how to get an entertainment lawyer

1. Earn a bachelor's degree. The first step to becoming an entertainment lawyer is earning a bachelor's degree. ...
2. Pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) After graduating with a bachelor's degree, aspiring entertainment lawyers can apply to law schools. ...
3. Apply for law school. After passing the LSAT, you can begin applying for law school programs. Consider researching and exploring programs in your desired field.
4. Earn a law degree. The next step in becoming an entertainment lawyer is earning a law degree. The common degree for entertainment lawyers is the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.
Consider a certificate. Some law schools offer an entertainment law certificate. This can help you begin or advance your career.
Pass the bar examination. After graduating from a law program, aspiring lawyers must take and pass the bar exam. ...
Gain professional experience. After passing the bar exam, lawyers can begin practicing law. Many entertainment lawyers begin their careers as legal associates.

Full Answer

When should you hire an entertainment lawyer?

The most common reason that an entertainer hires a lawyer is to review, draft, or negotiate a contract. But you might also hire a lawyer if you need to litigate, for example if your producer breaches a contract, or if your manager has stolen money from you.

What is the job description for an entertainment lawyer?

• #1 thing is network. Meet people in the industry whenever you can. ...
• Start to think about what you want to do and if being an Entertainment Attorney is really for you. ...
• Try to learn. There are lots of books and blogs out there, lots of ways to learn about the industry. ...
• Figure out what kind of music you like. ...

What is the curriculum of an entertainment law degree?

The Curriculum. As a first-year law student, you will follow a designated course of study that may cover many of the following subjects: Civil procedure —the process of adjudication in the United States such as jurisdiction and standing to sue, motions and pleadings, pretrial procedure, the structure of a lawsuit, and appellate review of ...

Do you need an entertainment lawyer?

You're finally getting roles in local plays or movies and you're seeking broader exposure. Or maybe you just wrote a screenplay and a few producers are showing interest. These are all perfect examples of times when you might need an attorney with a special knowledge of the entertainment business.

How do entertainment lawyers find clients?

If you work in the entertainment industry, odds are you already know someone who has an entertainment lawyer. That's why how to find an entertainment lawyer usually begins with word-of-mouth referrals. But referrals are just a starting point.

What is the role of 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.

Do entertainment lawyers work with celebrities?

Who deals with an entertainment lawyer? Some entertainment attorneys work as a celebrity's personal lawyer, but the majority of work with celebrities' agents and managers. These clients have a team of business and legal advisors which include agents, managers, and other attorneys.

What does entertainment law consist of?

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. Intellectual property has many moving parts that include trademarks, copyright, and the "Right of Publicity".

Who needs entertainment lawyers?

If you are a talent manager, entertainer or involved in the media industry, you should get in touch with an entertainment lawyer.

Who do entertainment lawyers represent?

The role of an entertainment lawyer being diverse, an entertainment lawyer is qualified enough to guard their clients' intellectual property rights, represent them in court over disputes, negotiate contracts, act as an agent to maximize their earnings, and help them manage their taxes, among other responsibilities.

Is entertainment law hard to break into?

2. Entertainment Law Is Competitive It's no secret that entertainment law is a competitive area of law in which to practice. Who wouldn't want to work with major musicians, actors, directors, and producers? For those reasons, entertainment law can be a hard niche to break into.

Who is the highest paid lawyer?

Highest paid lawyers: salary by practice areaTax attorney (tax law): $122,000.Corporate lawyer: $115,000.Employment lawyer: $87,000.Real Estate attorney: $86,000.Divorce attorney: $84,000.Immigration attorney: $84,000.Estate attorney: $83,000.Public Defender: $63,000.More items...•

Is there money in entertainment law?

The average annual salary of entertainment lawyers, including music lawyer salary, is ​$116,800​, as reported in 2022 by Law Crossing, a legal job site.

Is entertainment law stressful?

Just as well, most people practicing entertainment law are in the field because they like the substantive work as well as the clients. Yes, there are the time pressures and tight budgets to consider, all of which can create significant stress for attorneys.

How do I know what kind of lawyer I want to be?

Here are a few questions to help you determine what type of law would be a good fit for you:How Much Do You Like to Argue?How Motivated You Are by Money?How Much Control Do You Need Over Your Work Life?How Much Interaction Do You Need With Other People?What Do You Like to Do?

How much do top entertainment lawyers make?

Salary Ranges for Entertainment Lawyers The salaries of Entertainment Lawyers in the US range from $10,018 to $187,200 , with a median salary of $18,674 . The middle 57% of Entertainment Lawyers makes between $18,674 and $74,346, with the top 86% making $187,200.

Entertainment Lawyer: Understanding Their Importance

In some instances, general law may help you to understand the various requirements in your industry. For example, drafting up an employment contract may be something that looks relatively similar for a wide variety of business models.

What Role Do They Play in Your Business?

Of course, the above definition is a very broad overview of the responsibility of an entertainment lawyer in your day-to-day business. The work that they undertake on behalf of your company is essential to keeping your company and its employees protected as you continue operations.

Why Might You Need to Enlist the Help of an Entertainment Lawyer?

Asking when you should reach out to an entertainment lawyer depends entirely on your individual situation. However, looking deeper into an entertainment lawyer's role can help you better understand if and when you'll need to take advantage of their services.

How Do I Go About Hiring an Entertainment Lawyer?

Although this guide dives deeper into what an entertainment lawyer is and what role they play, the truth is that there are all kinds of entertainment lawyers that specialize in various areas of law as well as provide specific services designed specifically for the situation you may find yourself in when you seek out their help.

Meet some of our Lawyers

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What are the practices in entertainment law?

The Following are the Practices in Entertainment Law: Labor and employment – to make sure that staff and talents are following labor and employment laws, which include worker’s compensation, safety regulations, fair hiring practices, and maximum working hours allowed .

Is continuing education mandatory in entertainment law?

The old ones are being revised, and a lot of cases are being created and trying to be resolved. Continuing your education isn’t mandatory in the legal field, but if you’re planning to pursue a career path how to become an entertainment lawyer in a specific field, such as an entertainment lawyer, professional development ...

Can a lawyer handle entertainment law?

Lawyers can include entertainment law cases as a part of a wider practice or just focus on entertainment law exclusively. Entertainment laws have something to offer, whether you prefer drafting documents, pouring over regulations, or being in the courtroom.

Do entertainment lawyers work outside of the city?

Other entertainers, local bands, radio talents, and television talents residing in their city also need entertainment lawyers on their side. Although entertainment lawyers won’t get to practice full-time outside major cities, they can still handle entertainment cases for their litigation and transactional law practice.

Who is an Entertainment Lawyer?

According to Schroder, entertainment lawyers protect their client’s intellectual property rights, represent them in court over disputes, negotiate contracts, show them ways to maximize earnings, and help them manage their taxes, etc. Entertainment lawyers are required by production houses, directors, celebrities, etc.

How to Become an Entertainment Lawyer?

Aspiring lawyers must first complete a bachelor’s degree program before applying to law school. The American Bar Association advises choosing a major that will both challenge and excite future law students to achieve their goals.

What is Media Law?

The media industry is massive, encompassing publishing, newspapers, television, radio, film, and the internet. As a result, it is necessary to comprehend the laws that govern these fields. The law that controls media infrastructure, establishes limits on media communication and protects intellectual property is covered in the Media Law course.

Who Should Do Media Law?

A Media law course is for law students who desire to work as in-house advisers for corporations in the media and entertainment industry. Law students interested in working in a firm’s Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) practice. Independent practitioners looking to work in the media and entertainment business as contract drafters.

Types of Media Law Courses

Diploma, PG 1- Year and LLM studies in media law are available, with durations ranging from one to five years. The following table summarises the eligibility, duration, and admission procedures for each of the three courses.

Top 10 Colleges for Entertainment Law Abroad

The USA stands #1 when it comes to pursuing entertainment law courses abroad. As per Indeed.com, entertainment lawyers are in huge demand and expected to grow in New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago. Here are some of the finest law schools for entertainment law abroad:

What is an Entertainment Lawyer?

The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in entertainment lawyer roles:

A Day in the Life

Entertainment lawyers represent clients who make their livings working in the entertainment industry in film and television production, music, theater, publishing, or digital media. They may work with movie stars, novelists, musicians, or YouTube personalities. The majority of entertainment lawyers live and work in the three major areas in the U.S.

Typical Work Schedule

Most entertainment lawyers work full-time schedules during normal business hours, but overtime is common in law practice. Attorneys may need to work in evenings or on weekends to accommodate client schedules, or to review or finalize paperwork to meet deadlines.

Typical Employers

Many entertainment lawyers work for private law firms: they may run their own practice, share a practice with one or more other lawyers, or work as an employee of a privately-owned law firm. Some may also be employed by corporations in the entertainment industry to handle paperwork and litigation.

How To Become an Entertainment Lawyer

The first step in becoming an entertainment lawyer is to earn a bachelor’s degree. Pre-law majors are common for aspiring entertainment lawyers, though political science, history, and English are sufficient as well. The major you pursue is less important than your overall academic profile upon graduation.

Entertainment Lawyer Salary Data

We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.

Programs and Degrees

Here are the most common degrees for becoming an Entertainment Lawyer. a is usually recommended and specifically a degree or coursework that prepares you for the particular field, see below.

Entertainment Lawyer Description

In this post we look at what is an entertainment lawyer and when you might need one. In addition to providing an entertainment lawyer definition, we’ll also cover how to find one so that you know where to turn and what to look for when selecting an entertainment lawyer.

Entertainment Lawyer Definition

An entertainment lawyer practices a specialized type of law specific to the entertainment industry. When you think about what is an entertainment lawyer, an image of a slick Hollywood type looking to take advantage of a naïve performer may come to mind.

Entertainment Attorney 101

First things first: if you are in the entertainment industry and have questions about contracts, copyright claims or infringement, or any other legal information related to your creative work, do not seek advice from a non-industry lawyer.

When and Why You Need an Entertainment Lawyer

As a screenwriter, director, musical artist, fiction writer, or a performer with a public image or voice, you own creative copyright.

What to Look for in Hiring an Entertainment Attorney

Now that you understand the role of the entertainment lawyer, it is good to think about what you need help with and select an entertainment attorney carefully. Entertainment lawyers can help with a variety of scenarios and provide critical advice for key moments in your career.

UP NEXT

Legal and insurance issues are not most creatives’ favorite topic! Nonetheless they are vital to any production. In addition to realizing all the details of the creative vision for your project and managing the production tech and details, it is also good to have someone on your team looking out for liability.

Showcase your vision with elegant shot lists and storyboards

Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows.

What an Entertainment lawyer can do for you

If you are an entertainer, movie producer, or musician, an entertainment lawyer can assist you with important legal issues, including intellectual property rights. Hiring an entertainment attorney will enable you to negotiate or write your contracts, deal with intellectual property issues, and work on publication deals.

Why hire an Entertainment attorney

Entertainment lawyers provide services to the entertainment industry, including film, music, television, theater, publishing, visual arts, and multimedia. They also represent sports stars and other celebrities. Entertainment lawyers negotiate and write contracts, deal with intellectual property issues, and practice employment and labor law.

Did you know?

Although entertainment lawyers do assist their clients with legal decisions such as contracts, compensation, real estate purchases, etc., entertainment attorneys also use their skills to help further a client's career.

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.

Is a manager or agent discounted?

The value of a manager or agent shouldn’t be discounted. The former can provide important career guidance. Both have industry connections. And the latter can secure project deals. However, it’s important to keep in mind that none of these services, those of an entertainment lawyer included, come free.

Do entertainment lawyers provide free consultations?

Yes, most entertainment lawyers will provide a brief complimentary consultation. Keep in mind, though, that this consultation isn’t about getting free information for a legal issue. Rather, the consultation is to determine if that particular lawyer will be a good fit for your needs. 10.

Is an entertainment lawyer an employee?

Is an entertainment lawyer hired as an employee or contractor? 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. 16.

Do entertainment lawyers charge hourly?

Very commonly, lawyers charge an hourly rate, but it’s possible to hire one who uses flat rates for particular services as well. Should you hire an entertainment lawyer for a court case, you may even be able to negotiate having their fee—or contingency rate—come out of the expected settlement.

Does a junior associate make more than a senior partner?

Well, that depends on several factors. For one, a junior associate at a law firm will not have an hourly rate as high as a senior partner. Two, the nature of the work itself can impact overall salary. Three, the more clients a lawyer has, the higher the salary they are likely to make.

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.