Fractional General Counsel for Agencies & Studios
Agencies and talent studios operate at the intersection of creative rights, client contracts, and talent relationships — where legal gaps are expensive. We serve as your fractional GC, protecting your business on every front.
Do You Actually Need This?
Agencies face client disputes, talent claims, and IP gaps simultaneously — and usually without a lawyer.
Founder handling client disputes alone
Client disputes without legal infrastructure — unclear scope of work, missing change order clauses, or ambiguous IP assignments — can turn a difficult client relationship into a costly legal dispute.
Talent and client contracts unsigned or templated
Generic agency-client agreements and talent contracts leave IP ownership, payment triggers, and termination rights undefined — creating the ambiguity that feeds disputes and platform claims.
IP ownership unclear across client deliverables
Without clear work-for-hire clauses, your agency may be creating content that clients legally own — or retaining liability for content you've already been paid to transfer.
No legal review on platform or brand partnership deals
Platform partnership and brand deal agreements embed exclusivity clauses, content licensing grants, and approval rights that can constrain your agency's future work without your full awareness.
If your client and talent contracts are already airtight, let's make sure your dispute resolution process matches.
What You Get
- Ongoing Advisory
Agency Legal Strategy
We advise on client relationship structure, dispute resolution, talent management frameworks, and agency business development — available same-day when a client situation escalates.
- Contract Drafting & Review
Client, Talent & Platform Agreements
We draft and review agency-client master service agreements, talent representation agreements, platform partnership deals, and subcontractor agreements — closing the gaps before they become disputes.
- IP Ownership Structure
Work-for-Hire & Rights Clearance
We structure IP ownership across all agency deliverables — ensuring work-for-hire clauses are enforceable, rights are properly assigned, and third-party clearances are documented for every project.
- Dispute Prevention
Client & Talent Dispute Resolution
We provide pre-dispute guidance when client or talent relationships become difficult — reviewing your agreements, advising on your position, and helping you resolve disputes before they escalate to litigation.
Flat Fee. No Surprises.
- Recommended
Agency Retainer
From $3,000/momonthly flat fee, no billable hours- Up to 12 hours of legal advisory per month
- Contract drafting and review (up to 6 documents)
- IP ownership review for new client engagements
- Unlimited email Q&A on covered matters
- Pre-dispute guidance when client situations escalate
Agency Lite
From $1,800/mofor boutique agencies and independent studios- Up to 6 hours of legal advisory per month
- Contract review (up to 3 documents)
- Email Q&A on covered matters
Project-Based
From $1,500per engagement- One-off client contract or talent agreement review
- IP ownership audit for a single project or deliverable
- Defined scope, fixed fee
Your Questions Answered
The most common gaps are unclear IP ownership in client deliverables, missing or unenforceable work-for-hire clauses, undefined scope-of-work change order processes, and talent agreements that don't address social media rights or platform revenue.
Ownership depends on your written agreement. Without a proper work-for-hire clause or IP assignment, the agency may retain copyright by default — creating disputes when clients expect to own the deliverables they paid for.
Yes — we draft and review talent representation agreements, management contracts, and creator deal structures for agencies that represent talent or negotiate deals on their behalf.
Active disputes involving litigation or formal demand letters are handled as project engagements outside the monthly retainer. Retainer clients receive priority scheduling and reduced project rates for dispute matters.
Yes — we are licensed in California, Ontario, and Quebec, so agencies with clients or operations in both countries receive unified legal counsel from a single point of contact.
