Marcus Walkom: Walkom Entertainment Lawyers Launch New Australian Firm

• Marcus Walkom has launched his new firm, Walkom Entertainment Lawyers (WEL), following the closure of Media Arts Lawyers.
• WEL aims to provide comprehensive legal services to the entire entertainment industry, from emerging artists to established businesses.
• The firm's primary focus is guiding Australian creative talent into global markets, offering specialized international deal insights.
• Brisbane has been selected as the headquarters, recognized for its strong creative community and growth potential, especially towards the 2032 Olympics.
• Walkom previously spent 14 years at Media Arts Lawyers, including serving as the head of its Brisbane office.

WEL's primary focus is to guide Australian creative talent through their transitions into international markets, offering specialized insights beyond conventional legal counsel.

Marcus Walkom has officially launched his new specialist practice, Walkom Entertainment Lawyers (WEL), marking a significant development in the Australian entertainment law landscape. This move follows the recent closure of Media Arts Lawyers, where Walkom had served for 14 years, including as the head of its Brisbane office since 2022. The establishment of WEL parallels the formation of Hewitt Glass by his former peers, Rob Glass and Julian Hewitt, indicating a broader restructuring within the sector.

Walkom expressed that his extensive tenure at Media Arts Lawyers provided invaluable experience, particularly in navigating the firm's substantial growth driven by the increasing globalization of the entertainment industry and robust leadership. He views WEL as a fresh platform to continue his passion for entertainment law, aiming to serve the full spectrum of the industry. This includes supporting developing talent taking their initial professional steps, as well as established creative businesses and globally successful artists.

His vision for the new firm is rooted in the belief that all clients, regardless of their career stage, deserve high-quality, commercially astute legal advice. This counsel, he emphasizes, should come from a lawyer who not only grasps immediate needs and ambitions but also possesses a deep understanding of the broader industry context. The launch of Marcus Walkom's new law firm is poised to offer a dedicated resource for the Australian creative sector.

A core mission for Walkom Entertainment Lawyers is to facilitate the expansion of Australian creative talent into international markets. This specialized focus goes beyond providing standard legal advice, delving into the intricate nuances of global deals and the practicalities of executing them successfully. WEL aims to future-proof artists' careers by offering forward-looking insights into market trends, thereby positioning them for genuine global success.

Walkom is deeply committed to cultivating a practice where every client receives optimal service, regardless of their scale or level of success. The firm intends to act as a trusted advisor, integrating itself more broadly into clients' strategic planning. This approach underscores WEL's ambition to become a key player in global entertainment law, ensuring Australian artists and businesses are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of international commerce and intellectual property.

Brisbane has been strategically chosen as the natural headquarters for Walkom Entertainment Lawyers. Walkom highlighted several compelling reasons for this decision, including the city's vibrant creative community and his personal connection to it as his home. He firmly believes that in an increasingly globalized world, it is entirely feasible to build a genuinely international professional-services business from Brisbane.

While major industry hubs are traditionally centered in Melbourne and Sydney, Walkom points out that Queensland, alongside the Northern Rivers region, consistently produces exceptional artists, entertainment businesses, and executive talent. He identifies Brisbane and the broader Queensland region as areas of significant growth, anticipating continued expansion, particularly in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics. As a final, more lighthearted note, he also cited the region's better weather as an advantage for the Brisbane entertainment lawyers.

This article signals the emergence of a new specialist firm, Walkom Entertainment Lawyers, focusing on guiding Australian creative talent into global markets. Lawyers and compliance officers advising clients in the entertainment sector should note WEL as a potential referral partner or competitor, particularly for cross-border deals and intellectual property matters.

Source: Original reporting via Australasian Lawyer.