Have you ever had a client refuse to pay a bill, not give you credit for your work, or use your design scheme without hiring you? As loathsome as these situations sound, the reality is that they happen more often than we like to admit. The best way to avoid these issues is to arm yourself with an airtight contract. For this task, we’ve enlisted David Adler, a Chicago-based lawyer who understands the ins and outs of the design industry, to serve as your legal expert for the morning. He will address some of the biggest risk factors interior designers face today and how your contract can (and more importantly, should) cover you. You’ll leave with a better understanding of how you can tighten up your existing contract so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
In this class, you will learn to:
By the end of class, you will have:
David Adler is an attorney, nationally-recognized speaker and founder of a boutique law practice focused on serving the needs of creative professionals in the areas of intellectual property, media & entertainment law. He providing advice on choosing business structures, protecting creative concepts and ideas through copyright, trademark, related intellectual property laws and contracts as well as structuring professional relationships. He has 17 years experience practicing law, including drafting and negotiating complex contracts and licenses with Fortune 500 companies, advising on securities laws and corporate governance, prosecuting and defending trademark applications, registrations, oppositions and cancellations before the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), and managing outside counsel. Currently recognized as an Illinois SuperLawyer® in the areas of Media & Entertainment Law, he was also a “Rising Star” for three years prior. He received his law degree from the DePaul University College of Law in 1997 and a double BA in English & History from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Outside the practice of law, Mr. Adler is an Adjunct Professor of Music Law at DePaul College of Law, formerly chaired the Chicago Bar Association's Media & Entertainment Law Committee and is currently a member of the Illinois State Bar Assoc. intellectual Property Committee.
