Retrograde Legal was founded to help creatives, entrepreneurs, troublemakers, and misfits protect their art, build their brand, and most of all…
(480) 525 2568
raise some hell
Who we Help
We represent the people who make a living through their creativity, challenge authority, and occasionally catch heat for it. If that’s you, then you're in the right place.
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Musicians, comedians, filmmakers, dancers — if you perform for a living, we work to make sure you're performing on your own terms. We've seen the contracts venues and labels try to push. We push back.
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Tattoo artists. Fashion designers. Jewelers. Hair stylists. Body modification artists. Piercers. If you work with your hands, you're a craftsperson, and your business deserves legal protection that understands.
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Whether you just landed your first brand deal or you're running a full creative production company, we protect your content, your contracts, and your brand.
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Authors, journalists, podcasters, and bloggers. If you publish, you have legal exposure. Copyright theft, defamation claims, unfair agreements. We protect independent voices so you can keep saying the things that matter.
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You make businesses look good by making their content, managing their social, and fine-tuning their marketing. We make it all legal and make sure you get paid what you’re worth.
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Art as protest is a long and proud tradition. We work closely with artists and activist organizations to make good trouble and drive positive political change.
Why Go Retro?
We represent creatives and artists through the whole spectrum of legal issues they face.
Intellectual Property and Licensing
Marketing and brand deals
Business formation
Contracts
Labor and workers rights
Civil disputees
Helping with criminal charges
Big companies and the government don’t want you to know this, but… they’re not as powerful as they want you to think. They just know how to leverage the system.
We’re here to turn the tables and give you that same leverage.
What we do
The life of a creative doesn’t always fit inside a box. It encompasses everything from making and creating your art, licensing it, building a personal brand, and it comes with a certain lifestyle. You need a law firm who can handle it.
Protecting the Art(and the artist)
Your art has value, and so do you. Protect your intellectual property, your likeness, and your right to express yourself.
Intellectual Property/copyright law.
Musicians, writers, painters, filmmakers, copyright law protects your rights in the art you make. We help you own your art and protect it through copyright registrations, copyright enforcement, licensing, and, if needed, a lawsuit.
Contracts and Negotiations.
If you’re an artist, your product is the Intellectual property. You need strong licensing agreements and contracts that make sure you get paid what you’re worth, and you don’t get into bad deals. We provide contract reviews and custom drafts to make sure you get paid and protected
Artist Rights.
You have rights as an artist beyond intellectual property. We fight for you to protect your labor rights, right of publicity, and right to free expression.
Art & IP Criminal Charges
Street art graffiti, art heists, copyright bootlegging… all things you can be criminally charged for. When the stakes are high, we have the expertise to help.
Building The Brand (and the biz)
Take your creativity to the next level. Put a legal suit of armor on by forming business entity, and turn your brand into an asset.
Entity Formation and Operating Agreements.
Put a legal suit of armor around yourself and your work. We help creatives and entrepreneurs choose the right business structure, file the paperwork, and set it up in a way that actually protects your personal assets from business liability.
Brand Consulting and Trademark Protection.
Your brand name is an asset, not just a vibe. Trademark registration turns it into something you legally own. We handle federal filings with transparent, flat-fee pricing. No surprises.
Service Agreements And More.
Collaboration agreements, client contracts, vendor deals, we draft them right and negotiate the parts that matter. Ever signed something and regretted it later? Yeah, let’s stop that.
Trademark & Business Criminal Charges.
Counterfeit trademarks, unauthorized franchising, and embezzlement charges are just some sticky situations business owners find themselves in. We can help you through it.
Raising Some Hell (And Defending Your Freedom)
Sometimes you color outside the lines. When that happens, we jump in with you and defend you till the end, through civil and criminal alike.
Protest and free expression.
If your speech gets you in trouble, we fight for you.
Artist lifestyle charges
As an artist, it's your job to express yourself and raise hell (yes, we said it). Some people will try to silence you. Not if we can help it.
When charges affect your professional life
Criminal charges affect artists, entertainers, and businesses in several ways. Whether they’re due to activism, business, or plain bad luck, we defend both your rights AND your career.
Meet The Team
A ragtag team of misfits from big law, corporate marketing, and the entertainment industry. High-profile clients. We left all that behind and took the tricks with us. Now we use them for the people who actually need them.
Joseph “Rocky” Mckay Esq.
Founding Attorney
Gus Campbell Esq.
Attorney
Fractional CMO/Kult Leader