About a Career as a Sports and Entertainment Lawyer

Sports and entertainment lawyers represent football players, movie stars and musicians in all aspects of their careers. Celebrities need lawyers to wade through dense contract language, negotiate endorsements and head off legal issues before they become public. This niche in the legal profession is becoming more prominent as celebrity exposure increases through the Internet. Law students interested in earning high salaries and learning more about the ins and outs of celebrity life can study sports and entertainment law.

Education

Law students can pursue degrees in sports and entertainment law through accredited law schools such as Marquette University, UCLA and the University of Southern California. These programs focus on contracts, entertainment law and ethical issues when dealing with public figures. As a law student gets closer to obtaining his degree, he should look to work as an intern with a sports agent or entertainment lawyer. An internship gives a new lawyer the experience to handle administrative burdens and office politics with poise once he enters the work force. Sports and entertainment lawyers should focus on passing the bar exam in states such as California and Florida, where clients are likely to reside.

Potential Clients

The client list for the average sports lawyer or entertainment attorney is a mixture of budding talents and veterans. A young lawyer needs to build his reputation by helping minor-league baseball players, indie bands and young actors who have not gotten a big payday. Sports and entertainment lawyers negotiate contracts, look at the fine print on endorsement deals and act on behalf of their clients in civil court cases. An experienced lawyer maintains a list of established and up-and-coming clients to create a sustainable business well into the future.

Benefits

After a sports and entertainment lawyer pays off his student loans, he can expect to earn upward of $75,000 a year by representing lower-tier clients. Young lawyers earn salaries and bonuses from their law firms as clients pay legal fees and commissions on their contracts. An attorney who wants to earn more than $150,000 a year needs to sign new musicians, actors and athletes. As new clients sign with a law firm, the firm's principals will reward successful attorneys to keep them from joining competitors. The best way for a sports and entertainment lawyer to increase his standing in the industry is through word of mouth. Movie stars and basketball players recommend their lawyers to fellow celebrities, which encourages a lawyer to work on his client's behalf for a better contract.

Issues Facing Athletes and Celebrities

The worlds of professional athletics and entertainment are fraught with complex legal problems. Musicians, directors and writers have to worry about copyright infringement every time they publish their works. Athletes have to worry about contract structures including guaranteed money, upfront bonuses and incentives as they work with their teams. Every celebrity is concerned about privacy rights as photographers, reporters and fans try to involve themselves in the lives of public figures. Sports and entertainment lawyers help their clients deal with these legal issues quickly, allowing celebrities to do their work without worrying about the finer details of the law.

Considerations

An entertainment lawyer has to think about the composition of his client list as well as the scope of his work as his career progresses. Attorneys take on as many clients as possible early in their careers to bring in new money and impress their bosses. As the years pass, a lawyer can either focus on a select group of high-profile clients or take a longer list of promising young talents. While some firms cover all aspects of sports and entertainment, an attorney may want to focus on a specific sport or entertainment category to distinguish himself from the competition. For example, a sports lawyer who focuses on the National Football League can provide undivided attention to his clients by staying tuned to league-specific legal issues.

Resources

• UCLA Entertainment Law Review
• Paul D. Supnik
• Sports Law Association