Item: Hrbek Law
Rating: 5
Author: Townes, Filmmaker.

Entertainment Law. As a creative professional, entertainment business owner or media entrepreneur who wants to focus on the creative and business development side of your company, selecting the right law firm is key. Hrbek Law has the experience and commitment to protect your interests as you expand your reach and develop new revenue streams for the creative work that you generate.

Deborah Hrbek has represented creative professionals for her entire career.

Are you in the business of film, television or podcast production and distribution?
Do you write or publish books and other literary works? Are you a ghostwriter? Do you work in online journalism, either as a publishing platform, editor or writer?
Do you produce a podcast, looking to license your brand and content, or to negotiate the best terms available from podcast platforms?
Are you a photographer working directly with clients? Are you negotiating with an agent?
Are you running an independent record label, an artist management company or an art gallery?
Are you creative professional who has been presented with a contract? Would you like to make sure you understand all of the implications of the agreement before you sign?

From publishers to filmmakers, from to venues and galleries, from podcasters to novelists and performers - and the creative professionals and businesses who distribute their work - we represent clients across the spectrum of the entertainment industry. Whether you need help negotiating licensing and merchandising opportunities, agency contracts, book-to-film or film-to-book deals, fine art and photography licensing and sales, podcaster, spokesperson or influencer agreements, sponsorship and endorsement deals, or creative collaboration between writers, producers or talent, Hrbek Law can help. Our breadth of experience in all areas of entertainment law makes Hrbek Law the right firm to help you maximize the value of content across all media, in the independent sector and beyond.

Media and Business Law. Hrbek Law can handle all the legal needs of your technology / media business, saving you the cost of an in-house general counsel. Services include entity formation, contracts, transactional work, investor documents, troubleshooting, out-of-court dispute resolution and other legal support. We can advise on due diligence and risk management processes to protect the growth of your business. Our business clients include a premier online arts publication, a major Brooklyn arts space for creators and events, and an online fantasy sports startup.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Law. It’s the dawn of a new age in information technology. Depending on your perspective, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can represent a threat or an opportunity. Consult with Hrbek Law on how to protect your work in an environment that is increasingly impacted by AI, and how to leverage the new technology to help you expand licensing and other opportunities to monetize your creative work. At Hrbek Law we stay on top of ever more frequent legislative and regulatory developments, such as the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and the hotly anticipated report on AI from the US Copyright Office. We keep an eye on the current case law and can help you navigate the new AI environment.

Anti-Money Laundering Due Diligence in the Art Industry. Technological advancement has changed the nature of art industry transactions. Long-distance sales and new customers can potentially expose your business to increased risk. Art sales are a primary target for money laundering because pricing is generally opaque, participants can be cloaked in secrecy, paintings are easily transported, and the art market is still largely unregulated in the United States. Hrbek Law will guide you through this dynamic legal landscape and the increased due diligence and Know Your Customer (KYC) needs of your growing business, whether you work at an art gallery, an auction house or as an advisor or consultant. Whether you are a gallery owner, an art dealer, an art advisor or fine art consultant, hire Hrbek Law to get the protection you need to keep you in compliance with EU and UK art market industry anti-money laundering regulations, stay on top of regulatory developments in the U.S., and reduce your risk of getting unwittingly drawn into an illegal transaction with a money launderer or sanctioned individual.

Mediation & Collaborative Law. Mediation and collaborative law can keep you out of the courtroom, saving you time, money and aggravation. At Hrbek Law, we handle business disputes to help you resolve conflicts and find an practical, amicable resolution so that you don’t have to litigate.

Activist Support. Hrbek Law has a long history of fighting for civil rights. From government surveillance to media censorship to attacks on journalists, we represent individuals and organizations that challenge and investigate powerful interests. We provide media law services to current and former WikiLeaks journalists and filmmakers.

Hrbek Law clients are successful and growing independent creative professionals and media companies who are working at the cutting edge of entertainment, media and technology. Hrbek Law is brought in so that the client can focus on the development of their business, their art, their passion - secure in the knowledge that they are protected.

Contact Hrbek Law now to schedule a consultation.

Media Law

Hrbek Law represents independent artists and media companies, including publishers, TV producers, podcasters, digital news publications, filmmakers, writers, photographers, animation companies and other content creators, painters, art galleries, independent record labels, app developers, literary and talent agents, marketing and brand developers and more. Regardless of the type of deal at issue, our New York entertainment attorneys work with you to ensure that your objectives are met in your agreements before you sign.

More often than not, standard form cookie-cutter contracts do not reflect your business model, professionalism and values. We understand that first impressions are important and your written agreements say a lot about your brand. Hrbek Law crafts contracts to make certain that they represent who you are and resonate well with the people you want to do business with. We negotiate and draft customized artist agreements, publishing contracts, partnership and collaboration agreements, development deals, master service agreements, endorsement and sponsorship deals, option agreements, attachment agreements, composer agreements, performer agreements, venue agreements, co-production deals, director agreements, NDAs, various types of releases, and sales agent agreements and more.

Keeping Ownership of Your Work. We will make sure you don't give away any more of your rights than are necessary to seal the deal.
Explaining the Terms of the Contract. We will review the written agreement with you line-by-line to ensure that you understand exactly what it says, and carefully consider the implications of the contract terms, before you sign.
Maximizing Your Creative Opportunities. We will suggest alternative contract terms that align with your career goals, especially as they relate to financial reward, exposure and creative control.
Protecting Your Creative Freedom. We will identify necessary revisions of the contract terms and draft appropriate additional language to meet your unique needs.
Negotiating the Best Deal. We will revise the terms with industry attorneys on your behalf, while you continue to focus on your craft.
Helping you Get Started in Realizing Your Creative Vision. We will advise you on the corporate entity that is the best fit for your business, we will form the LLC or corporation for you and prepare the corporate governance documents to meet your goals and address your concerns.
Protecting Your Business Relationships. We will create standard form contracts tailored to your needs for your agreements with other artists, partners, investors, vendors and industry professionals.

Business Law

At Hrbek Law, we serve as general counsel to technology companies, creative business professional companies, and other startups and small businesses. Retaining us to assist you as general counsel is a cost-effective approach for a small business. We handle corporate formation and maintenance, advise on company structure, handle entity formation, draft corporate resolutions, advise on compliance with rules of corporate governance, draft agreements and provide guidance and advice on matters of business law. We have experience representing clients on both sides of the deal. For example, when handling a software license agreement, the software company may be concerned about ownership of the source code, confidentiality, and making sure they get paid. The software purchaser may be concerned about the software meeting their actual business needs, virus protection, performance milestones and approval rights. Both parties will be concerned about a clear scope of work and clearly defined deliverables and timelines.

Mediation

Litigation can pose a significant threat to media companies, whether the litigation involves allegations of copyright infringement or libel. It is crucial to work with entertainment attorneys in New York who understand the law that applies in this niche. While Hrbek Law collaborates with litigators who specialize in intellectual property, First Amendment, defamation, and cutting-edge technology and contractual cases, we help our clients resolve disputes outside of court wherever possible.

There are various methods by which a dispute may be resolved. Litigation is one method. However, mediation and collaborative law provide alternative forms of dispute resolution that can save you time and money, and preserve greater cordiality than does litigation. Mediation and collaborative law proceedings can be used for arts industry-related disputes as well as family law disputes. Courts strongly favor mediation as a dispute resolution method. In mediation, a neutral third party, known as a mediator, tries to help the parties communicate and reach a solution that both parties find satisfactory. The mediator does not decide the dispute, but she facilitates communication that can help the parties reach an amicable resolution. Deborah Hrbek has considerable experience in mediating arts disputes, partner and other general business disputes and family disputes.

If there is a notable power imbalance between the parties, they may need separate representation. In that case, it may be appropriate to pursue a resolution through the collaborative law process. When using a collaborative law approach, our lawyer will work with you to resolve your dispute, but the opposing party must retain and work with a lawyer from another firm. Collaborative law helps the parties try to negotiate a settlement that is as favorable as possible to all parties.

Consult an Experienced Entertainment Lawyer in New York

Whether you are an artist concerned about licensing your work or a film studio that wants to preserve as many rights as possible in a film, you should consult Hrbek Law. Unlike many other firms in this area, we encourage innovation and experimentation with emerging business models. We maintain a high standard of integrity and foster transparency in business dealings. We represent clients in New York City and around the world when they are doing business in New York themselves, or working with a New York company. Call us at (212) 480-2400 or contact us via our online form.

★★★★★

"Deborah is smart, pragmatic and forthright" Townes, Filmmaker.

"Deborah has the unique ability to present an 'ask' in a way that is undeniably clear and justified. She has fundamentally changed the way I approach my valuation in the industry by removing the 'cringe factor' from discussions around compensation. She brings a charming touch of grace to negotiations representing my company's value and supporting its reputation while simultaneously securing fair and equitable compensation. Don, TV Producer / Showrunner.

"Deborah made a confusing and painful process understandable and linear. We could not have asked for a better lawyer." Podcast Production Team.

"Deborah makes reviewing legal documents so easy. I know she always has my best interests at heart. It's a pleasure working with her." Melissa, Executive Director of artist not-for-profit organization.

"Deborah is simply amazing. She is a master at protecting her clients. She will protect you and always have your back. I am so lucky to have found her." Warren, TV Series Writer & Creator.

Hrbek Law. Where Art and Business Meet.