If you need legal assistance and are strapped for cash, you might want to consider contacting Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA; www.vlany.org). No matter where you live, you can have your arts-related legal question answered free of charge by calling the Art Law Line at VLA at (212) 319-2910. This service is free whether you are a poor struggling artist or a music mogul, so I highly recommend that you avail yourself of it if the need arises. As VLA is based in New York, please note that you must call during business hours Eastern Standard Time, or they will not return your call. If you are able to actually meet with a VLA attorney (remember they are based in NYC), you should know that VLA also provides arts-related legal representation to artists and organizations in all artistic/creative disciplines, and the only cost is a small up-front administrative charge. Sometimes their staff attorneys will represent you, but most often they’ll farm your work out to volunteers at New York law firms. For representation, contact VLA at (212) 319-2787. The only caveat is, because you’re getting free legal services, they can’t guarantee that your attorney will have specific experience relevant to your legal matter. Though he or she will likely be competent in his or her core discipline, that core discipline isn’t likely to be music law. You should still be OK for most simple matters-- but as noted above, you do not want an attorney who is not experienced with music industry legal standards negotiating complex agreements like record or publishing deals. In other words, VLA is a great service that you should take advantage of, but it is not really an acceptable substitute for having a dedicated music attorney on your team.
How Music Attorneys Charge
There are three basic fee structures for developing artists.

1. An hourly fee that ranges from $75 - $500 per hour for services rendered.
2. A percentage deal. Some attorneys will receive between five and ten percent of the deals that they negotiate for you.
3. A flat rate per contract. A management contract could cost between $300 and $2,500. A major label record deal could cost between $2,500 and $30,000.

There are some obvious benefits to each of these structures.