Pinegate Road Podcast Episode 81

Shay M. Lawson is an Atlanta based intellectual property and entertainment attorney. She is the managing attorney at the Law Firm of Lawson McKinley and was recognized in the top 2.5% of intellectual property attorneys practicing in the state of Georgia. Her firm works with entertainment professionals and creative entrepreneurs to help legally protect and scale their brands and business. Shay has negotiated millions in client deals in connection with brands such as Nike, BravoTV, ABC, Discovery Channel, iHeartMedia and Microsoft. Her work protecting clients has been featured by Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and Billboard Magazine.

Shay is also my amazing lawyer who has helped me manage the many blips that have popped up along the way as I’ve scaled my business, and her help has honestly been invaluable. She has helped me protect my intellectual property and make sure that I have all the legal things in place to make sure that me, and my business, are well protected. 

In this episode we talk about so much, including what to watch out for as a new or established entrepreneur, what things you should be consulting with a lawyer about, and when the best time is to bring in a lawyer’s expertise. Shay also explains what a trademark is and when you should probably consider getting serious about trademarking your intellectual property.

Topics we cover:

• The first thing  that happened to me that made me realize I need legal help.
• What you should do before starting your business or moving forward on your idea.
• Shay’s unique take on building her firm and what pushed her to leave the corporate world.
• Why Shay will not work with everyone.
• When entrepreneurs should consider working with a lawyer.
• What NOT to do as a new entrepreneur.
• Best practices to protect your intellectual property.
• The difference between your legal business entity and your trademark.
• Why you don’t need to trademark your name until you reach Beyoncé status.
• The difference between a copyright and a trademark.
• When creative entrepreneurs should consider getting their trademarks registered.
• The biggest thing that Shay sees with online course offerings.
• The power of operating in your area of expertise and having your team operate within their own personal areas of expertise.

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As many great ideas as we have, there is a high chance that somebody may have thought of it as well. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

Your quality of healthcare is only as good as your ability to advocate for yourself, or somebody else’s ability to advocate for you. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

I realized I had to go out on my own to support the life I really wanted. – Kelsey Kerslake @pinegateroad

Business is about offer and acceptance, and that goes both ways. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

You should treat your business the same way you treat a child. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

It will always be cheaper to work with a lawyer on the front-end. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

If it’s enough money to be upset about, then it should in writing. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

If you operate your business from a place of honesty, integrity, and being upfront about those things, you will always end up on the upside. – Shay Lawson @pinegateroad

Connect with Shay:

• Website
• The Scale Agency
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Podcast Links:

• The Daily Shine

Connect with Kelsey:

• Instagram

Connect with Pinegate Road:

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