LEGALLY BLONDE Do You Need a Legal Advocate?
By, Jessica Sitomer
When Elle Woods, a beautiful, blonde sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to follow him to law school to get him back. With determination, Elle gets into Harvard, fights for her guy, herself, and learns she has more legal savvy than she ever imagined.
Elle has a lot in common with Jessica Eaves Mathews; they’re beautiful, smart, determined, and legally savvy. Why am I introducing you to “the other Jessica” (as we playfully call each other)? Because I get a lot of legal questions from industry professionals and not everyone can afford an attorney.
Here are 3 legal subjects you should be aware of as a working professional in the entertainment industry to protect yourself, your work, and your money:
1. Should you create a legal entity? “A separate and formal legal entity can protect your personal assets. It can also signal to the world that you are to be taken seriously in business, so Elle and Jessica would tell you to get that entity in place asap!”- Jessica Eaves Mathews
2. Is it important to copyright and/or trademark your work? “This is really critical for entertainment industry professionals, especially copyrighting your artistic creations (you can copyright anything from a treatment, to a script, to a video, to a photograph, to a musical score and beyond). Copyrights are automatic when you create something original, but you have to take steps to have full copyright protection under the law. Skipping those steps will give you little recourse in the future if someone tries to use your ideas without your permission. And a trademark will give you the ability to protect your brand, whether it be your production company name, band name, film franchise or products associated with your name.”- Jessica Eaves Mathews
3. What is a Non-disclosure agreement? “A NDA is a great way to protect information that someone would only get when you let them “behind the curtain” in your business and personal life. Make sure you get one in place with anyone you share confidential information with about you or your business.”- Jessica Eaves Mathews
Elle was fighting for blondes everywhere, Jessica is fighting for your “brilliant business”.
And Action!
1. Sign up for “Beacons of Brilliance,” Jessica’s FREE television series, where you will learn from the masters How to Become Brilliant at Your Business. Get in early so you can find out about all of the affordable legal help you can get BEFORE you need it.
2. Make a list of all of the situations when you’ve been asked to sign a contract or wanted to create a contract to protect yourself. (If you can’t think of any, you are playing with fire).
Elle could’ve let her life “happen around her,” but she decided to take massive action to protect what was valuable to her. Protect yourself and what you’ve worked so hard for by having a solid legal foundation.
