Are you looking for a top LA entertainment lawyer? There are many things to consider when identifying and hiring a top LA entertainment lawyer. First, it is best if the lawyer or law firm is located right in Los Angeles. The closer to the Hollywood action, the more experienced, generally, the lawyer, and so it is best if the lawyer is close to Hollywood. Second, check out the website of that top LA entertainment lawyer. Does it detail the lawyer’s experience? Does his or her biography include where he or she attended law school? Does it list the specific areas of entertainment law that the lawyer is skilled in or in which he or she practices? How about clients? Does the top LA entertainment lawyer you are researching list client names? Does he or she work with big studios or producers or more on the talent side? All of this is very important to consider when looking for a top LA entertainment lawyer.
What kind of entertainment lawyer do you need? Well, that depends on what kind of legal situation you are dealing with. There are various areas of the law that a top LA entertainment lawyer will specialize in. Let’s look at some of these practice areas:
- Copyright is when you are seeking to protect your creative work—whether it’s a screenplay, a script or a score. Copyrights are important because they ensure that your work is protected from copying. A top LA entertainment lawyer who specializes in copyright law will see to it that your work is properly licensed, will ensure that the licenses or registrations are enforced and handle any litigation that may come out of it. (For example, if your work does get copied, a top LA entertainment lawyer will sue for payment of that illegal use and/or seek to stop that illegal use.)
- Trademark is related to copyright but speaks more to designs, symbols, or words that identify you and your brand in the marketplace. It is important that you protect your brand, your name and your reputation legally and a top LA entertainment lawyer will counsel you as to what can and can not be trademarked and will also handle the filing of the requisite documents with the Patent and Trademark office to ensure that the trademark filing is done correctly and your brand is protected.
- Contract drafting, negotiating and advising. Contracts are critical parts of the Hollywood machine. Often the party who drafts the agreement or contract is the one with the more “perceived power” and those agreements are not always fair. They may not protect your interests in ways that you truly need protection and they may lean unfairly toward one party or include clauses unfavorable to you. A top LA entertainment lawyer who is a tough negotiator works as your advocate to get you the best, most fair contract and one with which you are comfortable. If you have a top LA entertainment lawyer on your side, you will not be taken advantage of by a Hollywood heavyweight.
Making it in Hollywood is difficult but if you do make it can be very rewarding financially and personally, but you cannot go it alone—you need the constant advice and counsel of a top entertainment lawyer in LA if you are going to survive and thrive in Tinseltown!