Entertainment Law Degree?

Q: I have permission to submit my screenplay to a large production company but I don't have an entertainment lawyer. Any attorney suggestions? I'd like a flat rate fee, if possible. Any idea how much this would cost.

A:I can recommend entertainment lawyers in Austin and Dallas but not in Houston. Have you checked the Houston Yellow Pages and chatted with a few attorneys yet? Well -- when you say that you have permission -- do you mean that they said that you could submit through an attorney -- or did they just say that you should send it? If they just said "send it" -- then just send it to their attention and don't worry about the attorney. If, on the other hand, the attorney was a prerequisite for the submission -- you don't need to have an entertainment attorney in order to *submit* a screenplay. Any attorney with an office and some letterhead will be sufficient for this limited purpose only. So if you have a family attorney, or a friend who is an attorney -- whomever -- so long as they have an office and some letterhead, there will be no problem. It doesn't matter. Of course, were it to come down to any negotiation -- it would have be an attorney specializing in entertainment law -- but if you're only talking about submitting a screenplay -- don't worry about it. Also, if money is a problem, most states (can't speak specifically

for Texas, but you should check) have what's known as a Volunteer Counsel for the Arts in which lawyers provide inexpensive or free legal services for members of the Arts Community. You might want to check this out in your area to see if there is something along these lines in operation. Through a program like this you might be able to establish a relationship with an attorney who actually practiced entertainment law and who would be able to assist you not only in submissions but also in negotiations later, were it to come to that. I don't have an agent or manager so I just said I could submit it through an entertainment atty...but you have a good point.