Photo Attorney - Serving the Photographer's Legal Needs

The Law Office of Carolyn E. Wright, LLC

Carolyn E. Wright is a full-time attorney whose practice is aimed squarely at the legal needs of photographers.  Carolyn understands the special issues that confront both professional and amateur photographers alike.

A professional photographer herself, Carolyn has the legal credentials and the experience to protect your rights. Carolyn practiced law with King & Spalding, one of the top 50 firms in the nation, and other law firms for more than 15 years. She has represented Fortune 500 clients in multimillion dollar litigation and now helps photographers to protect their work. Carolyn wrote the book, the “Photographer’s Legal Guide,” which was first published in 2006 and updated in 2010.

While her legal credentials are among the best in the business, Carolyn also keeps ties with the photographic community. She maintains an active wildlife photography business and is represented by the Picade stock agency.

Carolyn also enjoys teaching, writing and speaking about photography. She is a regular leader of photography workshops, and is a moderator and columnist for www.Naturescapes.net (an online resource for nature photographers).

Education and Honors: Carolyn was graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1992 with a Juris Doctor. She earned an American Jurisprudence Award for Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy and was awarded second place in the Nathan Burkham Legal Writing Competition on Copyright. She was the President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, Executive Candidacy Editor for the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal, and was selected the “most outstanding female law student.” Carolyn also was graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Masters of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in music education and music therapy. She was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honor society), was an Outstanding Young Woman of America, and was awarded a four-year music scholarship.

Areas of Practice: Intellectual property, including copyright and trademark law, privacy law, contracts, licensing, general business and commercial law, and commercial and tort litigation.

Professional Associations and Memberships: North American Nature Photographers Association, Editorial Photographers, Women in Photography International (Charter Member), American Society of Media Photographers (Affiliate Member); Picture Licensing Universal System (PLUS) (Advisory Council), and The Copyright Society of the USA

Evan A. Andersen is an attorney who helps copyright owners protect their rights.  Prior to law school, Evan was a legal assistant at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP in New York City, and, during law school at Wake Forest, he spent a summer as an intern for the Honorable Joel M. Feldman in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.  In law school, Evan was a staff member of the Wake Forest Intellectual Property Law Journal and was awarded CALI Achievement Awards in Intellectual Property and Trademarks and the 2007 ABA and Bureau of National Affairs Award for Excellence in the Study of Intellectual Property Law. He now helps photographers, videographers, and other copyright holders with their legal needs.

Areas of Practice: Copyright law, privacy law, contracts, licensing, general business and commercial law, and tort litigation.

Professional Associations and Memberships: The Copyright Society of the USA

Leslie Burns jokingly refers to herself as an over-educated former Jeopardy! contestant. She attended Ohio State University where she received a BA (French) and an MA (French film & Culture and Comparative Linguistics) and completed her PhD coursework (Medieval French Literature). Her pre-law professional life was focused on creative professionals. She’s been a studio and marketing manager for photographers (including producing shoots), worked for an interactive design firm and an advertising agency, and started her own creative representation firm, the oddly-named Burns Auto Parts, in 1999. As a rep, she had extensive experience with contracts and negotiations and a great interest in copyright issues.

In 2008, her dream to attend law school so that she could offer more to her creative clients finally became feasible and she attended California Western School of Law as a Trustees’ Scholar. There, she repeatedly made Dean’s List and was awarded an Academic Achievement Award. She was graduated in December 2010, took the California Bar Exam in late February 2011, and passed on her first try.

Leslie has been admitted to the Federal Courts in the Central and Southern Districts of California as well as the California Bar. She’s also a member of the San Diego County Bar association. Her primary services are to creative professionals on copyright and small business issues.  She runs the blog, burnstheattorney.com, where she provides information and education to the creative professional.

Earl Richardson was graduated from the University of Kansas School of Journalism. While in college, he interned with the Lawrence Journal-World, Topeka Capital-Journal, the Associated Press, and the Kansas City Star (during which the paper won a Pulitizer for its coverage of the 1981 Hyatt Skywalk Collapse). After college, Earl was a staff photographer at the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune, The Topeka Capital-Journal and the Lawrence Journal-World. He left the newspaper business to start Earl Richardson Photography LLC.

Earl later went to law school because of his interest in copyright law and desire to help other photographers. He was graduated from the University of Kansas Law School (where his eldest daughter was his classmate).

While in law school, Earl served as a law clerk to the Hon. Robert Fairchild, Chief Judge of the 7th Judicial District, State of Kansas. He also participated in the Paul Wilson Defender project, which offers post-conviction appellate relief for prisoners, and won the 2007 Paul E. Wilson Advocacy Award for outstanding advocacy. After law school, Earl practiced with the law firm of Thompson Ramsdell and Qualseth in Lawrence, KS.

Earl reopened his photography business in 2008 and serves regional and national editorial and commercial clients. He is represented by Wonderful Machine and is a member of ASMP.

Lauren Gunnels has successfully represented clients in complex litigation including commercial litigation and disputes arising out of contracts, real estate, torts and intellectual property.  Lauren is a strong advocate for her corporate and individual clients through all phases of litigation including negotiations, mediations, trials, and arbitrations.  Lauren was named a Rising Star in “Georgia Superlawyers.”

Before law school, Lauren graduated with Honors from Georgetown University earning a BSLA in French and a Certificate in Asian Studies from the School of Foreign Service.  Her passion for the arts inspired her pre-law professional career including her role as Executive Editor for two online magazines and her position with a Santa Barbara-based importer of art and antiques.  Lauren has been fortunate to work directly with and befriend artists from around the world and has dealt with a number of copyright and trademark issues including negotiating the use of photographs and written materials for her publications.  Lauren’s love for the arts and profound respect for artists fuels her passion for representing photographers and protecting their intellectual property rights.

Profession Associations and Memberships: Lauren is a member of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers and she served as a Barrister in the Bleckley Inns of Court.  She is admitted to practice in Georgia State and Federal Courts, including before U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, and the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Tyra Hughley Smith is a journalist-turned-attorney.  Tyra graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri School of Journalism with a Bachelor’s Degree in Magazine Journalism, in addition to an Honors Certificate and a Bachelor’s in Black Studies. Tyra has worked for various newspapers, magazines and news-magazines as a journalist, and during her senior year of college, started her own online magazine focusing on the college experience.

After a stint in journalism, Tyra attended the University of Southern California, where she obtained a Juris Doctor from the Gould School of Law and a Masters in Communication Management from the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. She was the only student in her graduating class to obtain this joint degree.

Upon graduating from law school, Tyra became the General Counsel for a small service-based company in Illinois.  But Tyra’s passion always has been in the arena of media and entertainment.  Thus, Tyra started her own practice, catering to media and entertainment clients, focusing primarily on music law, contracts, business law and negotiation, and intellectual property, including both copyrights and trademarks.

Tyra is licensed in both California and Illinois, in addition to being admitted to the Federal Courts of the Central District of California. She has a love for photography, especially travel photography.  During fall semesters, Tyra serves as an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, teaching Legal Communication, which focuses on constitutional law, First Amendment law, and legal writing for law-school bound students.

During his esteemed legal career, Robert A. Keller was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, served as Managing Partner of Munger, Tolles, Hills & Rickershauser in Los Angeles, was Assistant Dean of Stanford Law School, and practiced with the law firm of Orrick, Herrington, Sutcliffe & Dahlquist in San Francisco. He now serves as Of Counsel for the Law Office of Carolyn E. Wright, LLC.