IP Counsel
for Creative Business
Intellectual property is the asset your creative business is built on. Implement Legal handles IP and the business law around it β because for a creative business, they're the same problem.
You probably didn't come to us with an IP problem.
You came with a contract someone sent over that you're not sure you should sign. Or a cease-and-desist that landed in your inbox on a Tuesday. Or a deal you've been trying to close for three months, a trademark dispute with a company that definitely knows better, or the creeping awareness that you've grown past the point where figuring it out yourself feels like a responsible option.
These are the presenting symptoms. The underlying situation is almost always more complex β and it almost always involves intellectual property you haven't yet thought of as intellectual property. A contract question usually surfaces IP ownership that was never properly documented. A business deal often involves IP value that was never formally assessed. A trademark matter typically carries clearance risk nobody flagged. We see what's on your desk and what's underneath it.
The problem isn't that you need a lawyer. Its that you need the right kind.
Legal specializations evolved to serve large companies with in-house counsel to coordinate between them. For a creative business, the gap between those specializations β between IP law and business law β is where real problems live: the contract that transfers rights you meant to keep, the deal that closes without accounting for IP value, the relationship that ends badly because a poorly drafted agreement left room for a dispute neither party wanted.
Implement Legal was built to close that gap. Every matter we handle β whether it's a trademark prosecution, a business acquisition, or an estate plan β is approached with intellectual property at the center. We also practice relational law: legal strategy designed to protect both your work and the professional relationships your business depends on. In creative industries, those relationships aren't just context for your legal situation. They're often the asset itself.
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Loops & Leaps
A 90-minute strategic consultation that maps your current legal infrastructure, identifies what needs to change, and delivers a concrete roadmap. This is where most client relationships at Implement Legal begin β and where the clearest picture of your actual situation tends to emerge.
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Continuous Counsel
Ongoing legal support for creative businesses with regular legal needs. Direct attorney access, priority scheduling, and the kind of continuity that means you never have to re-explain your business, your history, or your relationships from scratch every time something comes up.
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Project Engagements
Defined-scope work for specific matters: trademark prosecution, copyright registration, contract drafting, business formation, acquisition support, estate planning. Priced transparently, scoped clearly, no billing surprises.
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Fractional General Counsel
Dedicated attorney capacity on a fixed monthly engagement, for businesses whose legal needs have outgrown a standard retainer. One point of contact, full scope, structured around how your business actually operates.
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"Your confident approach and willingness to answer ALL my questions gave me a sense of calm and order, knowing I had a team that had my back and really cared. Thank you for listening and advising and BEING YOU."
Meredith Tibjash | Torched Jewelry and Metalsmithing
https://torchedavl.com/ -
![A woman with curly hair in a bun, wearing a striped shirt and black overalls, smiling while standing in front of an illuminated wall made of white, twisted paper or fabric ribbons.]()
"I continuously recommend Katherine and Rob to other artists and business owners within my circle because I deeply trust, respect, and appreciate the work they have done and continue to do. "
Meredith Connelly | Art by Meredith Connelly LLC
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![A woman with black hair in a bob cut and bangs, wearing a black top, smiling softly against a plain gray background.]()
"She transformed an experience that could have felt cold and tedious into something truly meaningful and empowering. I'm so grateful!"
Nicole McConville | Nicole McConville Photography
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![A woman with long wavy dark brown hair wearing large round glasses and a white textured top. She has pink lipstick and a septum piercing, and she is smiling against a dark green background.]()
"The confidence that I have in my contracts, terms, and other legal documents makes it easy for me to secure high-value projects and to pursue business growth without fear."
Sarah Chappell | Think Piece
Why Implement Legal
Katherine and Robert co-founded Implement Legal as former professors β between them, degrees from Duke Law, the Fuqua School of Business, the United States Naval Academy, Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, and St. John's College. Both partners track legal scholarship as it develops and apply it directly to client strategy. A two-partner boutique can restructure its approach around a case that dropped last week. A large firm cannot.
Katherine focuses on copyright, licensing, trademark prosecution and defense, and estate planning. Her doctoral research in art history and IP doctrine means she has been tracking fair use β and the implications of decisions like Warhol v. Goldsmith (2023) β at a scholarly level for longer than most practitioners have been practicing it.
Robert focuses on micro M&A, patent prosecution, contracts, and business formation. He came to this practice from Cleary Gottlieb, where he advised Google, Sony, and T-Mobile on complex transactions, and from a decade as a United States Navy officer. He brings that transactional discipline β and a systematic approach to identifying legal risk before it becomes a business problem β to every matter.
We work with Musicians, Visual Artists, Performers, Filmmakers, Writers, Dancers, Photographers, Designers, Illustrators, Composers, and the Record Labels, Galleries, Museums, Production Companies, Creative Agencies, Brands, Festivals, Presenting Venues, anPublishers
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We work with Musicians, Visual Artists, Performers, Filmmakers, Writers, Dancers, Photographers, Designers, Illustrators, Composers, and the Record Labels, Galleries, Museums, Production Companies, Creative Agencies, Brands, Festivals, Presenting Venues, anPublishers γ°οΈ
Strategic support for creative professionals and collaborative networks.
