I have already covered attorney personality and artists’ needs in choosing an attorney.  Another thing to consider may be whether the attorney has similar clients to your musical genre.

Similar Clients

One way to help an artist find an attorney is for the artist to consider an attorney that might already have clients similar in style and genre to your music.  If you are a hip-hop artist, you might want to go with an attorney that has other successful hip-hop clients.  If you are a metal band, try to meet with an attorney who handles work for several other successful metal bands.  This is not essential, but it is a good starting point for an artist who does not currently know any attorneys and wants to do some research on who he is interested in talking to further.  Also, an attorney with clients in your particular genre may also have existing relationships with important people within that “world,” which will be beneficial to your career.

Next time, I’ll talk about different attorney practice styles.

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Erin M. Jacobson is is an experienced deal negotiator and a seasoned advisor of intellectual property rights who protects artists, songwriters, music publishers, and other music professionals. Her clients include Grammy and Emmy Award winners, independent artists and companies, and distinguished legacy catalogues, as her knowledge of both classic music and current industry practices places her in a unique position to protect and revitalize older catalogues. She handles all types of music industry agreements, with an emphasis on music publishing. In addition to being named a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the Top Women Attorneys in Southern California, Ms. Jacobson is a frequent author and speaker, and has been featured in publications, including Billboard and Forbes. She also is on the Board of Directors for both the California Copyright Conference (CCC) and the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP).