A day in my life as a lawyer for content creators

Today, a break from politics for a feature from my law firm blog! You can find the original post here: https://www.forcreatorsbycreators.co/free-resources/uocivazyn7ngaxzwvwxp4577g243wh

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When I graduated law school the term “creator economy” wasn’t even around. Short-form video hadn’t yet taken the world by storm and folks who were earning money from social media were mainly YouTubers. Fast forward & I’m now a lawyer specializing in representing content creators & influencers on platforms ranging from Tiktok to Instagram to YouTube to OnlyFans, helping advocate for them in various contexts ranging from brand deals to internet beef disputes to intellectual property issues. This is what a day in my life looks like as a lawyer for content creators.

Wake up, 930AM

Thankfully my clients don’t demand early-morning responses and rarely do I have fire drills so I take my time waking up in the morning. Still (and probably a leftover habit of Biglaw) I have a nasty habit of checking my email immediately on waking up just to see what lies ahead of me. After that, I’ll take a shower, grab my morning coffee, and get to work.

At desk by 10AM, client work begins

Every day is different in my role. Some days are flooded with brand deal reviews and transactional matters like incorporations or trademarking. Others are filled with back-to-back calls with clients. Some are spent at conferences the entire day networking. From 10AM to roughly 4PM each day I’ll work straight through on firm matters, save a 20 minute food & dog walking break. A typical roster of that work looks like this:

• 2-3 hours: A few clients have brand deal contracts ready for review. One is a $50k deal with a major food company. Another is a $8k deal with a non-profit organization getting out the vote. Then there’s a $25k skin care deal. I’ll review these deals and modify the terms so they’re more favorable for creators, including modifying terms like usage, compensation, intellectual property ownership, and capping liability. Rarely, I have to get abrasive with opposing parties that refuse to negotiate because “they never have to” - see the below thread as an example (the term in question would have placed unlimited financial liability on my client in the event any issues arose from the partnership. I sought to limit that liability.)

• 1-2 hours: Calls, either to walk a client or opposing party through changes to an agreement, advise a startup on recent investment activity, or pitch a new client on the firm’s work.

• 1 hour: Other creator legal work: drafting a cease & desist letter to someone defaming my client, sending a cease and desist letter to a brand that hasn’t paid my creator client, and putting together a trademark application

• <1 hour: Miscellaneous admin work like recording time, invoicing clients, making marketing updates, HR stuff, or emails.

4PM-10PM: Other work, exercise, life stuff

Around 4PM I’ll shift away from law firm work and to my other projects: writing my book, articles like this one, producing social media content, and especially this year - helping a candidate for Folsom City Council win her race. Of course I’ll make time to exercise (usually I hit the gym in the evening around 7PM) and time permitting I’ll game with my buddies (the latest focus is League of Legends, which I’m god awful at but is still entertaining). Always have to make time to take the doggies to the park and to eat dinner with Cat too.

To be clear, my legal work doesn’t stop at 4PM. Most days I’ll come back to firm work - be it reviewing contracts or taking a client consult - through the evening or into the night. Most of my work is non-time sensitive so I can afford to chip away at it sporadically when my schedule permits. Virtually all of it can be done remotely, and I’ll work on my firm from anywhere in the world as I travel. I do very little litigation, but the cases I have taken have allowed Zoom hearings & even those are rare.

Some days can be light on the legal side - 1-2 hours of client work or so. On those days I’ll spend time filming videos, putting together marketing materials for the firm, or doubling down on my other projects. 

When I dreamed of becoming a lawyer I was excited by the prospect of advocating for those without a voice. For fighting for those who need a champion. Unsurprisingly I didn’t find that fulfillment in Biglaw. I’m grateful now to represent clients who need effective advocacy and representation. Clients in whose lives I can make a real difference by fighting for. And pioneering a new genre of law - the creator world at large - is the icing on the cake.