Day in the Life of an Entertainment Lawyer: 20 Tips for an Entertainment Lawyer
From discussions on the same over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, entertainment lawyers are hired by those in the entertainment industry to deal with creating or negotiating contracts as well as dealing with litigation, if necessary. If you have been considering exploring this career path and are wondering what a day in the life of an entertainment lawyer looks like, then wonder no more as this article has got you covered.
No typical day
As is the case with most lawyers, entertainment lawyers will tell you that there is no such thing as a typical day in the office. According to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, since every client is different, working in different sectors of the entertainment scene, and every case is different, then it is unlikely each day will be the same as the last.
Emails
One of the first things you will need to do as an entertainment lawyer when you get into the office is to check your emails to see if there is anything urgent that came up overnight. You will also need to check texts, voicemails, and social media for the same.
Creating a to-do list
Once you are done with your emails and other correspondence, the next step is to set an agenda for the day as per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Your emails will dictate part of this. This list should contain tasks arranged in a manner where the most urgent matters are prioritized.
Contracts
A typical day in the life of an entertainment lawyer might involve drafting and negotiating development and production contracts, such as writer agreements, talent agreements, and recording agreements. Contracts are a huge part of your responsibilities as an entertainment lawyer.
Distribution deals
In addition to drafting and negotiating contracts, an entertainment lawyer is also required to help their clients with distribution deals, which are important in the entertainment industry. You will, therefore, find that a portion of your day-to-day facilitating and negotiating distribution deals for an entertainment project.
Financing agreements
As the day continues, you will also likely find that you have to work on financing agreements for sponsorships, bank loans, co-production investments, grants, and other types of investments articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Form agreements
Another activity that will take up a bit of your time in the office as an entertainment lawyer is preparing form agreements for clients. These form agreements include appearance releases, location releases, and license agreements.
Review contracts
As already mentioned, contracts are a big part of an entertainment lawyer’s day as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. However, this isn’t restricted to drafting and negotiating contracts as you will also be responsible for reviewing contracts and other legal documents to analyze rights issues or other business or legal questions.
Projects not considered traditional legal work
The work of an entertainment lawyer involves legal concepts across multiple subject areas, including intellectual property, contracts, business associations, securities law, as well as labor and employment law. In addition to understanding the substantive areas of law, entertainment law attorneys help clients with projects that are not necessarily considered traditional legal work but have legal and business implications.
Phone calls
Depending on the project, an entertainment lawyer can spend a lot of time on the phone or email with clients and opposing counsel to work through contract and deal issues to solve problems related to production and other phases of an entertainment project.
Working with colleagues
As an entertainment lawyer, you will not only be working closely with clients but with colleagues as well throughout the day. As covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, junior associates generally work with senior associated or directly with partners.
Consulting with specialists
In addition to working with clients and other lawyers, law firm entertainment attorneys also consult with specialists within the firm, including labor and employment, trademark, and copyright attorneys, as well as entertainment practitioners, specialized in other industry sectors.
Those who work directly with clients
Some entertainment attorneys work directly with celebrity clients as their personal attorneys as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. If you are one of them, then your day will also involve working closely with the celebrity’s team of business and legal advisers, including agents, managers, and attorneys.
Variety
If you are an entertainment lawyer who works at a law firm, then practice can be quite varied, with clients simultaneously at all stages of development, production, and distribution of entertainment projects. If you are an in-house attorney, however, your work will be more specialized which means less variety in your work.
Keeping up with trends
In your day-to-day as an entertainment lawyer, you must set aside time to read up on the latest developments in your area of work. New issues often come up even for routine matters when it comes to entertainment law, including new technology, and you have to ensure you stay on top of these developments.
The pace of your day depends on your case
The pace of your day as an entertainment lawyer is largely deal-driven as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Long-lead projects can proceed at a more leisurely pace while short-term projects proceed at a very fast pace.
Pressure from clients
Throughout the day, you will have to handle the pressure imposed upon you by clients. In entertainment law, you will find that expectations are high because clients are not only very passionate about a project but also because their money and reputations are at risk.
Glamor
One of the main misconceptions out there is that the life of an entertainment lawyer is glamorous since they work closely with celebrities. However, while entertainment lawyers may attend film premiers and entertainment awards shows, the day-to-day work is not nearly as glamorous as outlined at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Research
As is the case for most lawyers, the day-to-day life of an entertainment layer involves a lot of research. If you have a case on your hands, you need to conduct thorough research, pouring through the law to come up with a line of attack.
Meetings
The day of an entertainment lawyer is filled with meetings, especially litigation meetings. Most entertainment lawyers will do their best to avoid court at all costs, however, if push comes to shove, they have no issue escalating the case.
As always, if you are looking for more on this and other related topics, then look no further than the excellent RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.