Creative industries lawyer Marian Liwanen also joins the new specialist firm
Creative industries lawyer Yasmin Naghavi has wrapped up her near-15 year tenure with Media Arts Lawyers to establish media and entertainment specialist law firm Artis Causa.
Naghavi was Media Arts Lawyers' first female partner. She has represented names like MasterChef Australia judge Andy Allen, food critic Matt Preston, and comedians Julia Morris, Guy Montgomery, Becky Lucas and Urzila Carlson.
She also acted for YouTube channels Bounce Patrol, Eystreem and Glitch as well as fashion and accessories labels Alemais and Cee Clear.
Naghavi said that she launched Artis Causa, which translates to "for the sake of art", to support industries in which creativity and commercial outcomes are strongly linked - like design, television, content creation, art, fashion and beauty.
"Being highly specialised means we don’t just understand the law, we also understand our clients and their unique challenges. Whether its talent deals for comedians or influencers, defamation and takedown strategies for creators, or IP and ownership structures for designers", she said. "Ultimately, we speak the same language as the people we represent and are well placed to offer insights that are practical, relevant, and responsive to how creative businesses actually work".
Artis Causa's service offerings include contracts (deal advisory, drafting, negotiation and review), employment law (employment and contractor agreements, workplace policies and culture-fit solutions), reputation and crisis management (defamation, social media smears, privacy breaches, takedowns, concerns notices and crisis response strategies), corporate advisory (structuring, strategic planning, business growth and general legal advisory), and IP (copyright and trade-mark protection, and IP strategy).
Naghavi will be joined by creative industries lawyer Marian Liwanen, who has worked with Naghavi previously. The firm has also brought in a paralegal with a television production background and another with hands-on experience at a YouTube channel.
Media Arts Lawyers partners expressed their support for Naghavi's new practice.
"Yasmin has made a remarkable contribution to Media Arts Lawyers over many years. We’re proud to have worked alongside her and fully support her as she launches Artis Causa — a firm that reflects her dedication to creative talent. We look forward to continuing to collaborate and wish her every success in this exciting new chapter", the partners said.
Artis Causa is based in Melbourne.
