Molly Shehan: The Art of Entertainment Law
Molly Shehan is an expert at navigating the legal waters of the entertainment industry. She sat down with Authority Magazine to share some of her wisdom.
Thank you for joining us! Tell us how you got started in entertainment law.
I grew up exposed to musicians and I played music in school. I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to be a part of the support system that helped artists. In middle school I had an “ah ha” moment when I discovered there were lawyers who focused solely on working with artists and entertainers.
As a result, I attended Belmont University to study Music Business and see if my inclinations towards being an entertainment attorney were accurate. I interned for an entertainment law firm and participated in every “copyright” and “legal” activity possible during college — which solidified that being an attorney within the entertainment industry fit my natural skill set and interests.
I also interned for the Music City Music Council, an initiative of the Nashville Mayor’s Office, and built relationship with many leaders in the Nashville entertainment industry.
It made sense for me to stay in Nashville and attend Belmont University College of Law and utilize the relationships that I had made while in college. I was a part of Belmont College of Law’s first graduating class and received a certificate in entertainment law.
During law school, I interned for Congressman Jim Cooper in Washington, DC and when I returned to Nashville, I was fortunate to secure an internship with Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley, a top entertainment law firm in Nashville. This internship turned into an associate position and speed up about 5 years, I am now a partner at Milom Horsnell Crow Kelley Beckett Shehan.
What kind of clients does MHCKBS service? What kind of cases do you take on?
We are a boutique entertainment law firm that focuses on transactional legal representation of artists and creative individuals and businesses. We work with different types of clients within the entertainment industry, including, artists, producers, non-profit organizations, small record labels, distribution companies, publishers and managers.
We invest in our client’s careers and focus on being a long-term team member that helps navigate the entertainment industry. We assist with both strategic planning and execution of various transactions. For example, we regularly assist clients with forming entities, drafting creative service agreements, negotiating and entering record agreements, publishing agreement, and name and likeness releases, handling new media and technological issues, and managing copyright and trademark portfolios.
What are some challenges in the entertainment law industry?
Technology moves significantly faster than the legal framework that surrounds it. As a result, applying legal concepts and legislative policies that were developed before certain technologies were even contemplated — will always create challenges in the entertainment law realm. However, the music industry has made great strides with the passing of the Music Modernization Act and I am excited to see the results of it.
Another challenge is finding the correct balance between consumer privacy and behavioral marketing and monitoring. With the introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are seeing the legal world catch up — but as consumers welcome new technology and entertainment into their homes and life experiences — handling data properly will become a challenge.
What advice do you have for young lawyers looking to get into the field?
My biggest pieces of advice are to show up and build meaningful relationships.
Many of the opportunities I have had have been a result of building relationships with mentors who have championed for me.
Practically, I think this takes the form of going to entertainment conferences, volunteering with your local bar associations and a volunteer lawyers for the arts program.
