Finding a music lawyer in the UK?

May 8, 2006 7:57 AM

My band have been offered a contract from by a record company and want to get it checked out before we sign it. Basically I'm looking for personal recommendations of entertainment lawyers in the UK. I don't just want to pick one out of the yellow pages if I can avoid it.
posted by chrispy108 to Law & Government (7 answers total)

Best answer: The Law Society website has a search facility to find law firms that specialise in media/entertainment law. You won't find those types of firms advertising in the Yellow Pages, that's for sure. But a High Street firm won't turn you away, it'll just muddle through without really knowing what it's doing. So you're dead right to look for specialist advice.

IAAL, and I was at law school with Mark Stephens, of Finers Stephens Innocent, which is one of the UK's leading media law firms. Mark is pretty high profile, a bit of a rent-a-gob on the TV and radio, but his firm has a solid reputation and has represented lots of new artists who've subsequently had good careers. But I would say that any of the leading West End law firms which specialise in media law will do as good a job as any other in giving a contract the once-over.

Be ready to pay something like £300 an hour for a leading media law firm to look over a contract.
posted by essexjan at 8:30 AM on May 8, 2006

I have a friend who manages an up-and-coming UK band, and has been doing all the talks with lawyers bit recently. I'll find out from her who she's with, and post again.
posted by Lotto at 9:46 AM on May 8, 2006

Best answer: IAalsoAL and second EssexJan - it's worth going to a specialist and you can't go wrong with any of the west end media firms. Have a look at the list here for some ideas.

M-Law might be worth a look - they're niche creative/music lawyers. (Don't be put off by them acting for Avril Lavigne!) and I've heard that Lee & Thompson are good for artists.
posted by patricio at 10:01 AM on May 8, 2006

From looking at the Lee & Thompson website, I saw this guide to music contracts which, although it dates from 2000, might be useful reading.
posted by patricio at 10:13 AM on May 8, 2006

Mod note: a few comments removed, please take albini/negativland warnings to email or metatalk
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:50 PM on May 8, 2006

Best answer: All of these come highly recommended and specialise in music law.

Kieran Jay - Bray & Krais - 020 7384 3050
Mike Hall - Russells - 020 7439 8692
Richard Antwi - Magrath and Co - 020 7495 3003
all three of these 'up and coming' music lawyers, mostly indie stuff
Peter McGaughrin - Clintons - 020 7395 8386 - Peter works with lots of bands so is very experienced - has just been made a partner

Ideally a band will build a relationship with their lawyer from the first sniff of record company interest to the final lawsuit - so rather than looking at lawyers in a short term 'look at this deal' capacity, it's always useful to think that you will actually know this lawyer for years to come. Choose one that you like! Most of these lawyers are fairly indie/guitar based so if this isn't the kind of music they specialise in then ask for other names - they'll know what I don't.

Hope that helps out a bit
posted by Lotto at 2:46 PM on May 9, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for your help.

Just came back to this thread, in the end I got an hours free advice from the Musicians Union's Lawyer.

By the time I'd got that back (the contract was fine), I'd broken the band up because several of the members were in completey the wrong place.

Oh well, life goes on...
posted by chrispy108 at 3:53 PM on November 3, 2006