We have a strong track record for handling disputes over commissions between talent (e.g. writers, actors) on the one hand and talent agents and personal managers on the other hand. In the entertainment business, talent pays most professionals on a percentage (i.e. commission) basis. These disputes generally focus on the professional’s right to continue to commission revenue after the talent and professional stop working together where revenue continues to be generated from a project that was negotiated while they worked together. These disputes commonly arise where there is an oral contract but sometimes arise where there is a written contract.
The talent side that seeks to stop paying commissions may consist of:
- Writers
- Actors
- Directors
- Athletes
- Musicians
The professional side that seeks to keep receiving commissions may consist of:
- Talent agents
- Personal managers
- Transactional lawyers
- Business Managers
A dispute involving a personal manager may end up before the California Labor Commission if the talent alleges that the manager improperly procured work for the talent in violation of the California Talent Agency Act, and that may result in the manager having to relinquish not only the right to future commissions but the right to keep commissions already paid.
Our Results
We successfully represent actress and singer Jennifer Lopez in a dispute over commissions with her former personal manager.
What Judges Say
“I have served as a mediator in several cases in which Greg represented one of the parties. Regardless of the size of the case, Greg was a passionate advocate and aggressively pursued his best arguments and yet he did so in an engaging and disarming manner that made his advocacy even more effective. His mediation briefs were invariably well-reasoned, clear, and concise. Greg always put his clients’ interests first in terms of evaluating settlement proposals and explaining to clients the prospective legal fees to be incurred if the case did not settle.”
- Michael Latin, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, retired