PAUL I. MENES

Paul I. Menes is an AV-rated (Preeminent) entertainment and digital media transactional lawyer who provides “Creative Solutions for Creative People” -- individuals and entities, from start-ups to award-winners, in the U.S. and internationally.

 

Why Paul? He’s much more than a legal advisor. He has a business mindset. He draws on his experience on the business and creative sides, as well as the legal side, of entertainment and media projects. This unique background gives Paul a deep empathy to his clients’ challenges, a great appreciation for the rigors of the creative process, and how the delicate balance between the business and creative sides needs to be accommodated for a deal/contract to be successful for the parties.

 

Paul deeply respects and loves the work of creative people, and is passionate about protecting them from the myriad issues that can derail their efforts. He thrives on helping creatives successfully navigate a fluid and increasingly complicated environment, helping them fully realize their endeavors, and maximize their ancillary opportunities (including by protecting, enforcing, and monetizing his clients’ IP). He works closely alongside his clients offering advice and strategizing with them.

 

Paul’s solution-based approaches focus on his clients’ overall, long term objectives, not just on the individual transactions or matters that form only a part of them. Paul also keeps his ear to the ground for new alliances and opportunities for his clients. 

 

Paul specializes in the representation of artists, writers, performers, and other creators, entrepreneurs, IP and other rights holders, those involved in content production, licensing, and distribution, in live events, and personal managers, executives, and talent agencies, across the TV, music, film, radio, and digital media spaces. 

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Paul’s digital media clients include social media influencers (Paul’s become known as The Influencer Lawyer®), those involved in the podcast space, in content, software, and app creation, and in online and mobile portals (for whom he vets and protects their content, handles their licensing, and drafts their Terms of Use and Privacy Policies), in both entertainment and non-entertainment endeavors. 

 

Representing clients across the entertainment and digital media spectrums gives Paul a 10,000-foot view and understanding of how all of a deal’s moving parts need to interact for it to be successful, and how to structure, write, and negotiate deals accordingly. As these industries rapidly and constantly evolve, so does Paul. He welcomes the uncertainty and challenges brought by his clients, continuing to expand his transactional capabilities to help his clients meet those challenges and stay on the leading edge of their fields. 

 

Paul’s contracts work. His clients benefit from his over fifteen years as a media and IP litigator, where he learned what can go wrong with contracts, and ways to prevent it. He’s never had a contract litigated that he wrote or extensively revised — except once. His client won. 

 

Paul speaks, writes, and is interviewed and quoted frequently. Examples include The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Law 360, Entrepreneur, L.A. Times, World XR Forum, Influencer Entrepreneur Forum, International Association of Entertainment Lawyers, Digital LA, MUSEXPO, and Associated Press.

 

Paul has one grown child, who works in live events promotion and marketing. His other passions include music, travel, and the amazing non-profit of which he’s a Board member, All It Takes.