a management contract (the 2 came in separately). How much should I expect to pay an attorney to handle these matters in New York City and what do I need to know in terms of fees etc. when I first start working with a law firm as this will be my first time?
Thank you.
The traditional model of the law firm retainer requires you to pay some up front retainer or minimum fee against which hourly charges will be billed. Typical lawyer rates are abotu $200-$600 an hour. For a simple agreement, you probably do not want an attorney charging you at the high end of $600 an hour. Depending on the length of the agreement and the amount of negotiation involved, you may be able to negotiate a flat fee of $1,000 per agreement. This would be a respectable fee for an attorney and would not cost you a fortune. You will really want the assistance with negotiating the management agreement, as they can often be pretty one-sided and abusive (be prepared to walk away if they ask for too much). You definitely should have an exerienced entertainment lawyer to protect your interests with that agreement. Good luck.
Fees will vary from region to region as well as attorney to attorney (generally higher based on years of experience or sometimes arbitrarily higher). If you are paying the attorney based on hourly rates, you can expect to pay anywhere between $200-$800/hour. If you can find an attorney that will work on a contingency basis, those fees can vary greatly and will depend on the terms you agree upon with your attorney.
My suggestion is to develop and build a personal relation with the attorney rather the firm. Feel free to look around. As you will discover, attorneys are paid hourly or on a contingent basis. After you have spoken with at least three of them you can get you own idea and be more prepared to decide what it is better for you. I have several colleagues practicing Entertainment law. Feel free to contact my office. Best and good luck!
You will likely have to pay an upfront retainer and be billed hourly. In the alternative, some solo and small practice entertainment attorneys (but rarely latge firm) may be willing to represent you an negotiate your agreements on a contingency basis if there is guarenteed money and a likelihood of closing. This is determined by a risk-analysis exercise made by the individual attorney and everyone is different.
There are many great entertainment lawyers in NYC. Here are 4 to look up under the Find A Lawyer tab: Marc Jacobsen, Maurice Ross, Ivan Parron, and Oscar Michelin. They are all experienced and could do you a great job. They are all frequent contributors here, so I know they know their entertainment law.
