the artist's J.D.

4 days ago

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2 min read

🦅 You check three places to find the current version + your weekly roundup

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Hi Reader!

One of my red flags for my systems needing an update is when I have to check multiple places because I’m not sure which version is the most current.

This week, this came up when I was drafting an Operating Agreement. Over the past 15 years, my law firm LLC Operating Agreements have changed. Sometimes because the laws change. Sometimes because different situations require different versions. And sometimes it’s because a situation makes me realize that I need to add something to the agreement.

And every few years, they start to multiply. And I end up with two or three versions, so I have to look multiple places to find the one I want.

When this happens, I have to go through, pare them down, pick the “best” version, and archive the rest.

So that’s what I did this week. I knew that I wanted four primary versions:

  • single owner
  • multiple owners who are spouses
  • multiple owners who are long-term friends
  • multiple owners who are merely business partners

I searched and found all the versions I had saved, picked the best ones, edited them as needed, and then archived the rest.

While you don’t need four LLC Operating Agreement templates, you probably have some documents in your business that multiply as Operating Agreements do for me.

And that’s my challenge for you this week: pick the “best” version, edit as needed, and archive the rest. The few minutes this exercise will take will quickly be recouped in the coming weeks, since you’ll have a single document to go to when the situation arises.

👉 Your action item

Pick one resource, checklist, tool, or script that you have multiple versions of. Decide which version is the most current. Save it in an easy-to-find place and archive the rest.

Or if today’s task made you realize none of them are right, combine the best parts of each of them to create your current version and archive the rest.

If you only have 20 minutes this week, the task above is the most important thing to do. But if you have a little more time, keep reading.

Chat soon,

P.S. This oldie but goodie popped up in my Pinterest feed this week and is a great visual representation of why the work is never just “the work”.

The clause to notice

One small section of a contract that can have an outsized impact later.

This week’s pattern: Maintaining one giant client contract

Just like I have different “versions” of my LLC Operating Agreement for different clients, you should have different versions of your contract for different situations, rather than having one giant client contract that you have to update every time.

When you are starting from a contract that only has things relevant for a non-exclusive license, you won’t accidentally grant a client larger rights or include sections that conflict with that intent. Or you won't pull up a past client’s contract and forget to update one section, which then reveals past client information to your current client.

👉 Open the Contract Decoder​

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Other things on my radar...

  • I'm going to continue watching this sculpture destruction case unfold, because we haven't had many VARA cases the past few years. This one seems to hinge on whether the sculpture was of “recognized stature”. And depending on the outcome could be important for early- and mid-career artists.
  • Colorado is looking to become the Delaware for artists with their new artistic company law. But I'm still wondering if it will create more headaches than it solves problems for many single-business-owner creative businesses.
  • Part of the reason I leave my law firm clients' email addresses off trademark applications is because of the host of scams associated with a trademark application. The UPSTO is trying to strike back at some of these scams, and this is a great article breaking down their efforts and how to spot a trademark scam.

Protect the business you’ve worked so hard to build

Each Friday, get a focused, jargon-free legal task, designed for creative entrepreneurs who want to protect their ass(ets) without legal confusion. No fluff, no overwhelm. Each one takes 15–30 minutes and helps you handle what matters, without wasting time on what doesn’t.

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