How to Use the Attorney General to Go After Bad Clients

One of the frustrations I hear about from entrepreneurs is getting stiffed – either they paid a company to do a job and they didn’t perform, or they did a project or task for a client and they didn’t pay. In many of these situations, the amount in question is low enough that it’s not… [Continue Reading]

My Blatantly Honest Lawyer Bio

In response to the infamous Venn diagram by Matthew Homann that suggests that most of the information lawyers put on their bios does not answer prospective clients’ questions, I asked my lawyer and non-lawyer friends what information they wanted to see. Their responses inspired me to write the most blatantly honest bio I could for… [Continue Reading]

New Photographers: Signed Contracts Needed at the Start of Every Project

I recently heard a question from a new photographer. They are new to the business and focused on building their brand and rapport with potential clients. Their question was, “Should I have a contract on hand at the beginning stages of my business?” My response was an emphatic: “Yes!” Photography Contracts: Every Job, Every Time… [Continue Reading]

Photographer Disputes: What Happens If You Don’t Deliver

As I was researching photographers’ legal questions, I stumbled onto a question posted by an upset client: “The photographer hasn’t given me my photos. It’s been six months. What can I do about that?” Whoa! That sounds exceptionally bad. I’m curious how complex this project was and when the photographer said they’d deliver images to… [Continue Reading]

Lawyer Responds to Photographers’ Problems

Last week, I saw a thread in an online photography group that started with a simple question: “What problems do you face as a photographer?” After reading hundreds of the responses, I wanted to respond to some of their problems as both a lawyer and an entrepreneur: Competition – Other Photographers Offering Half the Price… [Continue Reading]

How to Give a Discount on your Photography Services without Discounting your Value

Sometimes photographers, like all service providers, want to provide a discount for their services. Perhaps it’s for a friend, someone you’ve always wanted to work with, or an organization you know can’t afford you and you want to help. Nothing Wrong with a Discount There is nothing wrong with offering a discount for your photography… [Continue Reading]

Who We Are

Sunset in AZ by Miguel Folch

Carter Law Firm is the umbrella company for my professional speaking and writing activities. My goals are to give people the legal foundation and educational tools they need to run with their ideas and to empower people to pursue their crazy … [Read More]

Speaking Engagements

You’ve read my blog posts and you’ve seen my YouTube videos, now you can hire me to speak at your event or organization. I am available to speak at conferences, continuing legal education events (CLEs), trainings, webinars, podcasts, radio shows, TV … [Read More]

Books

I have been a passionate blogger since 2009. After contributing to several books, I decided to become an author myself. My books expand on many of the topics that have appeared on my blog posts over the years and breaks down legal concepts so … [Read more]

Featured Posts

Can You Trademark a Hashtag?

I spoke at TechPhx on Social Media Horror Stories from the Legal Trenches. One of the stories I told was Turner Barr’s experience with having his blog, Around the World in 80 Jobs, essentially shut down because another company registered the trademark in the same name. At the end of my talk, someone asked if […]

Is It Fan Art or Copyright Infringement?

I have the pleasure of speaking about copyright and fan fiction and fan art at Phoenix Comicon this year. It’s always fun to hear about the projects fans are working on, and to see that so many of them are mindful about the copyright. I wish I had more black and white answers for them […]

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