what is a normal day for an entertainment lawyer

by Prof. Jermaine Wiza III 9 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.

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

Full Answer

What is a typical day like for a lawyer?

Your daily tasks will vary depending on your area of law. A typical day for most lawyers includes: Research. Lots of research. Lawyers carefully study the details of each case, look for precedents and take detailed notes. You may have a paralegal to assist you, but you’ll still be doing plenty of reading.

How long does it take to become an entertainment lawyer?

Like any other lawyer, an entertainment lawyer has spent three years earning a law degree after receiving a bachelor's degree. But an entertainment lawyer has chosen to specialize, probably graduating from a law school that offers a specialization in entertainment law.

Do entertainment lawyers charge a percentage of a client's salary?

If an attorney provides long-term representation and the client has a steady income, he may charge a percentage of earnings. Regardless of the billing method used, an entertainment lawyer and client should discuss all rates before signing an agreement.

What does an entertainment lawyer do?

Most entertainment attorneys also practice either transactional or litigation law. Transactional lawyers concentrate on contracts and agreements. They rarely see the inside of a courtroom, since their main duties involve drafting agreements for clients, negotiating business deals, and ensuring agreements are honored.

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What is the role of an 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 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.

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 is involved in entertainment law?

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.)

How hard is it to be an entertainment lawyer?

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.

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 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?

Top 10 Highest Paid Lawyer In The WorldErin Brockovich – Net Worth: $42 Million. ... John Branca – Net Worth: $50 Million. ... Robert Shapiro — Net Worth: $50 Million. ... Roy Black — Net Worth: $65 Million. ... Willie Gary — Net Worth: $100 Million. ... Joe Jamail Jr. ... Richard Scruggs — Net Worth: $1.7 Billion.More items...•

What should I study for entertainment law?

Bachelor's Degrees.Corrections.Criminal Justice.Criminology.Forensic Science.Homeland Security.Law Enforcement Administration.Legal Studies.More items...•

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.

How do I get a job in entertainment law?

My suggestion would be to make a list of top lawyers, law firms, media companies dealing with media and entertainment law. You can find their information online. Almost all of them have a careers page or contact details. Just get in touch with them and ask about their internship programme or hiring procedure and apply!

How much do entertainment lawyers make in Los Angeles?

The salaries of Entertainment Lawyers in Los Angeles, CA range from $10,055 to $187,200 , with a median salary of $20,503 . The middle 57% of Entertainment Lawyers makes between $20,514 and $59,659, with the top 86% making $187,200.

What is the typical day of a lawyer?

The activities in a typical day in the life of a lawyer are largely shaped by the area of law in which the individual focuses their practice. Attorneys practicing personal injury law or workers’ compensation will spend more of their time in courtrooms or at administrative hearings than lawyers who concentrate in business law or real property.

What does a lawyer do each day?

For personal injury and workers’ compensation lawyers, what an attorney does each day can change a person’s life through a settlement or verdict that provides the money needed to allow the person to recover from an accident and injury.

What is early morning in law?

Early morning in a law office is when the phones are not ringing, clients are not scheduled for appointments, and the other distractions that arise throughout the day are absent. This is when lawyers can catch up on reading and responding to emails and other forms of correspondence or, particularly for attorneys practicing in multi-attorney law ...

Why do lawyers work early in the morning?

Some attorneys use the early morning hours to focus on doing the legal research of the laws and case decisions that goes into the preparation of each case. This might also be the time the lawyer prepares motions, memorandums of law, pleadings, and other legal documents required for the cases on which they are working.

How many hours do lawyers work?

Bloomberg View reported that an attorney at a large law firm works anywhere from 50 to 60 hours a week on average. The long hours are the result of the obligations the practice of law imposes on an attorney.

How many hours of continuing education do you need to become a lawyer in Oregon?

For instance, members of the Oregon State Bar must complete 45 hours of continuing legal education every three years to retain the right to practice in the state.

What is the time spent in the office of an attorney?

On those days when an attorney is not heading out to court or to an appointment, the time in the office is spent seeing clients, preparing pleadings, reviewing correspondence that comes in, and attending to other matters that need to be completed as part of representing the firm’s clients.

What do entertainment lawyers need to know?

For example, lawyers representing an actor or musician usually need to know the ins and outs of contracts, but they also need to know intellectual property law, labor and employment basics, as well as rights of privacy, publicity, not to mention the occasional foray into corporate law. Entertainment lawyers are called on daily to analyze and solve problems of all kinds that arise in connection with their clients’ businesses.

What is transactional lawyer?

Transactional lawyers are usually involved in negotiating and drafting agreements, making deals, and making sure parties honor their obligations. On the other side of the fence, litigators are those lawyers who devote their attention to defending their clients against lawsuits, and pursuing court cases on their clients’ behalf.

What is a day in the life of a lawyer like?

An average day in the life of a lawyer can depend on the type of law they practice, where they work and what their experience level is. For established professionals, days can require long hours with lots of careful research and client meetings.

Daily job duties of a lawyer

While a lawyer's exact duties can depend heavily on the type of law they practice, here are some of a lawyer's typical daily job duties:

Lawyer salary

A lawyer's salary can depend on how much experience they have, their geographic location and the type of law they practice. In the United States, Lawyers can expect to make an average base salary of $73,544 per year. Many can expect to make more, however, especially if they work in fields like patent law, intellectual property law or corporate law.

Job requirements for lawyers

To become a lawyer, there are a few requirements you may have to meet, including:

Benefits of working as a lawyer

If you're considering a career as a lawyer, here are some benefits of the position that may appeal to you:

What is entertainment lawyer?

Entertainment lawyers are sometimes called on to evaluate financial plans, production budgets, business plans, and creative pitches. This experience can be valuable for moving from legal work to a business development or hybrid business/legal role, such as in the business affairs department of a studio or network.

What is entertainment transactional law?

Although entertainment law encompasses all of the sectors of the entertainment industry, entertainment transactional attorneys tend to focus on one or two entertainment sectors, as each sector has its own industry norms. For example, attorneys serving music industry clients often specialize in that sector. Similarly, other attorneys focus on ...

Do entertainment lawyers work at premieres?

They enjoy helping creators, financiers and distributors bring their projects to life and to an audience. Although entertainment lawyers may attend film premieres and entertainment awards shows, the day-to-day work is not nearly as glamorous.

What is a lawyer's routine?

A lawyer’s routine also includes research… lots and lots of research. You barely get to see any research time when you watch legal dramas on TV, what you usually see are “Eureka! moments” and although this may happen from time to time in real life, extensive research about the case, precedents, and statutes is what wins a case.

Why do lawyers have different answers?

Some may say that getting a favorable outcome for a case gives them a great sense of achievement. Some may say that it’s fulfilling because it’s a dynamic profession that requires a different set of skills every day.

Is there a typical day for a lawyer?

A lawyer’s day may not be as glamorous as the lawyers on TV, but it is not dull. Simply put, there is no “typical” day for a lawyer.

What time do you leave the courtroom?

The Judge buys your argument and enters a judgment on each file. By the time you leave the courtroom at 11:30 you can’t remember how much the judgment on each file is. 11:30 AM. Make copies of each judgment for your file and the file the original judgments signed by the Judge with the clerk.

How long does a judge listen to a client's story?

The Judge puts on his Judging face and appears to listen to her story for three minutes. After encouraging her to finish up, the Judge rules that under local rules of procedure a response has to be filed in writing two days before the hearing. The Judge rules in your client’s favor.

What does the man of the law courts do?

The man of the law courts — is always in a hurry when he is talking; he has to speak with one eye on the clock. Besides, he he can’t make his speeches on any subject he likes; he has his adversary standing over him, armed with compulsory powers and with the sworn statement, which is read out point by point as he proceeds, and must be kept to by the speaker.

Can a lawyer roam in a bush shirt?

A lawyer can not have the freedom to roam in bush shirt with top buttons off . Perforce, he has to be swathed in black, unmindful of the fact that mercury may be in the process of bubbling out from the glass tube. A good profession, overall. Quora User.

How long does it take to become an entertainment lawyer?

In order to become an entertainment lawyer, one must obtain both a bachelor and a juris doctor (JD) degree. This process usually takes seven years. Employers also usually prefer that their entertainment lawyers have at least two or three years of industry experience.

How much do entertainment lawyers make?

Entertainment lawyers made salaries closer to the industry average in Los Angeles and Dallas -- $87,000 and $82,000, respectively.

What is entertainment lawyer?

Entertainment lawyers advise clients on movie and recording contracts, review and approve all promotional and distribution agreements related to celebrities, protect material that is copyrighted, and help negotiate entertainers' fees and royalties with movie, television and music production companies. Anyone who wants to become an entertainment ...

What is the expected growth rate for entertainment lawyers?

Bureau of Labor Statistics. The predicted growth rate for all occupations is 14 percent.

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Breadth of Knowledge Required

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An entertainment lawyer must be well-versed in a variety of legal fields. With so many possible problems and opportunities that the entertainment world presents, it’s important for a lawyer to fully understand the breadth and scope of the deals he or she is working on. For example, lawyers representing an actor or musician usu…
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Transactional vs. Litigation

  • Transactional lawyers are usually involved in negotiating and drafting agreements, making deals, and making sure parties honor their obligations. On the other side of the fence, litigators are those lawyers who devote their attention to defending their clients against lawsuits, and pursuing court cases on their clients’ behalf. Entertainment lawyers are frequently called upon to work on talen…
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A Day in The Life

  • A typical transactional entertainment lawyer likely spends most of his or her day on the phone or in e-mail with clients, colleagues and adversaries, negotiating deal points, and making notes for later inclusion in contracts. In between calls and emails this lawyer will be reviewing written agreements, drafting contracts, preparing organizational d...
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Glamorous? Not Really.

  • Representing people and businesses in entertainment might seem a glamorous pursuit, but in reality, it’s a hard-edged business involving large sums of money and people with tremendous egos. Sure, we get to rub elbows with “the beautiful people”, but practicing entertainment law is a career marked by extreme stress, short deadlines, and numerous frustrations. It is, of course, als…
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