Call each law firm individually. Ask how to contact them and what kind of fees they charge. Be sure to ask how to contact the entertainment lawyer if he/she is not answering your calls.
Full Answer
How to find an entertainment lawyer often begins with an in-state search to assure that whomever you bring on board has knowledge of your state's legal regulations.
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.
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.
Before you file a loan-out, you will need to have an entertainment law firm like ours organize the company. Our clients who took advantage of corporate formation last year are today reaping the benefit from the 20% deduction for pass-through business income under 199A.
If your lawyer still does not respond, you can send him or her a letter explaining the communication problems. If at this point you do not hear anything from your lawyer, you should consult with a legal malpractice attorney.
If your lawyer does not return your call, send them a letter and keep a copy. In the letter, describe what is bothering you and what you need. Suggest meeting with the lawyer face-to-face. Your next step would depend on the nature of the problem.
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.
A: The lawyer should be responsive to your questions within 24-48 hours after you left a message. If the lawyer is not responsive, perhaps he or she is on vacation and unable to return.
If your attorney is not experienced or efficient, they may have missed a deadline or made another mistake and aren't willing to confess their error. There could also be some bad news that is entirely outside of the attorney's control.
Sometimes, lawyers take a bit longer than usual to respond because they are away from their office or traveling for business. If you have not heard back from your lawyer within 48 hours of sending them an important email, you should send another email just asking if there is any news or status about your case.
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.
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.
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.
Throughout the process of getting your financial settlement after becoming injured, there may be periods of time that you do not hear from your attorney. Although this can be unnerving, it is a normal part of the legal process.
There is no set formula for how often you will hear from your attorney. However, the key to a successful attorney client relationship is communication. Whenever there is an important occurrence in your case you will be contacted or notified.
Most of the time, being slow is just temporary since cases invariably become more active, associates get assigned additional files, and attorneys have enough work to meet their employment expectations. Lawyers can use the times they are slower for a number of purposes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Diana is a registered patent attorney and licensed to practice law in Florida and in federal courts in Florida and in Texas. For nearly a decade, Diana has been known as the go-to brand builder, business protector, and rights negotiator.
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.
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 naĂŻve performer may come to mind.
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.
As a screenwriter, director, musical artist, fiction writer, or a performer with a public image or voice, you own creative copyright.
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.
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.
Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows.
The biggest reward for many entertainment professionals with a loan-out company will be getting the 20% tax deduction for pass-through business income under the new 199A tax deduction of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
For anyone who has not heard about it, Section 168 k is the new film tax deduction under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that replaces Section 181. Most of the provisions are the same, providing a 100% tax deduction for feature film and television series in the first year of distribution.
The effect was that less long-term deals were signed, with a lot of major advertisers making short term, quarterly ad buys rather than going all-in with upfront commitments.
Streaming is starting to look a lot more like network and broadcast as AVOD begins to take hold. AVOD means “advertising-based video on demand.”. From what I have been told, major advertisers have been looking for places to spend their money, and a lot of top shows are at subscription services.
At the heart of all of the controversy between WGA and the agencies is packaging, which is representing an entertainment property (generally a film or television script), and attaching cast and then bringing the project to production companies, studios, networks and financiers.
It is true that what the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has given with one hand, it has taken away with the other. Employees with business costs are hard hit, and that effects many in the entertainment industry. When you are an employee you do not have the option of taking business expenses out of your calculation of income. The amount reported on the employee W-2 is your income and the only way to reduce your tax bill is through itemized deductions. Now under the Trump tax “cuts,” many of these itemized deductions are actually eliminated, such as unreimbursed employee business expenses, and a lot of others. Moreover, higher income employees will reach the alternative minimum tax, in which case most of the business deductions are then eliminated anyway, meaning that money spent on things like vehicles, business supplies, inventories, and office space is being paid for with after tax money. Essentially you are being taxed on your revenue, not on your profit.
That generally happens because the film producer is deriving all the benefits from the film from the production of the film itself. Most likely the producer and director fees are tied to production, and the filmmakers can use the film as a kind of resume to make their next feature.
The most common reason that an entertainer hires a lawyer is to review, draft, or negotiate a contract.
For better or worse, however, attorneys are part of the fabric of the entertainment industry. They facilitate connections between performers, producers, and venues, and assist in drafting and negotiating contracts.
The so-called "billable hour" is still the most common method of payment. Many attorneys ask for a retainer, which is an advance payment for legal work. The amount of the retainer is included in the attorney-client fee agreement.
Understand up front that most attorneys bill on an hourly basis (often between $300 and $700 an hour) and send a bill at the end of each month. Some attorneys bill on a fixed-fee basis, in which you pay a set amount for services (expect to pay $5,000 to $25,000 to negotiate a major entertainment deal, for instance).
Don't choose an attorney purely based on his or her "know-how." Consider also style and personality. While these qualities might seem superficial, remember that you may spend long hours working together. You may prefer to be represented by an attorney whose style and demeanor correspond with yours. Do you want someone aggressive? Ambitious? Accommodating? Serious? Boisterous?
You may be asked to pay any outstanding bills. However, an attorney cannot withhold your files because you have failed to pay your bills.
Their services won't come cheap, of course. Indeed, you might find yourself sitting in an attorney's waiting room preparing to hire someone who charges more per hour than you earn earn in a whole night! For better or worse, however, attorneys are part of the fabric of the entertainment industry.
If at this point you do not hear anything from your lawyer, you should consult with a legal malpractice attorney. A knowledgeable legal malpractice attorney can review the circumstances of a case and attempt to communicate with your unresponsive lawyer.
If your attorney has stopped responding to your message, you may wonder if they have committed legal malpractice.
Before contacting a malpractice attorney, you should attempt to contact your attorney multiple times by phone, email and other communication platforms you have used to reach him or her . If your lawyer still does not respond, you can send him or her a letter explaining the communication problems.
According to The American Bar Association (ABA) model rules of professional conduct related to communication, lawyers must: · Inform clients of decisions and circumstance related to their case. · Consult with clients about how they will accomplish their legal goals. · Respond to client requests for information.
When hiring an attorney, a potential money pit is “expenses” outside of the lawyer’s billable hours. Expenses include everything—copying and faxing costs, hiring expert witnesses, and even traveling via private jet, points out attorney Justin C. Roberts. Some lawyers don’t just pass the charges along; instead, they charge an additional percentage fee. Whatever their method, you need to know it up front so there won’t be any surprises when the bill arrives.
“ Winning cases can be lost because of a client who lies or exaggerates just as easily as because of a lawyer who tells the client what the client wants to hear instead of what is true.” So when dealing with attorneys, don’t just look for honesty—be honest.
“If you want to improve your chances of securing the best lawyer to take your case, you need to prepare before you meet them,” advises attorney Stephen Babcock. “Get your story, facts, and proof together well before your first meeting.” This not only ensures that you understand your own needs, but it helps a good lawyer to ascertain whether he or she can actually help you. “We want the best clients too. Proving you’re organized and reliable helps us.”
In fact, a lawyer should try to stay out of court. “In my experience, a good lawyer always finds every opportunity to keep a case from being decided by a judge, and only relents on trying a case before the bench when all alternatives have been exhausted,” attorney, Jason Cruz says.
On reading a demand letter, the other person will often say, “this isn’t worth the trouble” and they quickly settle. But here’s a secret from Knight: You don’t need a lawyer to write a demand letter. You can do it yourself. Just make it look as formal as possible, and you may find your dispute goes away—no charge to you.
If you feel helpless when faced with an insurance denial, please know that you might be able to appeal with the help of a qualified lawyer, says David Himelfarb, attorney. Insurance companies routinely deny long-term disability claims, for example, particularly because it’s assumed that most people don’t have access to reputable attorneys to challenge the denial. “This is where intricate knowledge of the legal and insurance process, as well as the right team of experts to prove the claim, can reverse the odds.”