Entertainment attorneys provide legal assistance to those in the entertainment industry, specializing in transactions and litigation. They must be well-versed in various legal fields and can work on contracts, talent agreements, labor negotiations, licensing, copyright protection, and more. Many attend law schools with specialized programs and work in entertainment hubs like Los Angeles and New York.
An entertainment attorney provides legal assistance to individuals or businesses involved in the entertainment industry, which includes television, film, radio, recording, theater, publishing, and digital media. While the different media are extremely diverse, entertainment law can be divided into two main areas: transactions and litigation. An entertainment attorney can specialize in several areas that fall into these broad categories. Some law schools cater specifically to would-be entertainment lawyers, and most people who choose this profession are located in specific media hubs.
Anyone who chooses to become an entertainment attorney typically needs to be well-versed in many legal fields due to the wide variety of potential issues and opportunities that the entertainment world presents. For example, lawyers representing an actor or musician often need to know the details of contracts, but they also need to know intellectual property laws to protect their clients. Lawyers representing film producers often need to have a basic understanding of distribution rights. Networks can turn to lawyers to help protect themselves from costly lawsuits. Anything tangentially connected to any medium could get the attention of an entertainment lawyer on any given day.
Of the two basic categories of entertainment law, transaction-based law generally requires a lawyer to focus on contracts. Lawyers in this capacity may be involved in crafting agreements for their clients, negotiating better deals, or ensuring agreements are properly enforced. Litigation-based law is for attorneys who specialize in defending their clients from lawsuits and filing and pursuing claims on behalf of their clients.
Within these two categories, there are a myriad of possible job descriptions for an entertainment attorney. Possible duties could include contracts and talent contracts; labor negotiations with union teams on television, cinema or theater; rental of equipment and spaces for performing arts; licensing and regulatory issues; copyright protection; and production liability concerns. The expansion of digital media has also opened up a host of potential entertainment law concerns.
Many entertainment attorneys choose law schools that have specialized programs dedicated to the field. Lawyers lucky enough to land a position in this highly competitive field often begin their careers as associates at large firms that focus on entertainment law. It may also be sensible for prospective entertainment lawyers to relocate to an area of the respective country that is highly involved in entertainment production. In the United States, for example, the majority of attorneys practicing entertainment law are concentrated in the Los Angeles and New York areas – the two cities responsible for the majority of film, television, music, theater and publishing productions in the country.
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