How to find an entertainment attorney

How to find an entertainment attorney:

• Ask other musicians, singers, songwriters, bands for referrals.
• Google local entertainment attorney
• Check your yellow pages
• Read the Music Industry Connection book series. You can find a list of Atlanta and Los Angeles entertainment attorneys in those books.
• Again, if you hire a local attorney, make sure that the attorney is familiar with nationwide trends in the music business and has relationships with people in cities where the music industry is prominent. This is again why I recommend the Music Industry Connection books series because it contains contact information for Los Angeles and Atlanta entertainment attorneys. If you purchase the book, let JaWar know I sent you!

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc
interviewed.blogspot.com
globalmusicbusiness.blogspot.com
musicpanels.blogspot.com
mobilemusicbusiness.blogspot.com
hitsamillion.ning.com

Tips on Selecting an Entertainment Attorney

As a songwriter or singer-songwriter, recording artist, producer, musician, garage band, and/or rock group, one of the people that you want to find when you are out networking is an entertainment attorney. An entertainment attorney should be an integral part of your plan to succeed in the music business. In my prior post, I discussed some of the benefits of hiring an entertainment attorney. Now, I want to help you decide on selecting and hiring as your entertainment attorney. To find the right entertainment attorney:

1. Ask for references!




2. Make sure that the attorney practices entertainment law. You should know that not every attorney knows and practices entertainment law.




3. Make sure that the attorney has experience with representing the type of role that you play in the industry. So for example, if you are a producer, make sure that the attorney has experience representing producers.




4. Caveat: don't discount using a young, enthusiastic but somewhat low profile attorneys since they may be more attentive to your needs than an entertainment attorney or firm who has a very long list of clients.




5. Personally, I would hire a separate entertainment attorney from your manager. In other words, you and your manager should not have the same attorney because if something wrong happens with your manager, your lawyer won't have a conflict of interest with representing you.




6. Stay away from attorneys who attempt to guarantee that you will get a deal or ones that seem only interested in your money.




7. If you hire a local attorney in a city or state where the music industry is not a prominent business, make sure that the local attorney is familiar with nationwide trends in the music business and has relationships with lots of people in cities where the music industry is prominent.

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC

Check out my other sites and blogs:
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc
interviewed.blogspot.com
globalmusicbusiness.blogspot.com
musicpanels.blogspot.com
mobilemusicbusiness.blogspot.com
hitsamillion.ning.com

Benefits to hiring an entertainment attorney/lawyer

I've done now a month's worth of blogging on how to network, where to network, provided some encouragement to those of you who are really just tired of networking. Well, as a songwriter or artist, one of the people that you should find and meet when you are out networking is an entertainment attorney. An entertainment attorney should be an integral part of your plan to succeed in the music business. Although I'm an attorney, I would recommend any songwriter or artist hire an attorney. (and this is not a self plug because I'm not currently taking clients). In later posts, I'll discuss what to do before hiring an entertainment attorney but for now, I want to help you see why I say there are benefits to retaining/hiring an entertainment attorney or attorneys:


1. Entertainment attorneys can help you properly set up your business.


2. An entertainment attorney can help you determine what type of corporation to set up which can possibly help you in terms of liability issues and tax purposes.


3. An entertainment attorney can help you draft contracts for hiring your manager, hiring a graphic artist, hiring musicians, hiring singers, etc.


4. An entertainment attorney can help you with understanding the contracts you are presented with as a songwriter and/or artist.


5. An entertainment attorney can help you understand what each proposed contract covers and what it does not.


6. An entertainment attorney can help you negotiate the terms of any contract.


7. Some entertainment attorneys help you shop your artist and/or song and help you look for record deals, endorsement deals, production deals, etc.


8. An entertainment attorney can also help you establish some business relationships or at the least, use their business relationships to help you.


9. An entertainment attorney can help with navigating the legal issues that arise in other industries you may not be familiar with, such as the film industry, TV, gaming, etc.


10. An entertainment attorney in a city where music is prominent has access to more music seminars, conferences, continuing legal education (or CLEs), music groups, or associations, music executives, etc. That means that attorney has more access to make and have business relationships with other industry professionals and it may mean that the attorney, if they are taking the CLE courses, is up to date on all the legal issues in the business.

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC

Check out my other sites and blogs:
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc
interviewed.blogspot.com
globalmusicbusiness.blogspot.com
musicpanels.blogspot.com
mobilemusicbusiness.blogspot.com
hitsamillion.ning.com