Okay, so yesterday, I needed to find a good entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, and let me tell you, it was a journey. I’m not famous or anything, but I’ve been working on this screenplay, and I feel like it’s finally time to get some legal advice before I start sending it out to studios and all that.
First thing I did was hit up Google. I just typed in “kelly entertainment attorney los angeles” and, man, a ton of stuff popped up. It was overwhelming! There were so many law firms and individual lawyers claiming they were the best. I spent a good hour just clicking through different websites, trying to get a feel for who these people were.
Narrowing Down the Options
After that initial search, I started to look for things that were important to me. I wanted someone who had experience with contract negotiations, obviously, because that’s a big part of what I need help with. Also, I figured it would be good if they had worked with screenwriters before, not just big-shot movie stars.
- Experience with contracts: This was a must-have.
- Familiarity with screenwriters: I wanted someone who understood the needs of someone like me.
- Good reviews: I checked out what other people were saying about them online.
I made a list of a few lawyers who seemed like they might be a good fit. Then I started digging deeper. I looked for any articles they had written or any interviews they had done. I wanted to see if they sounded like they knew what they were talking about and if they seemed like someone I could trust.
Making Some Calls
Next up, I started calling around. This was a little nerve-wracking, but everyone I spoke to was actually pretty nice. I explained my situation, asked about their experience, and got a feel for their fees. Some places were way out of my budget, but a couple seemed reasonable.
I ended up scheduling consultations with two different lawyers. They were both free to meet, which was great. One consultation was over the phone, and the other was in person at their office in downtown LA. I felt way more prepared after doing all this research and talking to their assistants on the phone.
The Consultations
Both consultations went really well. The lawyers were both super knowledgeable and answered all my questions. They gave me some great advice on how to protect my work and what to expect during the negotiation process.
After the consultations, I felt like I had a much better understanding of the whole legal side of things. It was definitely worth the effort to find the right lawyer. Now I’m in the process of deciding which one to hire, and I’m feeling pretty confident about it.
So, yeah, that’s my story of finding an entertainment lawyer. It was a bit of a process, but I learned a lot, and now I feel much more prepared to take the next steps with my screenplay. Wish me luck!
