately two years to complete and covers several aspects of law that apply to the entertainment industry, from guilds and professional organizations to entertainment entities and intellectual property rights organizations like BMI.

What is entertainment law?

Entertainment law, sometimes referred to as “media law,” provides various legal services to individuals and businesses involved in the entertainment industry. This area of law covers all different types of media including: Film. Music. Publishing.

How to become an entertainment lawyer?

The first step one must take to become an entertainment lawyer is earning a bachelor’s degree from a college or university. After completing the four years of undergraduate study, the student then takes the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

Where do entertainment lawyers work?

Entertainment lawyers can work in law firms or as in-house counsel for corporations. This type of attorney tends to practice in entertainment hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Nashville, though some find employment across the nation.

Is entertainment law a separate legal discipline?

TV/Radio. Theater. Entertainment law is not considered a separate legal discipline, but rather a blend of traditional legal disciplines, such as contract law, intellectual property law, and business law.

What do lawyers do after graduation?

After graduating, many lawyers begin their careers by working as law clerks after graduation. Since it is a very specialized field, it is not uncommon for entertainment lawyers to work in a different area of law before finding a job in the entertainment industry.

Do attorneys need retainers?

Regardless of whether the attorney charges hourly or a flat rate fee, they may also require a retainer. A retainer is a portion of the estimated total costs paid to the lawyer up front. The retainer is put into a special account and is used as the lawyer works on the case.

What is entertainment lawyer?

What is an entertainment lawyer? Unlike divorce or corporate lawyers, an entertainment lawyer represents and protects the interests of creatives, companies and others in the many areas of the entertainment industry, such as film, television, new media, theater, publishing and music.

How much does a retainer cost?

It may start at $1000 for contractual and/or advisement issues and go up to $100,000 should they be retained for litigation. Before agreeing to any terms with an entertainment lawyer, inquire about their retainer fee.

Can an emerging creative lawyer be an entertainment lawyer?

And while true that these professionals can foster your career and provide some of the same benefits as an entertainment lawyer, namely industry connections and career advice, neither have the legal expertise of an entertainment lawyer.

What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property, or IP, is big business. From a screenwriter’s spec script to a musician’s original song, anything created within this industry necessitates protection from those who may want to buy it, option it, license it—or infringe upon it with unauthorized use. An entertainment lawyer can see to it that a client’s intellectual property is handled properly and protected when copyright or trademark issues arise.

Can an entertainment lawyer be hired as an employee?

Unless you are potentially forming a company that would require the ongoing services of an entertainment lawyer, they would not be hired as an employee. Rather, they are a contractor who is part of a law firm or the proprietor of their own business.

Is entertainment lawyer specialized?

The nature of work for an entertainment lawyer is highly specialized. That in part explains the costly fees for them. However, it also indicates the extensive education they must attain to be skilled at their job.

Which states offer competitive financial advantages for productions?

Many states outside of California and New York offer competitive financial advantages for productions, making it attractive to creatives on a budget to film in these other locations with local crew and other resources at their disposal.

What does an entertainment lawyer do?

Entertainment lawyers represent people in the entertainment industry (authors, musicians, actors, producers, etc.) in lawsuits and can advise them about contracts they’re entering into.

Is Rocket Lawyer a lawyer?

This article contains general legal information and does not contain legal advice. Rocket Lawyer is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. The law is complex and changes often. For legal advice, please ask a lawyer.

What is contingency rate?

Contingency rates are also used, either when your lawyer thinks you have a strong case and you’re asking for compensation, or for long term representation. For long term representation a lawyer will generally charge a percentage of your earnings, though only if you have a steady income.

What to do if you are being sued?

If you’re being sued, an entertainment lawyer will do their best to prove your innocence or reduce any charges against you. There are no guarantees in a lawsuit, but having a lawyer who knows the ins and outs of the law and court procedure will give you your best chance.

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