The Artful Jurist

Yeah, yeah...I know. It's the Internet, and rules take all the fun out of it. But, like any other well thought out venture, it's probably best to lay out a few ground rules at the start just so we all know what we can expect. Here then are the answers to a few likely questions this blog might raise for those who visit it:

Can I ask questions of the blog author?
Absolutely! In fact, it's encouraged. My hope is that people will write me with their questions about legal issues involving the arts or entertainment industry -- things that might be in the news or that they might have heard about somewhere. Or perhaps there's something about the law that you've seen on a TV show or in the movies, and you're curious about it. That would be a welcomed question, too. I’ll try to respond as best I can. I can't promise I'll always have an answer. But, if the question is something that could be of interest to others, I might write about it on the blog just to see if anyone else out there has any insights they might be willing to share.

Is this blog legal advice?
Absolutely NOT! Application of the law is extremely fact specific. For example, you're not allowed to go through a red light...unless you happen to be driving a fire engine at the time and you're racing to a three-alarm blaze. See how a small change to the facts can make a huge difference? That being the case, absolutely nothing on this blog can or should be taken as legal advice for anyone’s specific situation. The Artful Jurist’s sole purpose is to provide a forum for writings about general legal topics involving the arts and entertainment fields. If you have a legal issue that’s specific to you, personally, there simply is no substitute for consulting a lawyer as your professional legal counsel. Although I’m a lawyer, I’m not your lawyer just because you’re reading my blog.

Is this blog just for lawyers?
No. The goal of the author of this blog is to put things in plain English rather than “Legalese.” Before I became a lawyer, I used to be a journalist, and I have a lot of experience communicating all sorts of things to a general audience. I hope you’ll find the writing understandable and easy reading.

Can I post a comment on the blog?
Not directly. This is a blog, not a bulletin board. My hope is that people will view this blog as a place to find interesting or fun musings on legal topics concerning arts and entertainment. Outside user messages on Internet bulletin boards sometimes get off the main topic and, worse, are sometimes subject to abuse. I’m trying to avoid that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t write comments to the blog. Your feedback is welcome. What’s more, if you’d like to share what you’ve written with other blog visitors, just let me know that it’s okay to republish your comments on the blog, and I just might do that.

Can I ask questions about legal issues that aren’t related to the arts or entertainment fields?
You can ask. But, if they’re not related to the subject matter of this blog, what’s the point? I’ve chosen to create a law blog dedicated to arts and entertainment because, as a lawyer who’s also an artist, I’ve a special interest in this area. I can talk about other areas of the law as well. But questions regarding other legal matters are more properly directed to me through my practice at Amada Law Office rather than through this blog.

Yours most truly,
Rich Amada