What to look for in a lawyer
With
Imogen HeapWhat to look for in a music lawyer, the questions to ask at a first meeting, and why your lawyer, accountant and manager should work as one team.
What's in the course
44 lessons (2h 11m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Building a Good Relationship with Your Lawyer
It's all about a good relationship. And we're not talking about being best friends with your lawyer; it's important that you have people around you who have your best interests at heart.
Understanding Your Needs
They should understand:
- Your career
- Your aspirations
- What you need from a business point of view
- What you need from a legal point of view
The Importance of a Professional Team
It's crucial to have a professional team around you. There should be some kind of joined-up thinking between:
- Accountants
- Lawyers
- Management
- Your label
Initial Questions to Consider
When choosing a lawyer, the initial questions to ask include:
- Can you get along with them?
- Do you feel you can trust them?
Exploring Expertise and Experience
Next, start asking about their expertise. While most lawyers are bound by confidentiality regarding their clients, it's still interesting to find out:
- Which clients they have
- If they represent new artists or heritage artists
- Whether they work mainly for the industry side or the talent side
This will help you get a feel for the person you're speaking to, their experience, and where their connections might lie, allowing them to give you legal advice in context.
Trust and Research
Ultimately, you've got to trust that if you're going to see a lawyer, and you've done your research on legal directories and websites, they can do their job.
Key Questions to Ask
It's also valuable to ask:
- What kinds of deals have they done recently?
- What types of projects have they been involved in?
44 lessons
2h 11m of structured video lessons
Advanced video features
Slow down, loop a passage, follow along
Mobile, tablet & desktop
Practise wherever you are
100% satisfaction guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee
Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Imogen Heap is a Grammy-winning English singer, songwriter, producer and technologist whose influence runs through two decades of pop, electronic and film music — and through much of the technology modern artists now take for granted.
Born in London in 1977 and classically trained on piano, cello and clarinet, she released her debut album 'iMegaphone' in 1998 before forming the duo Frou Frou with producer Guy Sigsworth, whose song 'Let Go' reached a global audience through the film Garden State. Her self-written, self-produced album 'Speak for Yourself' (2005) delivered 'Hide and Seek', the a cappella landmark that later powered Jason Derulo's chart-topping 'Whatcha Say' and Ariana Grande's 'Goodnight n Go', and continues to find new generations of listeners.
'Ellipse' (2009) won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical — recorded and engineered in her own home studio — and she went on to co-write and produce 'Clean' on Taylor Swift's Album of the Year-winning '1989'. She also composed the score for the stage play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'.
A relentless innovator, Heap developed the MI.MU gestural gloves — recognised with three honorary doctorates — and founded Mycelia and The Creative Passport, initiatives building a fairer data ecosystem for artists. In 2024 she returned with 'What Have You Done to Me?', created with her AI vocal alter ego Mogen, while a viral resurgence of 'Headlock' brought her music to millions of new fans.
