Help…I think I will need a Lawyer….any Lawyers sensitive to Adult ADHD

[MarkJ]

Hello and help!

My Ah ha moment came after watching the ADD and Loving it documentary in the fall. When I watched it I thought I was watching myself…it was incredible and I’m on quite the roller coster at this time. Needless to say, my life is in ruins. But, I’ve begun the process ( journey) of being diagnosed and self discovery. I’m on the waiting list to see Dr. Jain. I’m 34 right now.

But I need help on another matter. Prior to all this, I was in a personal relationship with a lady producer and things went real bad. Suprise, surprise. I wanted to be a filmmaker all my life (I get the stagnation now on this and other things in my life) who ended up filming not much more than weddings videos and I was given a chance to work with this producer on getting a career together. It went bad-real bad. I feel like she went out her way to add on unnecessary grief. We have one last project to sort out. I am now facing the possibly of being entangled in a law suit. Does anyone know any Lawyers-Entertainment Lawyers (who are sensitive to Adults with ADHD) that I may be put in contact with. I’m stressed, overwhelmed and my anxieties are through the roof over this. I’m afraid to make another move. Afraid I’ll make things worse. Please Help. Thanks, Mark

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[Patte Rosebank]

Any entertainment lawyer has probably encountered many clients with ADHD. You may not necessarily need an entertainment lawyer. A regular contract lawyer may be sufficient. Or a paralegal.

Since you’re in Ontario, Canada, you can get free legal help from Artists’ Legal Advice Services. The service is free to those in all fields of the arts in Ontario, but they encourage you to make a small donation for each 1/2-hour legal appointment. Sort of a Pay-What-You-Can arrangement. Their phone number is 416-367-2527. Leave a message, and they’ll call you back to set an appointment. Their website is http://www.alasontario.com .

The first question you need to answer is, “Did you have a contract with this person? Was anything in writing?” Many problems can be avoided if things are in writing. As the judge on “People’s Court” says, whenever she has to sort out a case of things going sour because nothing was in writing, “Even if you have to use a crayon on a piece of toilet paper, get everything in writing.” I’ve just started a new freelance project, and the contract the client gave me to sign is beautiful: everything is properly itemized, with completion dates, payments, penalties, the all-important phrase “time is of the essence” (which means that the project can’t be dragged out interminably), what happens if either party decides to challenge anything in court, etc. A contract like this may look scary, but it greatly reduces the possibility of later problems, for both parties.

What you must do now is face the kryptonite. By that, I mean, the paperwork. Do it in small bits if you have to. Write out every detail of what’s happened, and what needs to be done to complete the project, or wrap it up to the point where it can be successfully transitioned to someone else to complete. Make it an itemized list. That way, you’ll be able to break the problem up into smaller chunks. And smaller chunks are much easier to handle than a huge mass of things. You may even find that the problem isn’t as overwhelming as it first appeared.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to sit down with the producer and go through the list. If it takes some concessions for you to be able to fulfill your obligations, then this is where you’ll negotiate them. It will be helpful for you to have a non-ADHD person (even if they’re not a lawyer or paralegal) come with you to help you organize and present this.

By approaching the matter this way, you may be able to avoid a lawsuit altogether, because you’re displaying a willingness to complete your obligations, and you’re offering a timeline in which to do it. If the producer accepts this, then it should be drawn up as a contract (or addendum to the original contract if you had one). And you should stick to the timeline, as you fulfill the obligations of that contract.

Bona fortuna!

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[MarkJ]

Thank you , thank you, thank you… This is very helpful. I like the kryptonite reference too. That sums up many things (paper work) perfectly.

Thanks again.

Mark

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[Anonymous]

Hey There. It would seem that “ADDers” seem to gravitate toward the entertainment industry. I work in the Music side of things in management (touring actually). Without knowing the nature of the lawsuit I would suggest that you might actually need an entertainment specialized lawyer. It is a strange industry and there are a ton of issues usually surrounding intellectual property ownership. General lawyers are not stupid and have a good grasp of this but there are so many specifics regarding this stuff that you really need someone with experience in the field. There are some real good ones. I knew of one and can’t seem to find his contact info but I will try to remember to ask next time I am in the office.

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[Anonymous]

Hi, MarkJ.

Ontario non-entertainment trial lawyer here (24 years legal exp./56 ADHD exp.).

Excellent advice from Larynxa, paper,paper,paper. Even without it, there may still be a verbal contract, it’s just easier to prove the terms agreed upon, and the actions taken. Even absent a contract, there may be legal remedies available. As she points out, you may be able to resolve this without a lawsuit, or settle one if commenced. (Almost always the best option.)

Roberacer may be right, you may need an entertainment lawyer. I’m a jack of all trades (with some film financing experience) and lots of contract, family etc. experience. Sole practitioner. Anyway, if you wanted to email me, (keith@GGMLaw.ca) we could discuss your situation off the forum if you’d like. No, I’m not trolling. (Certainly didn’t intend THIS as my first post.)

Wish you the best with this.

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[MarkJ]

Hello…. Thank you all for the replies. They were very helpful. You know…I’ve been meaning to get back here for a while (hahaha….God help me) and let you know that everything was settled without a law suit. It did however cost me big time $. Just another job where I slaved for hours and hours only to end up having to pay for it (both financially and psychologically ) in end. Who works like that? Really?

Who works to pay money? Traumatized by this one.

Many thanks,

Mark J

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