For those who wish to go into law, there are many specialties to choose from. There’s criminal law which includes prosecutors and defense attorneys. Corporate law is another specialty as is real estate and tax law. Law students can also go into family law, environmental, sports, and intellectual property law. Perhaps the most exciting is entertainment law. This involves representing people in the arts, movies, television, and also music. What does a music lawyer do? Here is some information.
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Educational Requirements
To become an attorney in any field, you must first earn a bachelor’s degree in any major. It’s recommended that those who plan to go to law school take philosophy, public speaking, English, history, and economics courses. After obtaining a bachelor’s the student must then attend a law school with an accreditation from the American Bar Association. Perhaps the most prestigious law school is Havard, which boasts alumni such as John Branca who has been called the number one music publishing attorney in the world. After earning a Juris Doctor degree, the student must pass the bar exam in the state in which they wish to work to become a licensed attorney.
What a Music Attorney Does
As a music attorney, your clients will be professional singers and musicians. Their level of success can vary from those just starting out to the superstars of the industry. You may one day find yourself representing music legends as John Branca Harvard whose clients have included The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson, The Eagles, and many other all-time greats. Some of the common tasks performed by a music attorney are negotiating the many different types of contracts in the business and advising clients on the law as it applies to them.
Obtaining Rights
One of the most important duties of a music attorney is helping major artists obtain the rights to their recording catalogs. Record companies tend to contractually award themselves those rights. Negotiations can be contentious and require all an attorney’s skills. John Branca Harvard has successfully won the catalog rights for many famous clients. The Bee Gees and Beach Boys were both able to secure those rights thanks to Branca. His most well-known work in this area was in aiding Michael Jackson in obtaining the rights to his entire master catalog.
Law can be a fascinating occupation. None more so than a music attorney. It takes education and hard work, but it can be a very satisfying way to make a living.
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