Contracts

Protect your work with trustworthy agreements written specifically for artists and creative businesses.

Custom contracts for all kinds of creative projects.

Creatives are often negotiating with organizations that have legal teams, complicated contracts, and bargaining power. We level that playing field, empowering creatives to establish fair terms in negotiations with multinational corporations, universities, production companies, galleries, and private foundations.

We help clients with a range of contracts for the lifecycle of a creative project. Too often, negotiations revolve around form contracts and how things have always been done. Many agreements simply weren’t drafted with artists in mind. An organization might ask an artist to sign the same independent contractor agreement that it also gives to its plumber or electrician, with terms that don’t apply to creative services. Whether we represent the artist or the institution, we tailor agreements to fit the transaction.

With our background in both the art and business worlds, we are able to communicate effectively with artists for a smooth negotiation process. No matter what side of the table we are on, we are practical and collaborative negotiators, always thinking several steps ahead to protect clients for the future and give them a transparent process.

Some of the contracts we frequently handle include:

Public art commission agreements
Private commission agreements
Consignment agreements
Exhibition agreements
Intellectual property licensing agreements
Master services agreements
Representation agreements

Our clients appreciate that we are respectful and creative negotiators who anticipate potential challenges and opportunities. We have years of experience in the art world, not only on the legal and business side, but also teaching art law and art history and curating and directing galleries and museums. With our insider knowledge, we help clients strategically negotiate the many terms that go into art contracts like exhibition, commission, acquisition, licensing, employee and independent contractor agreements, and more.

Contract Negotiation

Contract Review

Artists commonly are handed – or emailed – form contracts to sign and return. Most of the time, it’s not as simple as it initially seems. These contracts are often one-size-fits-all forms that companies give everyone from the muralist to the caterer. We review contracts, identify red flags and must-haves, and propose proactive solutions. We help clients tailor agreements to meet the specific needs of creators, and, when necessary, communicate with organizations on the other side about solutions to potential issues.

Custom Contract Templates

Creatives have unique needs that can easily be overlooked using one-size-fits-all contracts from a legal template website. We consult directly with our clients and create custom templates for their most common transactions. We work with established and up-and-coming creatives who need an extra layer of protection as they grow their businesses.

Our process includes an in-depth discussion about our clients’ frequent contracts – like licensing, services agreements, sales agreements, and employee agreements. We then prepare customized, replicable agreement templates. We also teach our clients how to use these agreements for recurring transactions.

Some of the templates we frequently prepare include:

Independent contractor agreements
Employment agreements
Non-disclosure agreements
Professional services agreements
Affiliate/referral agreements
Design licensing agreements

In addition to the agreements mentioned on this page, we frequently draft and negotiate other agreements throughout the creative lifecycle. We will discuss the scope with potential clients during our initial consultation—see Our Process.

If you need standardized form contract templates for frequent transactions, see our sister site Implement Tools.

Absolutely. Many of our client relationships begin with reviewing someone else’s work! A new client often realizes it’s time to find the right lawyer when they receive an inscrutable contract - and a deadline to sign.
When clients have repeatable business transactions - for example, issuing copyright permissions to museums or enrolling psychotherapy therapy clients - we are happy to prepare custom templates for reuse without further alteration. We teach clients how to use, send out, and collect signatures on these agreements.
Sure can! We regularly review correspondence to see if an informal agreement turned into a more formal situation along the way.
No. In fact, it will likely increase your legal fees, as we will have to rewrite a bunch of inapplicable clauses. The worst disputes we’ve ever seen have resulted from vague contracts downloaded from the internet.

FAQs

Confidence to Grow.

“I've worked with Katherine for years, and send all of my favorite clients to Implement Legal. The confidence that I have in my contracts, terms, and other legal documents makes it easy for me to secure high-value projects and to pursue business growth without fear.”

Sarah Chappell | Think Piece