If you’re a musician, producer, actor, or any other type of artist, you’re focused on the creative aspects of your job. You’re probably not familiar with the fine details of contract negotiation, intellectual property rights, or other tricky aspects of entertainment law. That’s why it’s important that you seek out professionals you trust to help you manage these aspects of your career. Your first instinct may be to rely on a manager or agent, but managers and agents are unlikely to have the legal expertise necessary to protect you and your career. You should consider utilizing the services of an entertainment lawyer. Here are four reasons you need an entertainment lawyer:
1. Protect Your Reputation
As you become more successful in your industry, you will inevitably be faced with situations that could harm your reputation. Entertainment lawyers are adept at managing controversy and can pursue legal challenges when your reputation is wrongly damaged. For example, an entertainment lawyer like John Branca has successfully defended clients against libelous and defamatory statements.
Entertainment lawyers can also help you best address the public when you’re unsure how to proceed. These experts often have extensive experience that provides them with insight on the best way to manage your reputation.
2. Defend Your Intellectual Property Rights
What you create – your intellectual property – is your bread and butter, and it’s essential that you thoroughly protect your intellectual property from being used in an unauthorized way. This entails properly obtaining copyrights and trademarks, as well as pursuing legal action against people or businesses who use your work without your permission. This can be an overwhelming and complicated endeavor for an artist to undertake, but an entertainment lawyer can handle this important process for you.
3. Provide Legal Expertise
Many of the functions of an entertainment lawyer overlap with those of a manager. However, it’s essential to understand that a manager is unlikely to have the legal expertise and experience that a lawyer will. For issues that have potential legal consequences, it’s best to seek the counsel of a legal expert.
4. Let You Concentrate on Your Work
Utilizing the services of an entertainment lawyer means that you can concentrate on the reason you got into your industry in the first place – your creative work. With a legal professional who understands the entertainment industry, you can feel confident that the legal aspects of your business are properly managed.
Whether you’re just starting out or already on your way to success, you should consider the benefits of hiring a professional to protect you and your work, letting you get back to pursuing your creative dream.
