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No Minor Issue: working with kids in podcasts
8th August 2024 • Legit Podcast Pro • Gordon Firemark
00:00:00 00:11:13

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Summary:

Gordon Firemark, The Podcast Lawyer™, addresses a viewer's question about having a minor as a co-host on their podcast. This episode covers the enforceability of minors' contracts, the sufficiency of parent signatures, the court-approval process in various states, and other significant legal and business concerns when working with minors in media and entertainment. Additionally, we discuss Leonardo DiCaprio's early career and the impact of voiding his contracts as a minor.

Key Points:

  1. Enforceability of contracts with minors.
  2. The role and sufficiency of parent signatures.
  3. States offering court approval for minors' contracts in entertainment.
  4. Additional legal and business considerations (labor laws, education requirements, safety, and privacy).
  5. Leonardo DiCaprio's early career example and its legal implications.

Call to Action:

For more legal advice and podcast-specific legal forms, visit PodcastLawForms.com.

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Contact:

For legal consultations and more information, visit https://firemark.com

Hashtags:

#Podcasting #LegalAdvice #MinorsInMedia #PodcastLaw #EntertainmentLaw #GordonFiremark #ThePodcastLawyer #LegitPodcastPro

Transcripts

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No minor issue working with kids in podcasting.

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Hey there, podcasting pros. There's an old adage in show business,

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never work with animals or children, and it's mainly

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about being upstaged by their cuteness. But have you ever wondered

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about the legal hoops when you're involving kids in your podcast? Well,

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today, we're diving into a question from one of our viewers about having a

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minor as a cohost. So stick around because this is something you

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definitely want to get right if you do it.

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Welcome back to another episode of Legit Podcast Pro. I'm your host, Gordon

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Firemark, the podcast lawyer. And in today's episode, we are tackling a

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crucial topic, working with minors in podcasting. Now this is

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an area filled with potential pitfalls and legal nuances,

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but it is also one that can lead to really unique and engaging content if

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it's handled correctly. So we're gonna answer a viewer's question

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about using a minor as a cohost. We're gonna discuss everything from

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the enforce ability of the contracts with minors, the role of parents

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and their signatures, and the court approval process that some states have. And we'll

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also cover a few other legal business considerations to think about

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when working with kids in media and entertainment. So let's get right

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into this viewer's question. He wrote in, I'll have

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an episode, upcoming where a minor will act as a cohost.

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I had his parents sign the guest release document, and I made some slight changes

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to indicate that he's a minor. He's going to cohost, and

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both parents gave their permission for all of the things that are already in the

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release. I'm just not sure if this is legit enough, but I thought that this

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might be something other podcasts have or are considering.

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Well, this is an excellent question and one that lots of

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podcasters ought to think about as they expand their content

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to include younger voices. It is a reminder that while podcasting

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can seem very straightforward, there are often hidden

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legal complexities that can come up, especially when minors are involved or

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other slightly out of the ordinary,

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things are are part of the equation. So first things first, contracts

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with minors. Generally speaking, contracts with

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minors are not enforceable against the minor. That means that if the

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minor or the parents later decide to back out of the deal, they

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can typically do that without legal consequences. That's

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because the law recognizes that minors may not fully

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understand the implications of a contract and, therefore,

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can't be held to the same standards as adults. And, in

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fact, for instance, one very now very famous actor appeared

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in several films as a minor, and later when he became an adult,

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he voided some of those agreements, making it impossible to

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distribute those films. We'll talk a little more about that in a minute, but this

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is a perfect example of the complications that can arise

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when working with kids and why it's crucial to understand the legal

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landscape. So are parent signatures enough if the

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kids can't make their own contracts? Well, having a parent or guardian sign

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the release is a useful step. It shows that the parents are aware

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of and they consent to the minor's participation,

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but this alone may not be sufficient to really

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provide full legal protection. Parents can consent on

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behalf of their minor children, but there are limits to

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what they can legally agree to. For

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example, they can't waive certain labor protections or rights

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that the child the child might have. They can't force the kid to work.

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We call that slavery, and that's not something we do here.

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That means that while a parent's signature can help to demonstrate their

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consent, it doesn't entirely eliminate the risk

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of the minor later backing out or challenging the agreement at

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some other time. So it is a worthwhile

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effort to get the parents' signatures, but it isn't always going to

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be sufficient. So, in

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some states, especially those with a robust entertainment

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industry like California and New York, there's an additional step

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you should be aware of. It's a court approval process. Now it's

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not a requirement, but getting court approval can render

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the contract fully binding and enforceable even though one

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of the parties is a minor. Now this process ensures that the terms of

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the contract are fair and in the best interests of the child.

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So here's a quick overview of how the court approval process

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works here in California. And as I understand it, New York and Illinois

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have similar programs and very similar. While each state has its own

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specific procedures, here's what they sort of have in common.

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First off, you need to draft a petition that includes details

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about the contract, the terms of the contract, the minor's role, and

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the information about the parents or legal guardians. And you have to

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justify why the contract should be approved, that it's fair and

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reasonable. Next, you file the petition with the appropriate

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court. Now that's in California, that's called the Superior Court.

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In New York, it's called the New York State Supreme Court, and in Illinois,

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it's the circuit court. Just to keep things interesting, they use different

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nomenclature for these things. Anyway, you typically you file this in the

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county where the minor resides or will where the work is

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going to be performed. Now in addition to

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this petition, the court usually requires some supporting documents

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that'll, of course, be a copy of the contract itself, the minor's

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work permit. California also requires proof of something called a

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Coogan account. It's a special segregated bank account that

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safeguards a portion of the minor's earnings until they

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are an adult. Now if you're doing a podcast where there's no earnings to speak

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of, this may not be something you can do, but it's something to be aware

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of. Once the petition is filed, a hearing date might

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be set. Now the hearing allows the judge to review the contract,

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consider its fairness, talk to the lawyers, and hear from all of the

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interested parties. During that hearing, the judge will evaluate

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the fairness of the deal, the compensation working conditions, and the

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impact on the minor's education and well-being. They'll also

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ensure that a portion of those earnings are put aside in that Coogan account if

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it's California, and other states will do similar things. Sometimes,

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if the paper record is sufficient, the judge can actually rule without a hearing.

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And here in California, my experience is most the time this is just done through

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the mail. Anyway, if the judge approves the contract, then they

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issue a court order, and that makes the contract binding

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and enforceable. So by understanding these processes

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and the nuances, you can better navigate the legal landscape

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of of working with minors in your projects. And this will ensure

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that all the legal requirements are met and protections in place for both the

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minor and the producer of the show. Now beyond

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contracts, there are some other significant legal and business

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concerns when you're working with minors. First off,

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labor laws. Most states have specific labor laws that

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address minors, restrictions on their working hours and conditions.

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For example, minors are often limited in the number of hours they're

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allowed to work each day and week, and there are usually restrictions

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on the times of day that the work is allowed. Ensuring

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compliance with these laws is critical to avoid legal

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trouble. Education requirements. You also

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probably have to assure that the minor's participation will not

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interfere with their education. Some state states require

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that a studio teacher or a welfare worker is present to monitor the sky

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the school's, excuse me, the child's schooling or welfare. And

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that's especially important when it's longer projects or that are gonna take the kid away

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from the regular school during normal school

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periods. So keep that in mind. Safety

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and welfare is another concern. It's always important to prioritize the minor

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safety and well-being, including having a clear plan for

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emergencies, making sure the working environment is safe and suitable for

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kids, and adhering to any guidelines that the state or federal

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child labor laws set out. It is essential to create a child

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friendly environment that fosters creativity while also

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ensuring their protection. Number 4 is privacy

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concerns. Protecting minors' privacy is important.

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Be mindful of the information shared about the kid and ensure

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that they know what they're disclosing and that the consent is

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given for those disclosures, especially when there are personal

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details. This includes being cautious about sharing where they

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live, their name, address, the school, or any other identifying

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information that might be made public by the episode.

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So let's dive a little deeper now into that young

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actor I mentioned. You might have heard of him. His name

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is Leonardo DiCaprio. And as a young actor,

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DiCaprio participated in several student film and experimental film

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projects under agreements that were made while he was still a

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minor. Later, as an adult and as his career was taking

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off, he began to exercise his right to void those early

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contracts so that those films would never be seen again. And that action

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resulted in challenges for the filmmakers who had investments in their

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projects that they could no longer distribute or profit from

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without a renegotiation with DiCaprio, who is now an established

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czar. Well, this situation underscores the potential pitfalls

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of working with minors in the entertainment industry. If those

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contracts had been court approved, the producers would have had much

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more solid ground to stand on. It's a perfect illustration of why

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taking additional legal steps like seeking court approval can be

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important. These steps can save you from potential disputes

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and ensure that your project remains viable and legally sound.

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So while having a minor as a cohost can certainly add a unique and

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engaging element to your podcast, it is vital that you navigate

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the legal landscape carefully, ensure you have the necessary

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parental consents, and consider that court approval if it's

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available, and always prioritize the minor's safety and

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well-being. Learning from past examples, like the DiCaprio

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story and his early career, will really help you make more informed

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decisions and avoid potential legal headaches.

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Well, thanks for tuning to this episode of, Legit Podcast

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Pro. If you have more questions about the legal aspects of podcasting,

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please visit podcastlawforms.com where you can access all kinds of

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podcast specific lawyer generated legal forms and templates that you might need,

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or reach out to me with your questions. Until next time, keep on

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podcasting like a legit podcast pro.

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