On Call
$1,500per month
For businesses signing a handful of agreements a month who mostly need a second set of eyes before they commit.
Start On CallOutside Counsel · New York & Florida
I've been on
the other side
of the contract.
I'm the outside lawyer for the companies that sign paper every month: production and event companies, photographers and videographers, agencies, venues and promoters. I was Business & Legal Affairs at NBCUniversal's Telemundo and one of the attorneys for the Billboard Latin Music Awards. I also still work with the talent on the other side of those deals.
Consultations in English, Spanish & French
The problem
The other side
already has
a lawyer
The brand's agreement was drafted by the brand's counsel. The network's release was written to protect the network. The venue's contract was built for the venue. Nobody across that table is being paid to look after you.
And when a lawyer bills by the hour, you only call once something has already gone wrong — which is the one moment the contract can no longer be changed.
There is a better way to do this.
One flat monthly fee
Read before you sign
No hourly surprises
Why me
Three sides
of the table
Most lawyers in this space have read about the industry. I worked in it before I practiced in it.
The athlete
NCAA Division I soccer at three universities, semi-professional in USL League 2, and trials with professional clubs in the U.S. and Germany. I've read an offer with my own future attached to it.
The promoter
Concerts and festivals with Live Nation, at Shrine at MGM Foxwoods, and independently across New England. Marketing and event operations for the New England Revolution, Boston Breakers, and Mohegan Sun. I know how a room gets built, staffed, and paid for.
The counsel
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, then Business & Legal Affairs at NBCUniversal's Telemundo, and one of the attorneys for the Billboard Latin Music Awards, in the chain of command while the show was on air.
On site
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About
David Ako
Abunaw III, Esq.
I'm a transactional attorney admitted in New York and Florida. My clients are creators and talent, athletes, models, DJs, dancers and musicians, photographers, and the agencies, brands, and production companies around them.
I began at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in New York and moved in-house to NBCUniversal as Associate Counsel in Business & Legal Affairs for Telemundo, where PR and Events were my main clients: influencer agreements, red carpets, appearance releases, photographer agreements, production and post, sponsorships. I also handled the network's technology and facilities contracts. I was one of the attorneys for the Billboard Latin Music Awards, in the chain of command while the show was live on air.
Transactional means I work on the front end, not in court. The contract, the negotiation, the structure. In this industry that's where the outcome usually gets decided. A rate is negotiable. An exclusivity clause you already signed is not.
I work in English, Spanish, and French.
Experience
- NBCUniversal, TelemundoBusiness & Legal Affairs
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPAssociate Attorney
- Warner Bros. DiscoveryLegal
- University of PennsylvaniaAthletics compliance
Before the law
- USL League 2Semi-professional soccer
- Live Nation EntertainmentPromoter
- Shrine at MGM FoxwoodsEvent promoter
- Hartford AthleticTeam operations, USL Championship
- Boston Breakers NWSLEvent operations
- Kraft Sports GroupNew England Revolution, marketing & event operations
- Mohegan SunMarketing & special events
Education
- J.D., University of PennsylvaniaCarey Law School · Sports Events Chair, Entertainment & Sports Law Society
- Wharton Certificate in Management
- Esade, BarcelonaInternational sports law
- M.S., University of ConnecticutSport management
- B.A., Bryant University
Admitted & languages
- New York
- Florida
- English · Spanish · French
How it works
Four steps, no mystery
01
Consult
A short call. Free, and no pitch at the end.
02
Scope & fee
Plan or single project, priced in writing before I start work.
03
Draft or negotiate
I draft or redline, then take it back to the other side.
04
Signed
Executed copy, plus a plain-English summary of what you agreed to.
Monthly counsel
A lawyer on the team,
not on the payroll
If you are signing contracts every month — a production company, or a creator with brand deals landing constantly — paying by the hour means you only call a lawyer once something has already gone wrong. A monthly plan means the paper gets read before it gets signed. One flat fee, agreed in writing, no hourly surprises.
For companies
Production and event companies, agencies, venues, promoters and brands.
In-House
$2,500per month
For businesses that are papering deals constantly and want a lawyer inside the operation, negotiating in their name.
Start In-HouseGeneral Counsel
$3,500per month
For companies with staff, recurring clients and real deal flow that want one lawyer across the whole business.
Start General CounselFor individuals
Creators, influencers, DJs, dancers, musicians, models, hosts, athletes, photographers and videographers. Monthly if deals are constant, one project at a time if they are not.
Creator & Talent
$750per month
For creators, influencers, DJs, musicians, dancers, models, hosts, athletes, photographers and videographers — anyone earning from their name, their face or their work, with deals landing every month rather than once a year.
Start Creator & TalentSingle Project
Flat fee
For anyone with one agreement on the table and no need for a plan. Companies and individuals both take this.
Get a quoteBefore any plan
Companies and individuals both start here.
Counsel Setup
$3,000one time
Before a plan starts, I build the contract set your business runs on — or read the one you already have and fix what's exposed. Done once, yours to keep.
Founding rate — the first five companies keep these prices for twelve months.
Plans cover transactional work only: drafting, review and negotiation. Litigation, disputes and demand letters, trademark and other agency filings, and matters governed by the law of a state where I am not admitted are not included and are quoted separately, or referred out. What a plan covers each month, the fee, and how it is billed are set out in a written engagement agreement before any work starts, and either of us can end a plan on 30 days' notice. A plan is a limited scope engagement, not a promise of any particular outcome.
Practice
What I handle
Transactional work only: drafting, review, and negotiation. Companies take this on a monthly plan; individuals usually take it one project at a time. Clients nationwide. Most entertainment agreements are governed by New York law, and I associate local counsel where another state's law controls. Scope and fee agreed in writing before anything starts.
For companies
Production and event companies, photographers and videographers, agencies, venues, promoters and brands. Usually a monthly plan.
Production & company counselThe contracts behind the content, and behind the business that makes it.
- Production, dubbing & post
- Editing & creative services
- Crew & equipment agreements
- Work-for-hire & contractor agreements
- SaaS & technology vendors
- Facilities & operations
- LLC formation & operating agreements
- Contract systems, templates & e-signature
Events & red carpetThe full stack, papered for a network. Same stack whether the night is broadcast or brand-funded.
- Venue, hotel & space agreements
- Catering & hospitality
- Security & staffing
- Vendor & supplier agreements
- Appearance releases & talent riders
- Insurance, indemnity & liability
Licensing & content rightsWho can use your work, where, for how long, and for how much.
- Photography & videography agreements
- Image, likeness & content licensing
- Choreography & performance rights
- Footage & music clearances
- Releases & model consents
- License vs. assignment
Travel & hospitalityThe agreements behind how talent actually moves, reviewed before anyone is committed.
- Hotel blocks & accommodations
- Villa & short-term rental agreements
- Yacht & charter agreements
- Private aviation
- Talent per diem & travel terms
- Cancellation, deposits & force majeure
For individuals
Creators, influencers, DJs, dancers, musicians, models, hosts, athletes and photographers. Monthly if the deals are constant, single project at a flat fee if they are not.
Brand deals & sponsorshipsThe terms that quietly cost the most are usage, exclusivity, and approvals.
- Influencer & creator agreements
- Modeling, campaign & agency agreements
- Sponsorship & partnership agreements
- Usage windows & exclusivity
- Whitelisting & paid amplification
- Deliverables & approval rights
- Payment terms & late fees
Live performance & bookingsFor DJs, dancers, musicians, and hosts. Booking agreements and riders, read by someone who spent years on the promoter's side of them.
- Booking & performance agreements
- Technical & hospitality riders
- Residencies & recurring engagements
- Festival & tour agreements
- Agency & management agreements
- Deposits, cancellation & force majeure
Athletes & NILReviewed by someone who has been the player in the room.
- NIL & collective agreements
- Endorsement & appearance deals
- Agent & representation agreements
- Image & likeness rights
- Camps, clinics & personal ventures
Creator platformsFor creators earning directly from their audience on OnlyFans, Fansly, Patreon, and similar platforms. The agreements around that income are where most of it quietly gets lost.
- Management & agency agreements
- Platform terms & account protection
- Content licensing & takedowns
- Collaboration & co-creator releases
- Entity formation & name privacy
- Payment processing & chargebacks
Client feedback
“Attorney Abunaw reviewed my contract carefully and caught issues I never would have noticed. Thanks to his guidance during negotiations, I secured much better terms and significantly reduced my liability.”Sierra Serfass, Social Media Manager
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Questions
Before you
get in touch
The things people ask on the first call. If yours is not here, ask it on the call — it is free and there is no pitch at the end.
What kind of work do you actually handle?
Transactional work: drafting contracts, reviewing and redlining contracts other people send you, and negotiating them. Brand deals, production and crew agreements, releases, licensing, bookings, events, NIL, and the paperwork a company runs on. I work on the front end, before anyone signs — not in court afterwards.
How does the flat fee work?
You know the price before I start. Monthly plans are one flat fee for the month; single projects are quoted as a fixed price once I know what the document is. Either way the scope and the fee go in a written engagement agreement first. No hourly billing and no invoice you did not see coming.
Am I working with you, or with someone else?
With me. Every document is read, drafted and negotiated by me personally. There is no associate you have never met doing the work and no call centre between us.
How fast is turnaround?
Most documents come back in three to seven business days, depending on length and complexity. If something is on a deadline, tell me at the start — rush turnaround is available, and clients on a monthly plan get priority.
Are these custom contracts or templates?
Custom. I build agreements around how your business actually operates — how you get paid, who owns the footage, what happens when a shoot moves. Where a template makes sense I will build you one you can reuse, but it is yours, drafted for your work, not pulled off a shelf.
What if I already have contracts?
Good — then we start by reading them. I go through what you are currently signing, tell you plainly what is exposed or missing, and repair what matters. Most contract sets I see have the same handful of gaps: ownership of the work, releases that do not cover the actual use, and no real cancellation or payment terms.
Can you help if I am not in New York or Florida?
Usually yes. I am admitted in New York and Florida, and most entertainment agreements are governed by New York law regardless of where the parties sit. Where another state's law controls, I associate local counsel and tell you that upfront rather than after the fact.
Do you handle lawsuits or disputes?
No. My work is preventing them. If you are already in a dispute, a demand letter or a lawsuit, I will point you to a litigator I trust rather than take something outside what I do.
Is everything done remotely?
Yes, and it works well — calls, email and text, wherever you are. I am based in Miami, so if you are here and would rather meet in person, we can.
Can we do this in Spanish or French?
Yes. I work in English, Spanish and French, and I have papered deals across the Latin market. Negotiating in the language the deal is actually happening in tends to change the outcome.
What if I need something that is not listed?
Ask. If it is something I do, I will quote it. If it is not, I will tell you straight and point you to someone who does it well.
Contact
Let's talk before
you sign
Book a free consult and tell me what's on the table.