Whats been going on...

Since last month, I decided to focus more of my time on researching key aspects of contracts and why they're important.Unfortunately, I have exhausted my resources from the Cal Poly library so I've been looking for different databases to offer more insight on the drafting a contracts. So far, I've learned that while drafting a contract is it  important to be clear when stating a position. This is largely because if someone is unsure of terms they're agreeing to, in most cases that person or company will spend the time and money to litigate the matter in court, and the less ambiguous the contract is the less likely it is to be brought up to court.

In addition to this, my mentor has also been allowing me to read up on some of the bigger deals he is currently working on and sending my examples of those contracts. This is what I'll be using in my final presentation as examples and maybe even my Lesson Plan on Monday. I have a few different samples my mentor has sent me, one of which I will be using as a template to write my contract on for my Independent component.

Hopefully I will be able to actually use one of the deals as an example at the end of the year to relate my topic to things people have seen in the media.

Blog 8 - Research and Working EQ

1. My working EQ is- What is the best way to negotiate a transaction?
2.  Possible answers to my EQ-  What is the best way to negotiate a transaction? can include

• Using negotiation tactics such as implementation or 3-D negotiation to come to a consensus  between the all parties.
• Drafting legal documents clearly so there is no room for misinterpretation by the entities involved in the transaction.
• Know exactly where the party you represent stands and do not accept any offers that would not be in the best interest of your client.

3.  There are multiple sources that  helped me answer my working EQ, but I feel the most important source I have used has been Rabin, Susan, and Christopher Q Pham's article named "Authorship Issues in Entertainment Contracts."   because if offered insight on concise authorship of contracts and some negotiation strategies. 

4.  My mentor is the head of the legal department for a digital media company  known as The Collective , Federico Blanco and I am doing my mentorship with him at The Collective. When i attend my mentorship I usually help Mr. Blanco with drafting some legal documents, this directly relates to my essential question because it is a very common question in that field, How do I negotiate terms that everyone can agree on and still represent my interests?  In my mentorship, I get to implement the strategies of contract writing and negotiation and actually see which work better in everyday transactions, which ultimately better answer my EQ. 

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. For my independent component I plan on attending several meetings with a team of lawyers including my mentor, to get the perspectives of  these experts in the legal field of  entertainment. Not only will I attend these meeting, I will also relate whatever I learn in the form of drafting a contract and explaining all the process that are associated with a contract such as a negotiation and other procedural requirements. 
 

2. I will display evidence of the completion of  my 30 hours by taking photos at each of the meetings . In addition, I will have a completed several drafts of a contract that will take me hours to properly write and draft. I will bring in the very first draft  a second working draft and a final draft of the document as evidence.

 3.  Through these actions, I will be able to better understand my topic in greater depth by actually offering more information and context in terms of the work and procedures or ideas most  lawyers learn through years of experience in a few conventions. Furthermore, writing a contract will allow me to really understand the importance of contract law ,negotiating, and other aspects of entertainment law and how those aspects are interconnected by getting hands-on exposure.