Sports & Entertainment Legal Services

Protect your projects and career without slowing down momentum.
Legal counsel and transactional support for sports and entertainment professionals and businesses.

Sports & Entertainment Law

Create, facilitate, analyze, and negotiate strong contracts and deals with entertainment industry parties and projects.

When you take on a new project as a creator or an artist, it is essential to protect your interests and reputation. At Founders Legal® we provide a range of legal services to help you do just that. Our team of experienced entertainment law, transactional, and intellectual property attorneys has the insight and guidance you need to navigate the entertainment industry’s legal complexities confidently.

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Musician Attorney

Clients We Represent

From Hollywood to Broadway – Nashville to Atlanta, we work with a broad range of clients across the entertainment industry.

Film and Television Creators

Producers, Writers, Directors, Actors, Agencies, and Production Companies.

Music Labels and Musicians

Record Labels, Musicians, Songwriters, Music Producers, and Distributors.

Artists

Authors, Photographers, Social Media Influencers, Publishers, and Celebrity Chefs.

Athletes and Sports Teams

Collegiate and Professional Athletes, Sports Organizations, Franchises, and Clubs; and Corporate Sponsors.

Sports & Entertainment Legal Services

Entertainment law is a specialized area of law that deals with the legal aspects of the entertainment industry. The scope of these laws includes areas such as contract review and drafting, intellectual property, artistic freedom, and media law. Entertainment lawyers also deal with film production, television production, and publishing rights for authors and artists; athletes and sports teams; social media stars; celebrities; Broadway productions; music producers and songwriters.

We provide a wide range of services in our entertainment practice, from licensing agreements to general guidance on how best to protect your creative works. Our services are provided by experienced entertainment and transactional lawyers who can help you close your deals and get your project off the ground with a solid framework.

Are you seeking assistance in solidifying and closing your deals? Our experienced contract lawyers can provide an objective assessment of your deals, ensuring you are protected against any unforeseen contingencies. We work to ensure that all parties’ rights are fully accounted for and included in the contracts based on your needs and industry standards. We can also help you negotiate favorable terms to close better deals more efficiently.

Contracts We Regularly Work with:

  • On-Screen and Off-Screen Talent Agreements;
  • Crew Deals;
  • Materials Releases;
  • Appearance Releases;
  • Clearances;
  • Location Agreements;
  • Licenses;
  • Non-disclosure Agreements;
  • Literary Rights Option Acquisition Agreements;
  • Overall Deals and First Looks;
  • Endorsement Deals;
  • Distribution Agreements;
  • Contract Disputes;
  • Record Label Agreements.
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Need a Simple, Low-budget Solution?

If you are an up-and-coming filmmaker or producer with a limited budget, we have developed a low-budget contract package that includes the seven essential agreements a low-budget production needs to have. This package works well for organizations that do not require custom-made contracts nor need to speak with an attorney to clarify any specifics.

Contracts included:

  1. Location Agreement: Agreement to enter a property for film production.
  2. Talent Agreement: Agreement to use a performer’s image and voice in your film.
  3. Crew Agreement: Agreement on the work to be done by the crew and any rights (if any) crew members might have in the film.
  4. Confidentiality & Non-disclosure Agreement: Agreement regarding confidential information and how it will be treated.
  5. Materials Release: Agreement for third-party intellectual property used in the film, such as photos, artwork, audio, or visual clips.
  6. Appearance Release: Agreement for a person to be filmed and appear in your production.
  7. Area Release: Notice that informs businesses and individuals in the area of the film production taking place.
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We value your creative works and brands and can provide guidance on how best to protect them. We also advise you on the best strategy to maximize your brand’s value through intellectual property protection.

Our comprehensive set of intellectual property services includes:

  • Trademark registration: branding, performer names, organization names, logos;
  • Copyright registration: music, photography, fine art, books, plays;
  • Infringement claims and cease-and-desist letters;
  • Trade secrets;
  • Right of publicity.
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When it comes to licensing agreements for copyrightable works, such as books, songs, compositions, paintings, etc., our licensing attorneys ensure that you have secured your rights in a clear and easy-to-understand agreement. Licensing agreements are most common for authors, songwriters, artists, photographers, and social media influencers who license their works to others.

We draft the following agreements in compliance with industry standards:

  • The licensing period;
  • Reversion of rights;
  • Your audit rights;
  • Royalties/fees provisions;
  • Termination provisions (when the agreement ends).
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From setting up the governance structure of an entertainment company to day-to-day business, funding, and exit strategies, we can provide you with the necessary guidance and structure for managing and growing a successful entertainment business.

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Are you unsure of what type of legal services you need for your career, project, or entertainment business? We are happy to discuss the details and get you on track. Schedule a 1-hour consultation with our team to strategize a custom-tailored legal approach.

Do you need an agent or an entertainment attorney?
View our FAQs to learn the key difference.

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The Sports & Entertainment Legal Team

Work with a Team Specialized in Entertainment Law and Contract Law. When you work with Founders Legal, you will also have access to industry insight and legal advice for professional matters so you can keep moving forward with your career.

As a specialized corporate, intellectual property, and entertainment law firm, we aim to build long-term relationships with our clients. We strive to understand your entertainment career or business, your goals, and how best to protect you in the entertainment industry. We are committed to providing superior client service by ensuring that our services are efficient and deliver an ROI.

Our experienced team includes entertainment attorneys who have worked with top entertainment executives at HBO, NBCUniversal, and Lionsgate in their business and legal affairs offices in Los Angeles and New York City. Our transactional attorneys are well-knowledged in the complexities of contract law and are highly qualified to assist you with any of your drafting, review, or deal negotiation needs.

Protect your entertainment career and projects without slowing down your momentum. Request a consultation to get started.

Based in Atlanta, GA
Serving Clients Nationwide

Kennington Groff is an intellectual property, entertainment, and business attorney. Kennington’s practice focuses on brand strategy, trademark and copyright registration, maintenance and enforcement, general counsel assistance, and the entertainment industry.

Prior to joining Founder’s Legal, Kennington focused her practice on transactional and litigation involving intellectual property and business disputes at Lilenfeld PC. Prior to her work with Lilenfeld PC, she gained valuable experience working with top entertainment executives at HBO, NBCUniversal, and Lionsgate in their business and legal affairs offices in Los Angeles and New York City. In addition to her legal work, Kennington worked as a Clips Producer on Season 4 of Weather Gone Viral for The Weather Channel. Click Here to learn more…

Our Contracts and Intellectual Property Team

A. ED KHALILI

Attorney

ANDREI D. TSYGANKOV

Attorney

Billy Baucom

Attorney

DAVID PIERCE

Attorney

Elena Rogers

Junior Associate Attorney

Elizabeth Jones

Attorney

Elizabeth Weibush

Firm Administrator

Frances Beasley

Administrative Assistant

Jeffrey A. Bekiares

Attorney

Josh Slovin

Attorney

Kelsey Logan​

Paralegal

Kennington Groff

Attorney

Kevin T. Bastuba

Attorney

Melanie Lane

Attorney

Merri D. Brami

Paralegal

Tanvi Shah

Finance & HR

Yuri L. Eliezer

Attorney

Zach Eyster

Attorney

FAQs

Agents and Lawyers are not the same. An agent brings you the job or project, and an entertainment lawyer ensures that you are legally protected in the process.

A talent agent assists in finding and securing work for their clients, negotiating the terms of a contract, scheduling auditions, and booking projects. In contrast, entertainment lawyers help draft and negotiate deals and contracts on behalf of their clients and offer legal guidance on a broad range of issues occurring within their careers.

There are several factors that you may consider when selecting an Entertainment Lawyer.

  1. What type of legal services will the law firm provide for me? Are they experienced in my industry or with similar clients?
  2. Will they have someone who works directly on my account and have substantial support staff available to me?
  3. Do I like the team and their approach to my account? Are they professional and responsive?
  4. What is their strategy for solving my problem/solving my issues?
  5. Do they have the experience to help me achieve my goals?

Our entertainment attorneys can provide a full range of legal services for actors, writers, musicians/composers, directors, producers, and other professionals in the entertainment industry. In addition to our knowledgeable legal advice and counsel, we have access to industry expertise from our team.

The biggest mistake in entertainment contracts is not understanding what the contract says and how it could affect you or your business. Far too many entertainment professionals sign without reading or understanding what is in the contract. If you do not fully understand the agreement, you risk signing away your rights and giving up future opportunities.

We are a distributed law firm dedicated to assisting clients nationwide. We are well-versed in the entertainment industry and understand its value in Los Angeles, New York City, Tennessee, Atlanta, and across the country. We do not limit our geographic location; instead, our legal counsel is available nationwide through phone and email.

Founders Legal is a corporate, intellectual property, and entertainment law firm that includes experienced entertainment attorneys who have worked in Los Angeles and New York City with top entertainment companies and production companies. Our transactional attorneys are well-informed on the complexities of contract law and can assist with any drafting, review, or deal negotiation needs that you may have.

Requesting a consultation is the first step in beginning the process. You can call us directly or fill out our contact form by clicking here. We provide consultations to understand your goals and what you need from a legal perspective. Once we clearly understand your needs, we can provide you with an engagement letter that contains a scope of service, details of our retainers and fees, and steps needed to establish an attorney-client relationship.