“People first. Then money. Then things.”
— Suzy Orman
I am inspired by this simple philosophy. People first.
During my 30-year legal career, I have witnessed a shift in how businesses view people and transactions. My mother was a small business owner for 40 years, and the only legal documents she ever signed were leases. People didn’t need lawyers to be employees or to run their small businesses.
In the 21st century, IP is king, and people are human capital. For consultants and other professional service providers, there has been a notable shift that has been from clients signing your proposals to clients sending their long-form vendor agreements for you to sign. Employees and contractors alike are confronted with an array of restrictive covenants—such as non-disclosure, non-compete, and non-solicitation restrictions—and an ever broader grant of rights that treat not just your work product but your expertise as client assets.
I hate this. Don’t get me wrong—every organization must and should protect its IP. The problem is the stress it places on the relationship. Because the stakes are so high, every contract must be reviewed, understood, and negotiated. The sustainability of your business depends upon it.
As in-house counsel, general counsel, head of business affairs, and eventually COO, I’ve spent my career understanding the intersection between business and the law, and I’ve made my name as a closer of transactions. The key — always stay focused on solutions, not on winning.
My goal is to take the stress out of contract negotiations so you can focus on the relationship with your client and get to work.
Erin Austin, Founder.
Erin Austin is a highly accomplished attorney with an eminent career negotiating and closing complex business and commercial transactions, with a particular emphasis on transactions related to the monetization of intellectual property. Erin has represented a diverse range of clients from major motion picture companies to award-winning educational publishing and software companies.
Throughout her career, Erin has documented hundreds of agreements in connection with the acquisition, financing, production, and distribution of major motion pictures, including Soul Surfer and The Blair Witch Project. Erin has also negotiated and closed multiple financings ranging from $2,000,000 to $30,000,000, from sources as diverse as commercial banks to international investment funds, utilizing intellectual property collateral.
Erin also served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs for Artisan Entertainment, a privately-held media company with $350,000,000 in revenue. In this role, she was responsible for all business affairs and legal functions, including corporate and administrative housekeeping, management of the company's 6,000-title intellectual property library, and vendor and licensing deals with major brands such as Marvel Comics, Baby Einstein, Scholastic, and Mattel Inc.
Erin has also held positions as Assistant General Counsel at Warner Bros, Motion Picture Group, and COO and General Counsel at Indomitable Entertainment, a digital media and consulting company. Most recently, Erin served as Corporate Counsel for M3 USA Corporation, where she is responsible for all corporate governance and commercial transactions for this US subsidiary of M3 Inc., a publicly traded company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and global leader in digital solutions in healthcare.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Erin serves as part-time general counsel for small to middle-market private companies through her firm, Erin Austin Law, where she advises clients on a variety of business matters. Erin is a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a B.B.A. from George Washington University.