Entertainment law concerns the regulation of contracts relating to the entertainment and performance arts including the visual arts, cinemas, motion pictures or movies, radio, television, music, publishing, and theatre or theater. Legal issues include the proper application of labor and employment law, intellectual property law and personal services contract law, contract terms and conditions, trade unions, industry custom and usage, breach of contract claims and remedies, and dispute resolution or arbitration requirements.

We provide legal assistance for artist involved in certain areas of the entertainment industry, including music, publishing, and theatre. Our work is Transaction-based focusing on drafting and negotiating entertainment contracts and agreements.

This could mean helping an actor negotiate a contract with a studio, overcoming an impasse in union contract negotiations, assisting a new recording artist with financial, immigration, or real estate decisions, protecting a recording star from the illegal use of a copyrighted song, or even preventing invasion of a client’s privacy.

Our work includes the following:
⋅ Draft contracts for a client and review contracts from managers, publicists, record labels, film studios, and others to make sure they’re legal and fair to the client, then negotiate those contracts.

⋅ Maintain relationships with studios or record labels and be aware of who’s influential and what deals are being made in the industry. Having strong contacts can help a lawyer get a deal done quickly, while knowledge of what’s being offered elsewhere can help the lawyer get the best deal for a client.

⋅ Help clients new to the industry understand how the business works, including which types of contracts to choose, how to identify pitfalls in business deals, what performing rights they have, and where to find a manager, agent, accountant, or other business contact.

⋅ Act as general counsel for established artists, helping with marketing and merchandising deals, as well as real estate transactions and tax issues.

⋅ Help artists secure the rights to use music that other artists have written, complying with copyright laws.

MUSIC
⋅ Contracts with record labels, managers, agents, concert promoters, and concert producers; tour crew agreements; recording studio; music licensing and royalty agreements; and copyright issues.

⋅ Clients included Quentin Elias (d. 2014), The Rok Fairies, Lin Que (p/k/a ISIS).

THEATRE
⋅ Contracts with talent and crew; rental and co-production agreements; producer agreements; production liability issues; ticket sale agreements; and copyright and trademark issues.

ALL LEGAL SERVICES

ENTERTAINMENT LAW

IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY LAW

LAST WILLS & TESTAMENTS

MATRIMONIAL LAW

REAL ESTATE LAW