• Monday Mentors with Houston Entertainment Lawyer Erin Rodgers

  • Oct 11 2021
  • Length: 41 mins
  • Podcast

Monday Mentors with Houston Entertainment Lawyer Erin Rodgers

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  • Summary

  • Erin Rodgers, entertainment lawyer and shareholder at Rodgers Selvera, joins us on today's show! Erin talks about the ever changing entertainment industry, knowing your value, and the interest section on your resume.

    Her firm/practice

    Partnered with Sergio Selvera
    He had stopped practicing for a time to start a record label when he came to a CLE where she was speaking.
    She became his lawyer for a time, and then he decided he wanted to practice again and they decided to partner up
    Entertainment law
    Music/TV/Writers/etc.
    Non-profit
    IP / contractual
    She has a music degree and is still a performer, which has helped her build the practice through the relationships she has
    Houston is the 4th largest city in the country so there is a lot of art business
    Austin has a better marketing department for its arts scene
    But much of the work is federal and the communication can be done remotely, so geography doesn't tend to matter as much
    Being an artist helps her understand what clients are going through as new technologies/distribution/etc. issues come up
    Textbooks can't keep up with the changes in the industry
    Students can help you keep up!
    One record label friend says they are predominately marketing new music via Tik Tok and Fortnite
    Why not you? (when it comes to practicing entertainment law)
    Do something every day that moves you forward to the thing you want to do.
    Entertainment Law is an amalgam of things that already exist (copyright, entity formation, trademarks, etc.)
    Non-profit/entertainment/sports have quite a bit of overlap, and for the arts sometimes the entity itself should be a non-profit
    There is a new Copyright Royalty Board
    Essentially a small claims court/mediation for copyright, since so many "violations" go unchallenged due to the high cost of lawsuits
    Pros/cons: will make many more people/companies likely to be challenged for their work that takes from others
    A panel is supposed to make decisions

    Advice to lawyers in practice

    If you want to practice entertainment law, volunteering with the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts can provide great experience
    Show your sincere interest in the practice
    Don't make it more convenient / less costly in time for the lawyer/partner do just do it themselves as opposed to showing you how
    Know the value of the service that you offer
    If you aren't charging enough, some people/potential clients/referrers may assume you aren't good
    Understand the market
    Setting your rates can help you filter what type of clients you work with
    On Work/Life Balance
    Make the choice as early on as you can
    Prioritize certain things on top of your law practice, even if its small chunks of time
    Minimize the amount of work that isn't billable
    That we can do everything ourselves doesn't mean we should

    Advice to Lawyers On The Lateral Market

    Highlight specific experience that relates to the position, the industry
    Interests section matters!
    "want to work in a small office" not the best response to why do you want to work here. Maybe that could be the 4th/5th thing on the list, but certainly shouldn't be the first.
    Employers can tell when you are sending the same cover letter to every job/employer. Tailor your cover letters! She actually gave credit to those who voluntarily submitted a cover letter when it wasn't asked for.

    Rapid Fire Questions

    Name one trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate: think on your feet / adaptable
    What habit has been key to your success: work/life balance
    Favorite app/productivity tool: pen/paper list and random number generator
    What would be listed first on the interest line of your resume: playing music (clarinet, accordion, guitar, piano, vocals)
    Favorite legal movie: Legally Blonde / Lone Star Lawyers Movie Verdicts Episode

    Thanks again to Erin Rodgers for joining us on today's show!
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