Interview With Shanay Ball

I had the pleasure of having a sit down with entertainment lawyer from Philadelphia Shanay Ball.

Shanay has a background in pharmaceutical product development from West Chester University. She has a law degree with a concentration in Intellectual Property law from Drexel University. Shanay works for Johnson Matthey Inc. as associate counsel. She has been there for 3 years and primarily does contract, patent, trademark and licensing work. Her entertainment clients are private clients but the type of work she does includes: contracts, trademarks and licensing with the addition of copyright work. Shanay did not figure she would be practicing in entertainment law until she was in law school.

Checkout my interview with Shanay as we discuss various topics concerning entertainment law.

What made you want to get into entertainment law?

I love the entertainment business...I would have been an entertainer myself, except I didn't stick to my piano or voice lessons as a child. All jokes aside, my intellectual property classes got me through law school; they helped me to find an area of law I liked and could see myself practicing.

Explain your role and in what capacity do you assist entertainers/entertainment companies build their brands legally?

As pertains to entertainment, I primarily do contract, copyright and trademark work.

What are some important things that entertainers should be doing to make sure they are covering themselves legally?

Be wary of signing a contract given to you. More often than not, that contract will be in favor of the party who wrote it, not you. Also, know what you are signing. Don't be afraid to negotiate and don't be afraid to walk away. Lastly, be sure to legally protect what it yours.

What is the best part about practicing entertainment law?

There is a broad range of issues from contract drafting and negotiation, trademarks, copyrights, licensing, etc. Never a dull moment. 

What’s the worst part about practicing entertainment law?

It's difficult to come into a situation later or at the end and have to try to make the best out of a bad deal. 

Tell me some common mistakes entertainers make in regards to liabilities

1. Infringement of others' intellectual property

2. Breaching contracts - many violate the terms of their agreement because they do not know what is in the agreement they sign. 

At what point should an entertainer seek out an entertainment lawyer?

At the very beginning, especially before you negotiate and/or sign anything.

How important to you is social media in developing a legal career? Have social networks helped you in your career?

It is very important for visibility as a solo attorney or an attorney working for a firm. It is a good way to generate business. I haven't used social media much to promote my legal career - I work full time as in-house counsel for a corporation and the extra business I have outside of that keeps me beyond busy. If I ever decide to have my own firm, I would use social networking. 

What's some advice that you would give to anyone looking to break into the music entertainment industry?

Network and make connections. Like any other business, who you know can be very valuable. Also, make the investment to have an attorney involved early on in the process - it can save a lot of time and money in the future. It also makes sure you have someone with your best interests involved to get you the best results possible.