Nashville, Tennessee-based attorneys Philip Lyon and Bruce Phillips share their professional experiences working with clients in the entertainment industry, discussing topics such as working with celebrities, handling clients’ substance abuse problems, and dealing with slander. They also offer advice to law students preparing to look for work, drawing on their own experiences and assessing the current job market.

In this panel held at a 2007 meeting of the American Bar Association on how substance abuse should be handled among lawyers, managers, and corporate management in the music industry, panelists Bruce Phillips, Philip Lyon (both attorneys) and Walter Yetnikoff (former head of CBS records) discuss the ethical, legal and business dimensions of drug use among employees or clients. Lyon, who is currently publishing findings on the ethical dimension of this issue, shares his thoughts on what the actual duties are of a lawyer to a client who has a drug problem, and Yetnikoff draws on his extensive music industry experience to provide historical perspective, first-hand experience, and some hard lessons learned about the right and wrong ways to deal with drug issues. The panel also debates where to draw the line between confidentiality and ethical/legal responsibility, and discuss how disclosure regulations such as the Sarbanes/Oxley Act can complicate the decision-making process and aftermath of dealing with substance abuse in a client or employee.

In this presentation given at a meeting of the American Bar Association in 2007 titled “Civility in the Legal Profession: Where Has It Gone, and Why Does It Matter? An Entertainment Lawyer’s View,” attorney Philip K. Lyon opens the question of why the law profession has become less civil over the last few decades, and what the legal profession loses when professional camaraderie disappears from common use. He addresses what civility adds to legal proceedings, shares some stories of how badly things can go when lawyers forget to be civil, an engages in an extended discussion of the ethical and professional obligations that lawyers have to be civil, ethical, and human in their dealings with clients, peers and adversaries.

Entertainment attorneys Philip Lyon and Bruce Phillips share a mutual optimism for the future of the music business, offering their predictions on what will and won’t change as the industry evolves, and how the new model will benefit artists.

Attorneys Philip Lyon and Bruce Phillips give a brief overview of each of their respective backgrounds. Lyon, a South Arkansas native and graduate of University of Arkansas Law School, discusses his early years at a large firm in Little Rock and his eventual move to Nashville, Tennessee, where he currently practices law with his son, Bruce Phillips. Phillips, who is also a graduate of University of Arkansas Law School, talks about their law practice in Nashville.

In this clip from a presentation given at a meeting of the American Bar Association in 2007 titled “Civility in the Legal Profession: Where Has It Gone, and Why Does It Matter? An Entertainment Lawyer’s View,” attorney Philip K. Lyon opens the question of why the law profession has become less civil over the last few decades, and what the legal profession loses when professional camaraderie disappears from common use.

Entertainment attorney Philip Lyon discusses the delicate boundary a lawyer must maintain with respect to a client with a substance abuse problem. While warning against the danger of jumping to conclusions, Lyon does admit that a lawyer’s responsibility in this kind of case often includes intervening when a client’s problem becomes evident to his or her professional team.

In this clip from a presentation given at a meeting of the American Bar Association in 2007 titled “Civility in the Legal Profession: Where Has It Gone, and Why Does It Matter? An Entertainment Lawyer’s View,” attorney Philip K. Lyon continues his examination of why the law profession has become less civil over the last few decades, and what the legal profession loses when professional camaraderie disappears from common use. In this segment, he presents a famous case of a tough prosecutor who provokes an opposing lawyer into nearly starting a fistfight.

Attorneys Bruce Phillips and Philip Lyon discuss the challenges of representing famous or infamous clients, and what doing so means in terms of time and money.

In this clip from a presentation given at a meeting of the American Bar Association in 2007 titled “Civility in the Legal Profession: Where Has It Gone, and Why Does It Matter? An Entertainment Lawyer’s View,” attorney Philip K. Lyon continues his examination of why the law profession has become less civil over the last few decades with a reminder to all attendees that the clients are the ones in a suit who are fighting, not their lawyers, and discusses how a sense of professional obligation should keep attorneys from personalizing the courtroom struggles they carry out.

Entertainment attorney Philip Lyon explains why he thinks slander should not be taken too seriously, and also offers his perspective on how slander can call into question the reliability and character of the slanderer.

In this clip from a presentation given at a meeting of the American Bar Association in 2007 titled “Civility in the Legal Profession: Where Has It Gone, and Why Does It Matter? An Entertainment Lawyer’s View,” attorney Philip K. Lyon continues his examination of why the law profession has become less civil over the last few decades. In this clip, he approaches the challenge of remaining professional – meaning someone who gives sober and considered advice in an ethical manner in keeping with ABA guidelines – in a world where law can be an addiction, and anger and cheating are alluring strategies for winning. He also discusses the need for attorneys to find and maintain a balance between work and life, so that their career, health and happiness may get maximum good attention.

Entertainment attorney Bruce Phillips explains why he thinks small law firms can often have an advantage over large firms when it comes to serving their clients’ needs, stressing the value of relationships in the industry and the important role they play in success. Attorney Philip Lyon offers his view on the subject as someone who spent more than two decades working for a large firm, and explains why he thinks small firms can sustain lasting relationships with their clients.

In this clip from a presentation given at a meeting of the American Bar Association in 2007 titled “Civility in the Legal Profession: Where Has It Gone, and Why Does It Matter? An Entertainment Lawyer’s View,” attorney Philip K. Lyon continues his examination of civility and ethics in the practice of law with an extended discussion of why it’s very smart to know when to quit negotiating, arguing, or fighting. He also shares his thoughts on reputation, and why the regard of colleagues and peers is more valuable than some lawyers tend to believe.

In this clip from a panel held at a 2007 meeting of the American Bar Association on handling substance abuse problems in clients or company settings, former head of CBS Records Walter Yetnikoff shares his thoughts on the duty of, for example, the General Counsel of a company who discovers a substance abuse problem on the staff, and how such a situation might best be handled.

Entertainment attorneys Philip Lyon and Bruce Phillips share their thoughts on the importance of understanding litigation, and also offer advice on how to gain experience to develop a long term law career.

In this clip from a panel held at a 2007 meeting of the American Bar Association on handling substance abuse problems in clients or company settings, the panelists discuss whether there are any sure winning strategies for approaching difficult substance abuse cases.

Entertainment attorneys Philip Lyon and Bruce Phillips explain the circumstances under which lawyers occasionally take on management responsibilities, and how this affects their client relationships.

In this clip from a panel held at a 2007 meeting of the American Bar Association on handling substance abuse problems in clients or company settings, the panelists discuss how accounting and reporting regulations apply to disclosure and confidentiality issues surrounding what lawyers discover about substance abuse in the workplace, and how they affect the legal and business dimensions of disclosure decisions.

Entertainment attorneys Philip Lyon and Bruce Phillips talk about the American Bar Association Forum as an ideal opportunity for law students to network and learn from practicing professionals.