I know I had a slight rough go of it when I waslooking for representation for my website. I consult at a law firm and asked the lawyers there if they'd take the case, and they declined since they didn't want a "defends pornographers" label to be attached to them -- and my site is about as unpornographic as you can get! (iafd.com)

So, when you figure out what way you want your career to go, think of the upside -- hanging with porn people and bailing them out of jams -- and decide whether or not that is really an upside. :-)

I realize that "someone has to do it, so why not me" but just be aware than porn carries a stigma with it, whether your in-front of the camera or not.

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I'm told that most of the work is contract law though and many people find that boring. You probably won't be hanging out with the cuties either (and if you did, you'd find out how willing the BAR association would be to take away your license whereas in mainstream stuff they'd look the other way most of the time). Just a thought, Don

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Although most studios don't have an "in-house" lawyer, many of them keep a lawyer on retainer. This lawyer might do research work for them discreetly, in addition to his other more conservative jobs.

I guess some people don't consider selling advice as intimiately involved as selling services.

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I was afraid about the retainer situation. I think retainer agreements are good for law firms or already well established lawyers. But for new fish like me, I will be needing a steady flow of income right after law school. I was hoping to earn this income doing something that interest me...or at least something that doesn't conflict with my morals.

I'm not too worried about labeling myself as a defender of porn though. I've always gone against the grain. I know it might seem short sighted.

By the way, I enjoy all the facets of contract law :) THanks for the nice wishes regarding the bar exam. Trust me I have been sweating it since last year. I'll be taking it this July...and I am accepting all prayers :)

Edited by - 403forbidden on Jan 24 2001

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And actually, all the concern about whether you are stigmatized as an "adult entertainment" counselor is completely unfounded. A good attorney is a good attorney, and the subject matter of your practice won't matter at all in the eyes of other prospective employers, unless they practice in an entirely different area unrelated to your experience. There are criminal defense attorneys who are hired by big firms, even though defending crooks is often seen as being undesirable by the public.

It is NOT the subject matter or issues of your practice which will make you marketable in the future...it is your experience and accomplishments in that field which is what counts. Just because a prison doctor might work with or operate on mass murderers does not mean he is "evil" by association.

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At Extreme Video (before Extreme Associates), we kept an attorney on retainer.
He was very helpful with legal advice, but if we had ever had to go into court, he let us know ahead of time that he would not be able to represent us because the law firm he worked for wouldn't allow it.

I doubt if all firms are like that. I was just warning that if he's not sure that he's not going to want a comfortable job at a top firm later, it might not be worth being too open in the beginning.

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My guy will offer advice, but will not take me on as a client (and he was in my wedding party!) because he knows that there's is some sort of stigma attached -- and I don't have much to do with porno, besides maintaining a database, and I needed him to do some contract work regarding licensing agreements.

He politely declined explaining that he has some political ties and might be exploiting them at some point in the future and if it came out that he helped broker a deal between a "pornographers" his opposition would hang him out to dry.

I can understand it. I mean if we weren't worried about the stigma ourselves, we'd all be using our real names. ;-)

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Oh, I am sure that some firms would choose not to represent the adult industry. Perhaps they want to avoid any association with the "dirty movies," or maybe it's due to company policy. It all depends on what the firm's practice is, and how their reputation is perceived in the legal business community.

But what I was referring to is the situation where an attorney's prior work experience in dealing with issues in the adult industry (First Amendment matters, for example), would not be a hindrance to getting a job with another firm. I mean, if an attorney were to land a case of Constitutional importance like the Larry Flynt case (which also affected tort law), that attorney could probably write his own ticket as far as his legal career goes. That's what I meant by it depends on the attorney's reputation than on the subject matter of the cases he or she has worked on.

But I do agree that it isn't a good idea for a brand new attorney to go around saying, "I hope to someday represent the producers of TRUE ANAL STORIES #87 on an obscenity issue someday!" There are ways of conveying one's overall interest to work in porn with kinder, more gentler terms (I tell my far less liberal friends that I write reviews for DVDs of a "special niche genre," thereby, avoiding a lot of personal grief in my life).

But just so you know, 403forbidden, there are many top litigators who have represented on cases that you, I and the general public may find morally reprehensible, but their success and proven skills as attorneys have gotten them into well-respected firms like PM&S, GD&C, O&M among others. Just do the research.

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Here are a few legal observations based on 8 years owning an adult business:

The most common legal issue involving the adult industry is zoning. Virtually every community in the US has ordinances regulating when, where and how adult businesses can operate. In most areas of the country it is impossible to open an adult business (adult bookstore, strip club etc.) without expert legal advice.

Few if any adult video companies have in house attorneys although I’m not sure about Playboy, Hustler and Penthouse. However, there is a small group of laywers that focus specifically in this area and most of the companies use one of these specialists. In AVN each month there is a legal column and the same lawyers are constantly mentioned.

I completely agree with Diesel that an attorney’s career will not be stigmatized by working with “adult clients”. A lawyer’s skill and ability are far more important than who his previous clients were. One of the most respected First Amendment attorneys in the US, Louis Sirkin, frequently defends adult companies. Have the legal careers of Johnny Cochran, Alan Dershowitz and Barry Scheck been tainted because they defended OJ Simpson?

Althoug some law firms may decline an adult industry client, they are the exception not the rule. We have used a number of different attorneys including some from large national firms and there has never been any question if they would accept our business. In fact several have mentioned that this type of work is enjoyable for them because it breaks up the monotony of their usual work.

Tricia & Adult FAQ- I can’t imagine hiring an attorney that wouldn’t eagerly defend my rights in court.

403forbidden- my advice to you would be to think carefully about why you want to enter this area. In my dealings with some of the leading industry attorneys it is very obvious that they have a strong belief and a passion for their work. They believe that citizens have a constitutional right to produce and watch adult material. If you share that same belief then this might be a great career for you.

Ken Graham
Five Star DVD

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Using the .00001% of lawyers that weren't stigmatized and became successful isn't really fair either. If you intend on making a living at it, and also intend to keep your options open, you might decide, as others have suggested, to work with ACLU cases/be a second chair.

If you intend on working in a small town or doing a lot of civil stuff, there really can be a problem with it. Watch how many other clients drop you when your ties to porn pop up. This holds true for running for office as well. It usually hurts your chances.

Also, I know this might come across as heresy, you might want to apply with your local District Attorney's office. Many of the big league lawyers start off that way-learning the ropes on the governments money-and then crossing over.

In any case, you might want to specialize in a field that you're interested in. "Porn" is too broad a field-you can handle contract stuff, zoning cases, criminal defense, lobbying, and a host of other niches that can keep you fed. I would agree with Ken that zoning is a very common industry niche but defending criminal cases (usually topless clubs/dancers/etc) is at least as common. If you are bright and put in enough effort, you will shine since so many of the current lawyers are so lame.

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