Legal Question in Business Law in California
where can I find a finder fee agreement? I have a group I'm placing with a record label but I need to get paid on my end for the finder's fee for finding their acts.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Short of hiring a lawyer to write one for you, there are three possibilities, none of which I would consider ideal, but might work for you:
1. You could contact someone who has used a finder-fee agreement previously, and largely copy that agreement, modifying it as necessary. Such agreements would be found attached as exhibits to lawsuits alleging breach of the agreement, or you might also contact someone who is in the business of finderhood and ask for an example.
2. Law libraries (there's at least one in every county) have books full of forms. These are not copy-and-fill-in forms. Rather, they are, for each "form," a compilation of possible clauses that a lawyer might want to select, edit, and add to a document he/she was writing. A non-lawyer using a "forms manual" of this sort would have to find a manual containing the right kind of form, find the form, then copy out the right paragraphs and clauses, involving quite a lot of editing, decision-making, selecting between "a" and "b" versions of the language, and so forth. Definitely a step easier that writing the document from scratch, but still requiring a heckuva lot more than just filling in a few blanks.
3. Probably someone has tried to publish and sell a stationery-store "fill in the blanks" type of finder's fee agreement. Most lawyers disdain such forms when you get beyond the residential lease kind of boilerplate. They are usually just too general and unspecific, and may be far off the mark in compliance with state law. LawGuru does sell some forms, but I have never looked to see what kinds. You might locate one via a Google search.
If the deal you are trying to protect yourself on is worth real money, you should spend real money to get a lawyer-drafted agreement rather than using a form. It will be more likely to be respected in the first place. everyone will see you're a businessperson and not a greenhorn.
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