Question about Publishing Houses

[August_Bouvier]

Do the major ones have an in-house legal department, or is that unusual?

Do they typically farm out the legal stuff (contracts etc) to a law firm? Are there firms that specialize in that area--dealing with publishing? (Not sure if there's an appropriate name).

 

[Mitsouko]

Do the major ones have an in-house legal department, or is that unusual?

Do they typically farm out the legal stuff (contracts etc) to a law firm? Are there firms that specialize in that area--dealing with publishing? (Not sure if there's an appropriate name).

The one I worked for had a lawyers on staff as a firm on retainer. Specific things would be farmed out. Legal mainly used for contracts with authors and vendors. I don't remember particular law firms for for book publishing, but there was one for software and internet publishing.

 

[sr71plt]

Most major publishers have their own lawyers--more of them are on staff now than in earlier times, but only because there are fewer and fewer separate major publishers anymore--just a handful of mega companies with multiple publishing houses and imprints under one umbrella. These can afford to have lawyers on staff. Which is a good thing for them, because publishing law is a highly specialized field. You can't just walk into your family civil court lawyer--or even a corporate law attorney--and expect them to know much of anything about the legal problems publishers have to deal with. The closest fit would be an entertainment industry lawyer.

 

[August_Bouvier]

Going one step further

Thank you!

If a lawyer was in that field, say worked for a publishing house, because it's so specialized would they likely continue practicing in that field? If they were to branch out, would entrainment law (tv, movies or music) be a natural step to take?

 

[sr71plt]

They would likely be a lawyer in some larger field--probably corporate law--and only sideline in expertise a publishing house would need. Whether they went into entertainment law would probably be determined by happenstance and location (you'd get business in L.A.; not so much in Fairbanks).

I trained in international law--but in theory, not practice--but when I went to work for a news agency, I had to bone up on copyright law. I couldn't practice law, but I was the one who told them when they probably needed to bring a lawyer in--and what kind of lawyer--and even now I have publisher clients sending me "for instance" situations and asking if they need to spend money on a lawyer for a ruling/legal advice (for which they pay me $20 an hour instead of paying a lawyer $100 an hour for the same assessment).

 

[August_Bouvier]

Funny that you used 'happenstance'. I appreciate the detailed explaination.

On law firms. Is it more unusual for a lawyer to be associated with firm X and still provide counsel independant of the firm--say in another city--having 2 sources of income so to speak?

 

[sr71plt]

I haven't heard of lawyers in a firm being permitted to moonlight like that, no. Just my understanding though. Maybe there are lawyers in firms lurking around who can give a definitive answer to that.

 

[Noor]

Funny that you used 'happenstance'. I appreciate the detailed explaination.

On law firms. Is it more unusual for a lawyer to be associated with firm X and still provide counsel independant of the firm--say in another city--having 2 sources of income so to speak?

Most lawyers I know who work for law firms, can't moonlight and wouldn't have time even if they legally could do it.

I used to live with a lawyer who taught at a law school who moonlighted, it almost seemed expected.

Claus Von Bulow was represented by a Harvard law professor.

 

[August_Bouvier]

Is it uncommon for a lawyer to divide their worktime between home and the office, if they were working for a firm or in the legal dept of a corporation? For instance, working 3-4 days out of the office and 1-2 days from home. Or having stretches where they work strictly out of the office and short periods where the time is divived between work and home?

 

[Noor]

Is it uncommon for a lawyer to divide their worktime between home and the office, if they were working for a firm or in the legal dept of a corporation? For instance, working 3-4 days out of the office and 1-2 days from home. Or having stretches where they work strictly out of the office and short periods where the time is divived between work and home?

My favorite lawyer could work from home or at remote location much of the time, but his firm discourages it. That doesn't mean he doesn't bring work home when he is not living at the office. He works way more than 50 hrs/wk as do most of the lawyers I know except older partners after health scares then they seem to stick to right about 50.

I think corporate lawyers have a better life.

 

[August_Bouvier]

Thanks, Noor.