Paul I. Menes - a Los Angeles, California (CA) Music Lawyer

Los Angeles Music Lawyer

Updated: 03/19/2026

Areas of Practice

Music
Television
Film
Radio & Podcasts
Content and App Creation
Content Production and Licensing
Brand Licensing
Online and Mobile Portals
Personal Managers and Agency Representation
Influencer Law
Influencer Representation
Branding and Endorsement Contracts
Copyrights, Trademarks, and Related Technologies

Attorney Information

Overview

Paul Menes is an AV-rated entertainment and digital media transactional lawyer who provides “Creative Law for Creative People” - individuals and entities, from start-ups to Grammy® and Oscar® winners, in the U.S. and internationally.

Why Paul?

He loves and respects creative people. They're unique. The world needs them and their talents. He’s passionate about providing guidance and protecting them and what they do from the myriad issues that can derail their efforts. He works closely with his clients to help them successfully navigate a fluid and increasingly complicated environment, and maximize their opportunities, so they’ll keep creating and be able to benefit from their hard work and unique skills. This includes protecting and enforcing their brands/trademarks and copyrights.

He has a business mindset and solution-based approach, focusing on his clients’ overall, long-term objectives, not just their individual components. Paul also keeps his ear to the ground for new alliances and opportunities for them.

He has experience on the business and creative sides, not just the legal side, of entertainment and media projects. This unique background gives Paul a deep empathy for his clients’ challenges, and how the delicate balance between the business and creative sides needs to be accommodated for a deal/contract to be successful for the parties.

His contracts work. He learned from his many years as a litigator what can go wrong with contracts, and ways to prevent it. He’s never had a contract litigated that he wrote or extensively revised — except once. His client won.

Paul represents many clients within the entertainment industry, including artists, writers, performers, entrepreneurs, and other creators. He also represents personal managers, agents, executives, and those involved in content production, licensing, distribution, and live events. His services span various entertainment spaces, such as TV, music, film, radio/podcasts, and digital media.

Paul’s digital media clients include social media influencers (Paul’s become known as The Influencer Lawyer®), and those in all manner of content creation and monetization, in both online and mobile environments.

Paul speaks, writes, and is quoted regularly. Some examples are Bloomberg, Entrepreneur, Associated Press, L.A. Times, International Association of Entertainment Lawyers, World VR Forum, and various bar and professional organizations.

REPRESENTATION THAT MATTERS

Successfully negotiated motion picture production deal on behalf of owner/licensor to remake iconic animated film and reimagine the underlying property. To do so, it was necessary to clean up and establish clear chain-of-title from decades of vague and conflicting grants.

Successfully negotiated for investor financing deals in multiple independent motion pictures.

Successfully negotiated contract between prominent beauty influencer client and major studio for planned branded consumer beauty products connected to tentpole movie.

Successfully negotiated early termination for two personal manager clients from their contracts with personal management companies, and negotiated their new contracts with their new management companies.

Successfully negotiated TV/streaming series production deal with major studio for iconic graphic comics series.

Successfully negotiated multi-million dollar contract for digital content creation client to provide original content and services for annual opening ceremony for major series of sporting events.

Awards and Honors

Honors

AV Preeminent, Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence, Legal Ability, and Ethical Standards, by Martindale-Hubbell.
Who's Who in American Law
Individual Award, Creative Lawyer of the Year in California, Corporate INTL Global Awards, 2017 - Present
Individual Award, Creative Lawyer of the Year in California, Global 100, 2017 - Present
Individual Award, Leaders in Intellectual Property Law, Acquisition International Global Excellence Awards, 2017 - Present

Education

Legal Education
- Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California
  Juris Doctorate
Non Legal Education
- University of California, Los Angeles, California
  Undergraduate

Current Employment Position(s)

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Of Counsel
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Languages

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English
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Pro Bono Activities

California Lawyers for the Arts, 1991 - Present
All It Takes, Board Member

Published Works

Articles

“Some Reality Show Stars Don’t Know Rights From Wrong…Or, Do They?”, September 27, 2017, The Recorder
“A Startup Will Stop If It Doesn’t Own Its IP”, January 2018 (Print Only), Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal
“New Top Level .music Domain Could Be Music to Industry’s Ears”, 2025
“Don’t Let Your Talent Get (Deep) Faked Out in a Contract”, 2025
“Can You Copyright Your Brand? Trademark Your Original Content? No – But You Can Protect Them”, 2024
“The Problem With (and Solution To) Filming In Public Space”, 2024
“Your Start-Up Will Stall If It Doesn’t Own Its IP”, 2024

Bar Admissions

California
U.S. District Court Central District of California

Other Affiliations

California State Bar (Intellectual Property Division) (Member)
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Member)
International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (Member)
California Lawyers for the Arts (Member)
National Association of Record Industry Professionals (Member)
Digital Coast Roundtable (Member)

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Contact

Los Angeles, CA

500 S. Grand Ave.
#2010
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Directions

Phones:

Fax: 213-624-7536

Email: Send a message

Website: https://www.rslateslaw.com

Credit Cards Accepted
Free Consultations

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Paul I. Menes - Los Angeles, CA