Contract Review & Drafting
For all California creative business owners.
We'll start with an initial consultation to gain a clear insight to your business practices, clientele, and your specific issues. We’ll review your current contract to identify your currently legal position with existing clients. With contract drafting, a final contract will be prepared along with an annotated guide noting possible changes, important effects, and any applicable explanations. All contracts are drafted to be inclusive of all your needs, specific to your business practice—there is no need to buy clauses from template stores later. Your contract will be whole and complete for any given scenario.
One time initial consultation fee for all matters $75
Contract Drafting with Notes $600
Contract Drafting, without Notes (second contracts only) $500
Licensing Review and Drafting and Oral Debriefing $250
—Add ons—
Additional Clause (non-standard or change) +$100/clause
30 Minute Closing Consultation +$50/contract
Fusion Contract (Video & Photo combined) +$300
Commercial Contracts +$ 400 (includes license and IP Assignment agreements)
Business Strategy & "Quick" Legal Questions
For all California creative business owners
Often, legal issues can compete with business development. My holistic approach allows me to give you well rounded guidance about nominal legal risk versus an opportunity for business growth. This can range from questions about taking payment plans from clients and pricing, to the type of entity you should form. This personalized approach means your business practices will be consistent with your policies.
Also frequently, many business owners just have "small" or "quick" questions that need legal interpretation to decide how to handle a situation. These "quick" questions come frequently and still warrant proper legal interpretation. My flat rate fees allow you to confidently seek legal advice without worry of paying a large retainer fee for future consultations you may not need.
Phone $35/30 mins ($35 minimum fee & billed in increments of 30 minutes and each portion thereof.)
Written (email or similar) One issue, or up to two direct questions $75
LLC Formation
For all California creative business owners ready to separate their private and professional assets
Registering your business as a Limited Liability Company is one of a few important steps to protecting your personal assets from your professional obligations. An LLC can have a single member or several members. There are also different tax designations available to LLCs as well, and it’s advised that you consult with an accountant familiar with your business to elect the best option for you.
While many accountants offer LLC formation, you should understand that your Operating Agreement is the heart of the LLC protection and many accountants don’t offer this contract drafting. An Operating Agreement spells out your company’s business practices and policies, and it’s often essential for opening a bank account, and proving that your business is truly an LLC, and not a shell. The Operating Agreement is a contract between the members and should be specifically tailored to your business, so it’s really best to leave the contract drafting to an attorney and the tax selection to an accountant.
This service includes filing your Articles of Organization, your initial Statement of Information, drafting your Operating Agreement, helping you setup a registered agent if you need one, as well as getting an EIN for you if you’d like me to do it over your accountant. State required fees are not included, and must be paid directly to the State.
Single Member LLCs $1,200 - 1,450
Multi-Member LLCs $1,800 - 2,350
Commercial Contract Review & Negotiation
For all California creative business owners in B2B transactions
When you are a small business owner working in business-to-business transactions, being the artists and the negotiator can hinder your relationship with your client. You rarely have the leverage to provide your own contract to govern the agreement and often the boilerplate terms large companies provide seek to strip you of all your rights to your art while paying a fee more appropriate for a limited use license. Unless you have plenty of experience and confidently know your value, these negotiations can leave you feeling underpaid and undervalued.
Even if you have little to no possibility of modifying the contract, it’s wise to have an attorney review the contract and discuss the effect of the terms with you so that you can decide if the project is profitable or not. I understand that profit isn’t always about money, it can be an ongoing relationship, a prestigious client, or the chance to work in a new area. By knowing you and your business goals, and using my holistic approach, I consider all the angles so that you can make an informed decision. For an additional fee, I can step in at the outset and represent you in your negotiations, so you can concentrate on what you do best, being the artist.
Commercial Contract Review with oral debriefing $150
Commercial Contract Review and Represented Negotiation:
$400 for Contracts below $8,000
5% of Contract value above $8,000
Production
For production management of single shoots or events
From sourcing talent and locations to day-of coordination, through delivery of work, I can manage your commercial production shoot so that you can focus on being your most creative and professional self. As an impartial intermediary, I work to ensure that every member of the creative team and business client are satisfied. My services include contract negations and drafting between the different vendors, drafting terms of use for the resulting images to everyone involved with the shoot or event, obtaining model licenses for protected use, delivering final images and making payments to vendors via escrow.
Up to 6 hour shoot/event weekdays $900
Up to 6 hour shoot/event weekends $1,500
Adversarial Issues
For when things go bad, it’s always smart to have an attorney in your corner
Even the most diligent business owners run into legal problems. While it’s really best to get in touch with me at the first hint of trouble, especially with my convenient rates for “quick” legal questions, things can escalate fast or out of nowhere. While it’s tempting to DIY as much as you can, it’s wiser and likely more cost effective to have your issue professionally reviewed at the outset so that you don’t tie your hands behind your back with your options later. After a consultation, we’ll decide the best plan of action for you.