Entertainment lawyers negotiate, draft and approve contracts for their clients. They also assist their clients in managing other legal issues that may pop up over the course of their music careers, from the mundane, like purchasing real estate, to the more complex, like facing a criminal case. In this last instance, an entertainment lawyer will typically recommend a criminal attorney but remain closely involved in the case preparations.
Entertainment lawyers specialize in different fields in the entertainment industry. For our discussion, we will focus on entertainment lawyers who specialize in the music industry.
Entertainment lawyers that specialize in music handle a wide range of legal issues, depending on their clients' needs. Some of the jobs they may do include:
- Draft/negotiate record label contracts
- Draft/negotiate contracts for live performances
- Draft/negotiate contracts for managers, agents, promoters, studios and session musicians
- Draft/negotiate distribution contracts
- Draft/negotiate music publishing contracts
- Protect copyright/intellectual property rights - file lawsuits when needed
- Draft/negotiate contracts for music placement
In the music industry, entertainment lawyers may be on retainer for companies, like record labels, agencies and publishing companies, or they may work for individuals - musicians, managers, and so on. Although some entertainment lawyers work exclusively with, say, a particular major label, the vast majority of lawyers have clients that run gamut from individuals to music related businesses.
Sometimes, musicians face criminal legal problems in the course of their career. If a musician has an entertainment lawyer on retainer, the lawyer may be able to help with simple cases. However, entertainment lawyers will often recommend a criminal attorney and simply stay involved on the periphery.
Entertainment lawyers are paid by the hour, usually in the range of several hundred dollars per hour. The rate an entertainment lawyer can bill depends on their experience and whether they are self employed or work for a firm that has predetermined rates. Some attorneys may also get a percentage of any settlements they win for a client or any deal they negotiate.
Like all lawyers, entertainment lawyers have to go to law school and pass the Bar (in the US) before they can practice. During school, entertainment lawyers specialize in entertainment law and usually specialize further in a sub-field in entertainment law, like music.
After law school, entertainment lawyers may start their own practice or they may join a law firm to practice there.
Interested in learning about other music industry careers? Check out these articles:
