Hi, does anyone know a good lawyer who specializes in independent film legal issues who charges a flat fee for different jobs? There are lawyers who charge by the hour and those who charge a flat fee for something like reviewing a distribution contract. Lawyers who charge by the hour tend to run up the hours on you. I need some certainty in what I'll pay. Thanks in advance
Looking for lawyer who charges a flat fee to review contracts
- Thread starter hamphouse
- Start date
My atty charges by the page for contract review, but he does not specialize in film. However, he handled my photography stuff, so he's familiar with the issues. He's not based in MA, though, and laws could be different there.
Send me a PM if you want his info. He can work remotely if you send him a Word or ODT file.
Send me a PM if you want his info. He can work remotely if you send him a Word or ODT file.
Lawyers are licensed by state. So you are probably better off looking for a lawyer locally than posting on a national website. The guy above from Albuquerque is probably not licensed in Massachusetts. Just a warning there...
Right, I thought that was clear.
Certainly some things will be common (otherwise, how can EULAs for worldwide use be written), but local attys are the way to go unless you have no other options.
Not having an atty from your state will not invalidate your contract in any way -- it's still a legal document -- but there may be local considerations and case law that changes interpretations of common wordings.
A standard contract review should be a flat fee. Where are you located?
We have an attorney in MA for our independent film. We have a flat fee deal, to set everything up, handle all the SAG, production stuff, etc.
I just called a bunch of entertainment attorneys from Boston to New York, (we got names from references from other filmmakers and also through listings online) until we found the right skills at a price we could afford.
You'll start to see a pretty standard rate structure emerging. But you can always tell them your budget and see what they can do within that budget. That's what we did.
Best of luck!
I just called a bunch of entertainment attorneys from Boston to New York, (we got names from references from other filmmakers and also through listings online) until we found the right skills at a price we could afford.
You'll start to see a pretty standard rate structure emerging. But you can always tell them your budget and see what they can do within that budget. That's what we did.
Best of luck!