Musical artists, celebrities, and people who live in the spotlight often work with entertainment lawyers like John Branca to help protect their assets and reputations. What specialized skills do these lawyers have, and why are they so important for artists and entertainers?

One reason is that entertainment lawyers know their way around defamation cases. Terms like “defamation” and “libel” can have slippery meanings and sometimes make for a difficult court case for public figures.

On a basic level, defamation refers to written or spoken statements about a person that are harmful and untrue. In a defamation case, the victim must prove that the damaging claims made were untrue.

However, public figures like celebrities and musicians must go a step further to win such a case. When a public figure takes on a defamation case, that person must disprove the accusation and show that the accusation was made with “actual malice.”

In other words, the victim has to show that the person who made defamatory claims knew that those claims were false, or did not verify whether or not they were true before sharing them.

John Branca and other expert lawyers have a deep understanding of this legal process. In an interview at UCLA, John Branca explained how his client Michael Jackson took on and won a defamation case when he was still living:

Professional knowlege about the legalities of defamation is invaluable to any high-profile victim of defamation. This can be relevant even when an artist is deceased, as in the case of Michael Jackson, because the artist’s estate and legacy may be affected by defamatory claims.

A second reason that entertainment lawyers are a big help to famous individuals is that they understand copyright law and contracts.

Any artist who has a long career and a vast body of work likely needs to make sure his or her art, which is intellectual property, isn’t stolen or used by other people for profit without permission.

Entertainment lawyers specialize in these matters and help famous creators put protections in place to make sure their art stays their own.

Entertainment lawyers also assist when an artist enters a contract that has stipulations about what work the artist must do and what the compensation will be. Such contracts can be long, complex, and difficult to read, so having a professional eye on them is a good idea.

If the terms of a contract are violated, such as if an artist is underpaid or mistreated according to the contract, entertainment lawyers can be relied upon to identify the violation and take effective legal action, ensuring that their client is treated fairly.

Musicians and celebrities are dedicated to their creative work, and can’t always be legal experts on top of that. Relying on a skilled entertainment lawyer helps artists defend themselves against defamatory claims made against them, contract violations and underpayment, and everything in between. Hiring someone to help with the great number of issues that can arise in a famous person’s career is a common and sensible move.