what does a production lawyer do

by Margot Zemlak 5 min read

Film production has legal issues that can arise at every stage of the project. The role of production counsel is to take care of those matters whether it involves setting up financing, securing intellectual property rights, negotiating and drafting agreements, or minimizing potential liability.

Is a lawyer responsible for the production of documents?

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 …

Do I need a production attorney to make a film?

 · When it comes to requests for production of documents (or electronically-stored information), the Rules are a bit more intricate — but, when used properly, more powerful. Unlike Rule 33, Rule 34 (relating to requests for production of documents and electronically stored information) has no similar requirement that the party sign the responses. Thus, a lawyer may …

What does a commercial lawyer do?

Production counsel works with personnel to be sure the legal documentation protects the producer's interests while, hopefully, still being fair to film personnel. Locations are identified and reserved (using legal contracts). Insurance is purchased; liability and often insurance to help complete the film if needed, known as a "completion bond."

What does legal counsel do in film production?

Commercial lawyers are those that deal with commercial and business legal matters. They assist heavily with transactions, documentation and paperwork, but they may also help in other company issues that require motions, actions and issues with the courts. When hiring a commercial lawyer, the person usually owns a business or is a manager of one. These legal …

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What do film lawyers do?

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.

Do Entertainment Lawyers make a lot of money?

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.

Are movie producers lawyers?

Most producer reps are not attorneys, but a few do both. A producer rep should understand how films are marketed and have relationships with distributors and sales agents. Their role is to seek distribution and advise how to go about attracting distributors and market the film.

What kind of lawyer makes the most money?

Types of Lawyers That Make the Most MoneyTax attorney (tax law): $122,000;Corporate lawyer: $118,000;Employment lawyer: $88,000;Real estate attorney: $87,000;Divorce attorney: $86,000;Immigration attorney: $85,000;Estate attorney: $84,000;Public defender: $66,000.More items...

What do celebrity lawyers make?

For purpose of comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, indicates that entertainment lawyers in the motion picture and video industry earned an average annual salary of ​$218,360​ as of 2020.

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?

What can you do with a media law degree?

Media lawyers may work in private practice or for the government with the Federal Communications Commission. Most media lawyers work as in-house counsel or they work for mid-size and large law firms. However, lawyers who represent individual talent may work either as a solo practitioner or directly for a talent agency.

What does entertainment law consist of?

Overview. Entertainment law covers an area of law that involves media of all different types (e.g. TV, film, music, publishing, advertising, Internet & news media, etc.)

What is an attorney called?

In the United States, the terms lawyer and attorney are often used interchangeably. For this reason, people in and out of the legal field often ask, “is an attorney and a lawyer the same thing?”. In colloquial speech, the specific requirements necessary to be considered a lawyer vs attorney aren't always considered.

What type of lawyer makes the least money?

Legal Aid Attorney Legal Aid attorneys provide counsel to people who cannot afford to pay for their own lawyer. These are public interest jobs that many lawyers get a great deal of satisfaction out of, even if they don't make a large amount of money.

What field of law is most in demand?

Most in-demand practice areasCommercial law.Litigation.Real estate law.Intellectual property.Family law.

Who is the highest paid lawyer in America?

Who Are The 10 Highest Paid Lawyers In The USA?1 Richard Scruggs - Net Worth: $1.7 Billion.2 Joe Jamail Jr. ... 3 Willie Gary - Net Worth: $100 Million. ... 4 Roy Black - Net Worth: $65 Million. ... 5 Robert Shapiro - Net Worth: $50 Million. ... 6 John Branca - Net Worth: $50 Million. ... 7 Erin Brockovich - Net Worth: $42 Million. ... More items...•

How competitive is entertainment law?

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.

How much do Nintendo lawyers make?

550 Nintendo of America employees have shared their salaries on Glassdoor. Select your job title and find out how much you could make at Nintendo of America....Nintendo of America Salaries.Job TitleSalaryLawyer salaries - 1 salaries reported$190,589/yrCorporate Counsel salaries - 1 salaries reported$217,707/yr2 more rows

How much do entertainment lawyers make in New York?

While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $173,305 and as low as $22,486, the majority of Entertainment Lawyer salaries currently range between $49,907 (25th percentile) to $98,717 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $136,011 annually in New York.

How much do entertainment lawyers make in NYC?

The average salary for Entertainment Lawyer Jobs in New York is $160,500*.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What is entertainment lawyer?

Entertainment lawyers, as well as other types of lawyers, act as advocates and representatives of their clients in a courtroom setting, as advisors to their clients in a corporate or business setting, or both. 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.

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.

Can a lawyer sign a response to a document request?

Thus, a lawyer may indeed sign responses to document requests.

Is there a bad faith requirement for a lawyer?

There’s also no “bad faith” requirement, either. A lawyer can run into mandatory sanctions, without any safe harbor, for an inadequate investigation of their client’s documents. As recently explained by Magistrate Judge Terence P. Kemp in Brown v.

What are the responsibilities of a commercial lawyer?

Duties and Responsibilities of a Commercial Lawyer. Lawyers that have specialized in business law have responsibilities to commercial endeavors. This means that they are obligated to assisting with business transactions and ensuring that deals and arrangements are valid and legal. Many of these duties revolve around contract drafting ...

What is a commercial lawyer?

Commercial lawyers are those that deal with commercial and business legal matters. They assist heavily with transactions, documentation and paperwork, but they may also help in other company issues that require motions, actions and issues with the courts. When hiring a commercial lawyer, the person usually owns a business or is a manager of one.

What does a music lawyer do?

For superstar level clients, the Music Lawyer may also assist in licensing their image for merchandising purposes or handling the paperwork on sponsorship/endorsement deals. They may even get involved in non-business legal matters , such as prenuptial agreements or divorce settlements.

What do entertainment lawyers major in?

Many Entertainment Lawyers majored in Legal Studies or Music Industry Studies as undergraduates. A degree in Music Industry Studies or something similar can give the future Lawyer an understanding of the many areas of the music business before they hunker down and dive deep into the law at law school.

What is entertainment attorney?

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. They negotiate recording, merchandising, touring and publishing contracts, as well as Producer agreements.

Who do record labels work with?

They work with Recording Groups, Record Producers, Songwriters, Music Publishers, Record Label Executives, Music Producers, and Composers. They negotiate recording, merchandising, touring and publishing contracts, as well as Producer agreements.

What do people think of entertainment attorneys?

When most people think of Entertainment Attorneys they envision a flashy, high-powered office and an intense workload. While this is certainly the case at many big-name firms, other Attorneys find this type of corporate environment doesn’t sit well with their creative clients.

Do entertainment law firms have business hours?

Most entertainment law firms have set business hours, yet at the same time Attorneys have to be willing to put in the work whenever it’s necessary, whether that means studying contracts over the weekend or meeting clients for dinner. “I do stuff when I need to do stuff,” Moo says.

Is law school expensive?

Law school is very expensive and you have to consider this before getting into that much debt. Try to learn. There are lots of books and blogs out there, lots of ways to learn about the industry. There’s a great book called All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman.

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