novelraw Chapter 17 Attorney Fees
Chapter 17 Attorney Fees
Herbert looked calmly at old Rossi and patiently explained, "Mr. Rossi, please don't misunderstand. This isn't a matter of distrust, but rather a mandatory provision of New York State law designed to protect minors from exploitation."
"Exploitation? How could I possibly exploit my own son!" Old Rossi's voice rose, his emotions running high. "I raised him with such care and hardship, how could I possibly harm him?"
"Mr. Rossi, I understand how you feel. This isn't about your personal wishes, but rather a lesson from the history of this industry. This kind of thing is actually quite common in the entertainment industry; the most famous example is Judy Garland."
From childhood, MGM systematically administered amphetamines to control her weight and barbiturates to force her to sleep, all to keep her on a demanding filming schedule and to drain her of her potential.
"Her health, money, and life were all controlled and consumed by adults and large corporations, ultimately leading to her death from a drug overdose in her forties. It is precisely to prevent such tragedies from happening again that the law clearly stipulates that parents cannot directly control the entertainment income of minors, but must deposit it into a trust account and manage it by professionals until they reach adulthood."
Judy Garland died in 1969. Her tragic experience as a child star, repeatedly reported by the media and published in biographies in the 70s, had long been a landmark case of Hollywood's exploitation of minors, and was well known to everyone. Old Rossi had naturally heard of it as well.
Hearing this, the anger on his face instantly vanished, and he turned to look at Tino with a fierce look in his eyes and a threatening tone: "You dare to treat my son like this, dare to exploit him, I will kill you with my own hands, understand?"
Tino quickly raised his hands in surrender, a fawning smile on his face: "Mr. Rossi, don't worry, of course I would never do such a thing! I am also of Italian descent, how could I harm my own compatriots? Besides, Zik is very opinionated and meticulous, I can't fool him, nor would I dare to fool him."
"Dad, don't worry." Zike pulled on old Rossi's arm and said in a reassuring tone, "You know I don't touch those shady things, and Herbert will keep an eye on things for me, so there won't be any problems."
Old Rossi finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. After Herbert and Colin double-checked the contract terms and confirmed there were no problems, Old Rossi, as the guardian, signed the contract, and Zick and Tino also signed to confirm. At this point, except for the brokerage contract which still needed to be taken to court, all the contracts were officially in effect.
After a hearty lunch, Zeke pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to Herbert. This was for his legal fees.
Although Herbert was the lowest-ranking lawyer in his firm, he still earned $75 an hour, and his fees included travel time. Today, he worked for Zeke for four hours, and his base fee was $300.
This also includes overtime pay for the Christmas holidays, bringing the total cost to nearly $500, almost emptying Zeke's pockets in one go.
Zike was secretly astonished. These days, the average price of a new car in the United States is only $5000. Herbert's half-day lawyer fee is equivalent to one-tenth of the price of a car, which is ridiculously expensive.
But he also knew that this investment was extremely worthwhile: Herbert helped him increase the bet price from $1 to $2 and the advance payment from $3000 to $1. The extra $7000 in advance payment alone far covered the legal fees, not to mention the future royalties that would bring him even more income.
Moreover, this music management contract also protected his interests to the greatest extent: the agent's share was kept at 12%; most of his income would be deposited into a trust account to prevent misappropriation; Herbert also helped him remove many unreasonable mandatory requirements, such as "writing a minimum number of songs each year" and "must prioritize writing for the Sirens", giving him enough freedom.
Herbert was somewhat surprised to receive the wad of cash, clearly not expecting that Zeke would be able to produce so much cash.
He quickly reminded him, "Zick, once you receive the advance payment from the song sales and the subsequent royalties, remember to hire an accountant to help you file your taxes. In the United States, tax evasion is a serious matter. If any disputes arise and go to court, the IRS will also come after you, and it will be a huge loss."
Zeke nodded and said earnestly, "I understand, thank you, Herbert. I really owe you a lot today." He was genuinely grateful to Herbert; without Herbert, he certainly wouldn't have gotten such good terms.
Herbert smiled, waved his hand, and handed over a business card: "You're welcome. This is my job. If you have any legal questions in the future, feel free to contact me."
Zeke walked to the restaurant entrance, dialed the parking lot's number, and asked "the dentist" to come and take Herbert back to his home in New Jersey.
After seeing Herbert off, Zeke turned back to the restaurant and immediately saw Tino talking incessantly on the phone, with a small notebook in his hand, occasionally glancing down to jot down a few notes.
He first finalized the stylist's schedule, then instructed them to order stage costumes that fit the disco style. Next, he had someone register the copyright information for "YMCA," then busied himself contacting small performance venues. Finally, he called familiar people in the industry and warmly invited them to come see the Sirens' live performance the next night. Everything was arranged in an orderly manner, and his schedule was packed.
Tino's enthusiasm is certainly a good thing. The sooner the Sirens get their record deal, the sooner he can receive the full $2 payment and royalties. It's a win-win situation, and neither party will hold the other back.
At the restaurant's bar, Colin and Amanda's lawyers were huddled together, their eyes glued to the television on the wall, which was showing a basketball game: the New York Knicks versus the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden.
Both were clearly seasoned fans, muttering complaints under their breath as they watched, their voices full of dissatisfaction:
"The Knicks are absolutely terrible this season. Their defense is like paper; they can't stop anyone at all!"
"Exactly! If they keep playing like this, they won't even make the playoffs!"
Colin ordered a strong drink and watched the game while drinking. He looked relaxed, and it was clear that he had no other work to do today and planned to while away the afternoon in the restaurant watching a game.
On the television screen, Julius Erving, the "Dr. J" of the Philadelphia 76ers, was in superb form, repeatedly breaking through the Knicks' defense with the basketball, leaping up to dunk with fluid and powerful movements, drawing occasional boos of frustration from a few regular customers in the restaurant.
"This traitor should be hanged!" Colin shouted angrily.
Julius Erving is a New Yorker who played for the New York Nets and won two ABA championships.
Now that he's in the NBA, it's a sad state of affairs that he's thrashing his hometown Giants at Madison Square Garden.
Many people couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, impressed by "Dr. J's" ball skills.
Zik found a seat and watched the exciting game on TV, and couldn't help but think: Is basketball really that popular these days?
He waited patiently for more than ten minutes before Tino finally hung up the phone, his face showing exhaustion but unable to hide his excitement.
"All done?" Zeke asked.