This form of legal representation is also known as media law. It refers to the legal services provided to the entertainment world.
This industry is affected by many areas of the legal system, which include litigation and transactional law. Entertainment law encompasses all the different factors that are relevant to this. It impacts not only the performers but also the production and creation aspects of the work in question.
According to the experts at diamondlaw.ca, a lawyer experienced in this field can help prevent entertainment-related legal issues and manage crises.
Yet, dealing with this industry’s legalities might not be as glamorous as it sounds, so let’s take a closer look.
Which Areas of the Legal System is Part of Entertainment Law?
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Entertainment law consists of various aspects of the legal system, which includes:
- Contract law – It involves negotiating and drafting binding commitments with your clients’ best interests in mind.
- Non-compete agreements – This prevents performers from working for the competition for an agreed-upon period after their employment ends.
- Litigation – This refers to dispute resolution within the industry resulting from contract disagreements.
- Employment and labor law – This involves total allowed working hours per week, fair hiring and dismissal practices, safety regulations, workers compensation, etc.
- Compliance Law – Many regulations oversee the entertainment and communications industries. Producers are compelled to comply with this, and it’s the attorney’s role to ensure that they do.
- Standards and practices – This refers to the lawful and ethical implications of a specific production. It’s the attorney’s role to identify and prevent situations that might subject the company to legal liability.
Specializing in Entertainment Law
This area of law has two subsets, transactional law and litigation. Although some lawyers do both, due to its complexity, most prefer to specialize in one area.
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Attorneys in this field can work as either:
- Private practice. – You’ll represent various individual clients and corporate entities.
- In-house counsel – Your employer is your one and only client.
Where Will You Find Entertainment Lawyers?
In the USA, these attorney’s are mostly situated in entertainment hotspots. This includes Los Angeles, New York City, and Nashville. The reason for this is that most production studios operate from these cities. Thus there’s plenty of work available.
However, this doesn’t mean that this type of law isn’t practiced outside of the central hub cities. Musicians, radio and tv talent, and many other entertainers that live across the United States also need representation. Typically, transactional and litigation attorneys will take on these clients. They are thus practicing entertainment law in a limited capacity.
You Must Have Good Communication Skills
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You can choose to either practice entertainment law in full, or in a litigation or transactional capacity. Regardless of your choice, it’s essential to have outstanding communication skills. It’s your responsibility to clarify things for your clients to understand the contract in full and to be aware of the consequences of their decisions.
Successful agreements rely heavily on mediation. There are often high stakes involved, so the attorney’s role is to negotiate on behalf of his client carefully. The same goes for litigation, should a dispute arise.
To Wrap Things Up
If you want to practice law and are serious about being involved with a creative or meaningful project, you should consider a career in entertainment law. To be successful, though, you need to have excellent communication skills and be willing to face the entertainment industry’s not-so-glam side.