Biography

Paul Menes, a well-known and respected entertainment lawyer, is special counsel with the firm’s Media, Entertainment & Sports Law and Intellectual Property Groups. He focuses his practice on advising entertainment and digital media clients in North America, Japan and Europe in entertainment business, technologies and related issues involving the music, mobile, wireless, online and video industries, as well as counseling North American television, radio, trademark and copyright clients. In addition to representing clients on requested matters, Mr. Menes was a pioneer in advocating and providing “business affairs” representation, advising and counseling clients as early as possible in their overall projects and business endeavors to assist them in reaching their desired goals in a cost-effective fashion, while identifying and avoiding problems and issues that could make accomplishing those goals less likely and more expensive. Mr. Menes’ practical experience on the creative side of the entertainment industries gives him a unique, “global” perspective on what it takes to bring an entertainment project to successful fruition and provide focused legal advice accordingly. For example, Mr. Menes served as co-producer on several long form live concert programs and assisted in the implementation of multi-million dollar, multimedia music-based projects, including an awards/concert series/television program/recording project in Japan and an annual United States network televised radio music awards program.

Mr. Menes has more than 25 years experience representing a variety of clients, including new and established artists and performers, entrepreneurs, startup entertainment and internet companies, multi-platinum recording artists and producers, multi-national companies, television and other content producers, post-production facilities, audio/visual equipment providers and licensing clients. Mr. Menes has represented many clients in the digital space since the late 1990’s, including the public company that claimed to be the number one mobile content distributor in the world.

In addition to his expertise in entertainment and digital law, Mr. Menes has practiced trademark/branding and copyright law for more than 20 years, representing both entertainment and non-entertainment clients in the formulation, registration, protection, management and licensing of intellectual property in digital and physical media. 

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Menes is a member of the California State Bar (Intellectual Property Division), National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, International Association of Entertainment Lawyers, California Lawyers for the Arts, National Association of Record Industry Professionals, Digital Coast Roundtable, and various other local and national bar and trade associations.

Mr. Menes is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, has been profiled in the last several editions of Who’s Who in American Law and has spoken at, been interviewed by or written for Entertainment Law and Finance, Associated Press, Bandwidth Conference, Digital Music News, Los Angeles Daily Journal, South by Southwest, Musexpo, California Copyright Conference, North American Contingency Association, California Lawyers for the Arts, the UCLA and USC Music Business Seminars, Los Angeles Women in Music, The International Association of Entertainment Lawyers and UCLA Extension, among others.

Publication Examples

• Author, “Preventing Idea Submissions From Being Stolen,” Los Angeles Lawyer magazine, 26th Annual Entertainment Law Issue, May 2010.  This article was recently chosen as “….one of the best law review articles published within the last year in the field of entertainment, publishing and the arts” and was selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of the Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook, published annually by Thomson Reuters (West).
• Author, “Time to Pay the Piper,” Los Angeles Daily Journal, April, 7, 2009.
• Author, “What’s In A Name – Why Branding Is Important No Matter What Size Your Business," Duval & Stachenfeld LLP’s The Plain & Simple, Summer 2009.
• Author, “Favored Nation:  Live Nation’s Expansion Into 360-Degree Deals with Artists,” Entertainment Law & Finance, June 2008.