Catherine James, Esq.-Entertainment Law Lawyer / Attorney in Los Angeles

This is where we build your foundation and protect you before problems arise. We work to ensure your deals are fair, your business structure is sound, your launches are protected, and your collaborations are clear. 

We handle the agreements that drive a creative career, including brand deals, influencer and sponsorship contracts, collaboration agreements, recording and publishing contracts, work‑for‑hire agreements, model releases, fashion and look‑book agreements, and production services agreements for film/TV, digital, and live events. We translate legalese into plain English so you can make informed, values‑aligned decisions.

We guide you through forming the right legal entity (LLC, S‑Corp, etc.) for your entertainment, fashion, or digital‑first business to protect your personal assets, formalize your operations, and position your company for long‑term growth.

We act as your trusted advisor, helping you navigate complex career decisions, launches and collaborations, evaluate opportunities, and build a sustainable business model around your creative work and personal brand.

We resolve many disputes without ever stepping into a courtroom through carefully crafted demand letters, cease‑and‑desist notices, and skilled settlement negotiations. Typical matters include contract breaches, non‑payment, exploitation, and IP/content theft in entertainment, fashion, and online/social‑media contexts.

Catherine James represents clients in mediation and arbitration to achieve favorable outcomes while minimizing cost, public exposure, and emotional stress. Our goal is to reach resolution in a way that protects both your career and your wellbeing. 

I handle copyright registration with the U.S. Copyright Office, advise on ownership and licensing, and enforce your rights through DMCA takedowns, platform and marketplace complaints, and other targeted enforcement actions against infringement. 

I protect your brand identity—your name, logo, and taglines—through trademark clearance searches, federal and state registration, and ongoing brand strategy to reduce the risk of confusion, impersonation, and counterfeiting. 

When a critical matter cannot be resolved through negotiation or mediation, we selectively pursue litigation in California courts. Our litigation docket is intentionally limited and focused on entertainment litigation, including workplace harassment and discrimination in creative environments, defamation and reputational harm, and right of publicity/likeness violations affecting creatives in entertainment, fashion, and digital media.