Tips You Should Know About:

Entertainment Law:

• 50/50 Vozpublishing deals are commong in the music industry
• An exclusive recording agreement is a personal services agreement in CA and can only last for 7 years
• Agents in CA must be registered
• Record labels must pay an annual minimum guaranteed amount to enjoin an artist from jumping
  ship
• Studios and producers rarely purchase scripts outright but purchase options instead

Business Law:

• Oral contracts are enforceable
• Confusing or ambiguous contracts will construed against the drafter
• A contract that states that the venue and governing law will be in another state means that your
  contract will be litigated in that state – this can be problematic
• If you do business in CA but are not registered in CA your business could be subject to significant
  fines in the event your company is involved in litigation
• LLCs, Corporations, Partnerships, DBA’s can all make a difference in terms of taxes and liabilities

Personal Injury Law:

• For most personal injury cases you have two years to file a suit in California or your rights are lost
  forever
• In medical malpractice cases you only have one year to file suit in California
• $250,000 is the most that can be awarded for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases in CA
• In slip and fall cases the owner or operator of the premises must know about the dangerous
  condition before the case is actionable
• If you are not able to use your vehicle due to an accident you may also be entitled to monies from
  the loss of use of your automobile

Employment Law:

• Exempt employees cannot perform manual labor more than 50% of the time or the law will deem them non-exempt
• Overtime pay in CA is calculated on a daily basis not a weekly basis.
• Employees in CA are entitled to a 10 rest break after 4 hours of work and a half hour lunch after 5 hours of work
• Employers in CA must provide a paycheck stub which complies with the CA Labor Code or they could be fined $100 for each violation
• Claims for sexual harassment and discrimination must be first filed with the DFEH or EEOC
• Wage and hour claims in CA must be filed within 3 years or 4 years in a claim for Unfair Competition is alleged.