Who has an Entertainment Lawyer?

[YeahWrite]

Does anybody here have an entertainment attorney? If so, how do you have your relationship structured?

Do you pay them hourly or do they take a percentage of your money like a talent rep?

If they do take a percentage (probably 5%) of your money, is that 5% of deals or contracts they have personally negotiated or is it 5% of everything?

If you are paying them hourly, how do they bill you? Is it one of those things we every time they think about you you're billed?

Is it better and more cost effective to pay them hourly or a percentage?

[Otis]

my writing partner and I have a fee agreement with our attorney of 5% of everything entertainment related (which is defined in our engagement letter with him and can be terminated at any time).

[MrPembridge]

But haven't made a cent, so I haven't needed him to put a reversal clause or go over the T & C's of a sale.

Mine, and it's my impression that MOST in L.A. are like this, really don't have a whole lot of input or direction until there's something on the table, in which case their job is to get you the best deal possible.

However, it's the agents / manager / your job to get the deal in the first place, so they probably won't do a whole lot except slip a script or two around (in conjunction with your reps) and talk you up at parties.

Just my impression.

[YeahWrite]

Otis - So then the upside is that if you have any legal questions or concerns you can turn to your lawyer without having to pull out your wallet until you have a sale. They get paid when you get paid.

MrPembridge - Being talked up at parties is not too shabby. You have the same type of percentage agreement as Otis?

[DUCPHO]

My current attorney works on a per deal fee basis. His main bread and butter, however, are sports figures and Country Western singers... but he's a good attorney and has served my interests well!

He is not based in either New York or L.A., but at one time practiced in L.A.!

[Otis]

Our attorney was proactive from the beginning. He set up meetings with agents, talked us up around town, etc.

He is consulted by our agent and managers before a spec goes out and he adds any contacts, talent, etc that his firm can bring.

Now we're making him money but he was doing this before we made him anything.

[YeahWrite]

Ducpho - Sounds like Davis Dixon.

Otis & All - How did you find your attorney? What made you go with that one? What are some good things to ask them when trying to make the decision?

[Otis]

We were referred by a friend of his. That got our script read by him and then he responded to it and asked us to come in.

His firm has a big reputation so there wasn't a lot of research or asking around about him or the firm. We went in there expecting to have to sell ourselves and he ended up giving us a pitch on why we should be with him and his firm. So he answered any questions that we would have had without us asking.