Influencers

CREATORS

Stokes Law Group · Content Creators & Influencers · Legacy · Wealth · Protection

You built the audience.
Now build the legal infrastructure.

Brand deals move fast. FTC disclosure rules move faster. Platform terms of service can change overnight. In an industry where your entire business lives on infrastructure you do not own, legal protection is not optional. It is the difference between a viral moment and a sustainable career.

Book a Strategy Session

The Cost of Building Without Legal Infrastructure

Four traps that quietly cost creators everything.

The creator economy runs on speed. Brand deals in DMs. Contracts signed same-day. Handshake agreements that never make it to paper. That speed is exactly what makes creators legally exposed in ways most other professionals never face.

Risk 01

FTC Endorsement Violations

The FTC enforces endorsement disclosure rules with real penalties. Improper #ad placement, missing disclosures on sponsored content, and undisclosed brand relationships have triggered enforcement actions with fines that can end a creator career.

Risk 02

Platform De-Platforming

Your entire business lives on someone else's infrastructure. A terms-of-service violation, an algorithm change, or an account suspension can vaporize years of audience-building overnight. Legal protection here means owning your business off-platform.

Risk 03

Brand Deal Trap Clauses

Perpetual usage rights, whitelisting without additional fees, boosting rights, unpaid exclusivity, category lockouts. These are the standard clauses in brand deal contracts, and they are all negotiable if you catch them before you sign.

Risk 04

AI Training on Your Content

Your videos, your writing, your voice, your image. All of it is being scraped and used to train AI models, often without your knowledge or consent. New platform terms of service quietly include grants of AI training rights that most creators never notice.

Wondering if any of these risks are already in your current contracts or platform agreements? A Strategy Session is where we find out.

See How It Works →

Where You Are In Your Career

Five stages, five sets of legal needs.

The creator economy moves fast, and your legal priorities shift as your business scales. What an emerging creator needs is different from what a working creator needs, which is different from what an established creator with a multi-platform business needs.

01

Emerging

Growing audience, first brand deals arriving, first sponsorship offers in your DMs. Priority: understanding what you are signing before you say yes on impulse.

02

Growing

Consistent brand deals, first talent management conversations, multiple platforms generating revenue. Priority: FTC compliance discipline and contract discipline across a growing deal flow.

03

Established

Named brand partnerships, ambassador deals, product line offers, negotiations with agencies. Priority: negotiating from strength and building the business entity structure around your revenue.

04

Career Creator

Multi-platform business, hired team, launched products, membership community. Priority: retainer counsel across a portfolio of contracts, revenue streams, and legal exposures.

05

Legacy Creator

Established brand equity, licensable IP, archive of monetizable content, potential brand acquisition targets. Priority: preserving what you built and structuring for the next phase, whether that is scale, sale, or handoff.

Not sure which stage you are in or what your priorities should be? That is exactly what a Strategy Session is for.

Start a Conversation →

LEGACY

The Counsel Relationship

The Creator Counsel Retainer.

This is not a bulk-discount package. It is a counsel relationship. Brand deals arrive in DMs and close in 48 hours. Platform policies change without warning. FTC guidance evolves faster than most attorneys can track. When your business moves at creator speed, you need an attorney who already knows your revenue streams, your brand, and your risk tolerance before the next opportunity lands.

What comes with the relationship

The Creator Counsel Retainer is annual counsel for working content creators and influencers with active deal flow. It combines contract review capacity with the kind of ongoing legal relationship most creators never have access to at a boutique price point.

What the retainer includes:

Priority scheduling for all incoming brand deals, contracts, and offers
Quarterly business and portfolio review sessions
Direct attorney email access, no gatekeeping
Unlimited brief questions under 15 minutes each
Right of first review on any deal within 24 business hours
Five (5) full contract reviews per calendar year
Retainer-client rates on all additional reviews beyond the included five
Coordination with your talent manager, agent, or business team as needed
Annual FTC compliance audit and platform terms audit

Annual Retainer

Creator Counsel Retainer

$18,000

Per Year · Payable Annually or Quarterly

Discuss the Retainer

What is not on this list is the part that matters most. An attorney who already knows your business when the next brand deal lands.

Project-Based Services

Creator packages for specific deals.

If a retainer relationship is not the right fit yet, we offer project-based reviews and negotiation services at flat-fee pricing. Every engagement begins with a Strategy Session to confirm scope.

Signature Offering · For Growing Creators

The Integrated Legacy Package (ILP)

A structured legal foundation for creators building past hobby stage into a real business. Combines the essential trademark, business, and contract work into one guided engagement so you do not have to piece it together.

Federal trademark application for your creator name or handle
LLC or business entity formation with operating agreement
Standard brand deal template drafted for your use going forward
FTC endorsement disclosure toolkit
Two additional contract reviews included

$8,500

Flat Fee · Approx 60-90 Days

Discuss the ILP

Brand Deals & Sponsorships

Sponsored Content, Ambassador, and Endorsement Deals

Standard Brand Deal Review

Full review of a brand deal contract up to 20 pages including usage rights, exclusivity, whitelisting, deliverables, kill fees, and payment terms.

$2,500Up to 20 pages

Major Brand Campaign

Comprehensive review of a longer or more complex brand campaign, integrated marketing agreement, or multi-platform activation.

$4,00021+ pages

Long-Term Ambassador Deal

Review of ambassador or spokesperson agreement including morals clauses, exclusivity, term length, deliverable minimums, and renewal or extension rights.

$4,000Flat Fee

Whitelisting or Boosting Rights

Review or negotiation of whitelisting and boosting rights language, where a brand runs paid ads using your content and handle. Common trap area in modern brand deals.

$2,500Flat Fee

FTC & Compliance

Endorsement Disclosure and Regulatory Compliance

FTC Endorsement Disclosure Audit

Audit of your existing sponsored content across platforms for FTC compliance, identifying missing or improper disclosures and providing a remediation plan.

$2,500Flat Fee

FTC Compliance Toolkit

Complete disclosure toolkit for your business including platform-specific disclosure templates, contract addendum for brand partners, and a compliance training document for your team.

$3,500Flat Fee

Subscription Platform TOS Review

Review of platform terms of service for Patreon, OnlyFans, Substack, Circle, or similar subscription platforms including content ownership, revenue split, and de-platforming risk.

$2,500Flat Fee

Business & Product

Product Lines, Courses, and Business Structure

Business Formation for Creators

LLC or corporate formation designed around creator revenue including operating agreement, tax structure guidance, and separation of personal and creator business assets.

$3,500Flat Fee + State Filing

Merch or Product Line Agreement

Review or drafting of a manufacturing, licensing, or fulfillment agreement for your product line including approval rights, royalty structure, and quality control.

$3,500Flat Fee

Course or Digital Product Agreement

Review of hosting platform agreements, joint venture agreements, or affiliate deals for your course, digital product, or paid content offering.

$2,500Flat Fee

Community or Membership Setup

Legal setup for your paid community including terms of service, membership agreement, code of conduct, refund policy, and moderator guidelines.

$3,500Flat Fee

Representation & Rights

Management, Content Rights, and Recovery

Talent Agency or Management Review

Full review of your agency or management agreement including commission structure, exclusivity, category coverage, term length, sunset clause, and termination rights.

$2,500Flat Fee

Content Licensing Agreement

Drafting or reviewing agreements that license your existing content, video library, or archive to third parties for commercial use.

$4,500Flat Fee

Content Rights Audit

Audit of your platform agreements, brand deals, and content licenses to identify what rights you have granted, what you still control, and where your exposure lives.

$4,500Flat Fee

AI Training Opt-Out Language

Drafting of custom AI training opt-out and machine learning restriction language for insertion into new brand deals and content agreements.

$2,000Flat Fee

Add-On Services

Available with Any Package

Negotiation Representation

We engage directly with the brand or agency's counsel and negotiate the deal on your behalf, including counterproposals, redline exchanges, and closing.

$3,500-$5,000Scope Set in Strategy Session

Pre-Litigation Demand

Formal demand letter for unpaid brand deal fees, content licensing violations, or breach of contract terms, positioned to resolve without litigation.

$2,000Flat Fee

Pre-Litigation Resolution

Full pre-litigation resolution work including demand, negotiation, and settlement drafting, aimed at recovery without filing suit.

Starting $4,500Scope Set in Strategy Session

DISCLOSE

The Legal Fight Every Creator Faces

FTC compliance, endorsement disclosure, and the rules that end careers.

The FTC enforces endorsement disclosure rules against creators, and the enforcement has real teeth. Fines can reach five figures per violation. Repeat violations can trigger permanent injunctions. Brand partners can be named as respondents alongside you. If you have ever posted sponsored content without clear disclosure, or worked with a brand that gave you loose "just say it is an ad" guidance, you have compliance exposure that most creators never think about until an enforcement letter arrives.

The Stakes

The FTC has updated its Endorsement Guides multiple times in recent years, with each revision expanding what qualifies as an endorsement, what qualifies as adequate disclosure, and what constitutes a "material connection" that must be disclosed. Compliance is not a one-time checkbox. It is an ongoing legal obligation that requires proper systems, contracts, and audit processes.

Layer 01

Disclosure Placement and Prominence

Disclosures must be clear, conspicuous, and placed where consumers actually see them before engaging. Buried in captions, hidden behind "more" tags, appended after other text, in fine print at the bottom of videos, none of these meet FTC standards.

Layer 02

Material Connections

Any material connection between you and a brand, whether payment, free product, discount, or family relationship, must be disclosed. Product placements, gifted items, affiliate relationships, and personal ties all trigger disclosure obligations most creators do not realize apply to them.

Layer 03

Platform-Specific Standards

TikTok requires different disclosure than YouTube. Instagram Stories require different disclosure than Instagram feed posts. Podcast disclosures work differently than video disclosures. There is no one-size-fits-all disclosure phrase, and enforcement varies by platform and content format.

Layer 04

Brand Partner Liability Shifting

Brands often insert language into contracts that shifts FTC compliance liability to you, the creator. This is negotiable. Well-drafted creator contracts include mutual FTC representations, indemnity for brand-provided disclosure language, and audit rights that protect you when disputes arise.

If you are actively running sponsored content and have not audited your disclosure practices, this is the highest-priority legal risk on your desk.

Start with a Strategy Session →

The First Step

Start with a Strategy Session.

Before any engagement, every creator starts here. One hour. One focused conversation. You leave with clarity on where you stand, what is at risk in any deal in front of you, and which engagement structure fits your business. This is the diagnostic that gets you to the right next step.

What we cover in your hour together

This is a diagnostic session, not a contract review. We assess your business position, identify risks in any deals or platform agreements you are working with, and recommend the right engagement structure for what you actually need. If you have a contract on the table, we will look at it together at a high level and flag concerns, but the line-by-line negotiation work happens under a separate engagement. The Strategy Session is how we figure out what that engagement should be.

Diagnostic of your business position and legal exposure
High-level look at any contract you are considering, with red-flag identification
Initial FTC compliance assessment of your current disclosure practices
Clear recommendation on which engagement tier or retainer fits your situation
Coordination with your existing manager, agent, or business team if needed
A written summary of our conversation sent within 48 hours
Confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege

Strategy Session

One Hour. Full Clarity.

$500

60 Minutes · Via Zoom

Credit Toward Engagement

If you engage the Firm within fourteen (14) days, your $500 Strategy Session fee credits in full toward your first flat-fee deliverable, ILP engagement, or annual retainer.

Book Your Strategy Session

Sessions held Monday through Thursday. Limited to ten per week.

Common Questions

What creators and influencers actually ask.

Do you work with influencers, or just content creators?+

Both, and honestly the distinction is more about self-identification than legal service. Whether you call yourself a content creator, an influencer, a YouTuber, a TikToker, a podcaster, a streamer, a newsletter operator, or something else, if you are building an audience and monetizing it through brand deals, sponsored content, memberships, or platform revenue, this practice is built for you. The legal work is the same.

Do I really need an attorney for a brand deal in my DMs?+

If the deal is under $500 and a one-time post, probably not. If it involves usage rights, exclusivity, ambassador terms, whitelisting, or any longer commitment, yes. Brand deals that arrive in DMs are often the ones with the worst legal terms because brands know creators will not slow down to have them reviewed. That is exactly when review matters most.

How is the Creator Counsel Retainer different from paying per review?+

The retainer is not a bulk-discount package. It is a relationship. It includes five full contract reviews per year plus priority scheduling, direct email access, quarterly business reviews, unlimited brief questions, and an annual FTC and platform terms audit. Working creators with active deal flow typically hit the value of the retainer within the first two or three deals, but the real value is the relationship: an attorney who already knows your business when the next brand deal lands.

What is the Integrated Legacy Package and who is it for?+

The ILP is our signature offering for creators who have moved past hobby stage and are building an actual business. It combines federal trademark for your creator name, LLC or business entity formation, a standard brand deal template drafted for your future use, an FTC endorsement disclosure toolkit, and two additional contract reviews into one guided engagement. It is designed for creators who need the full legal foundation but do not want to piece it together over multiple engagements.

What if I signed a brand deal I should not have?+

Bring it to the Strategy Session. A post-signature review identifies your obligations, exposures, and potential exit paths. Not every bad clause is enforceable, and brands sometimes agree to amendments when creators raise legitimate concerns, especially if they want to keep the working relationship going.

Can you help with FTC disclosure violations already flagged by a brand or platform?+

Yes. If you have received a compliance notice, a takedown request, or a warning from a brand partner or platform about disclosure practices, we can assess the situation, respond on your behalf, and implement compliance systems going forward. Speed matters here, so this is a fast-track engagement.

Do you represent creators outside Florida?+

Yes. Contract review, brand deal negotiation, FTC compliance work, trademark, and business formation are all transactional legal services that do not require the creator to be in Florida. Attorney Stokes is licensed in Florida, and matters governed by another state's law (California and New York are common) may be handled directly, may involve local co-counsel, or may be scoped to Florida-based aspects of the deal, depending on the specifics. We confirm this during the Strategy Session.

I got de-platformed. Can you help me get my account back?+

Sometimes. Platform de-platforming appeals depend heavily on the platform, the violation cited, and your evidence. We can review your platform terms, assess whether the platform's action complies with its own policies, and prepare a formal appeal or demand. However, no attorney can guarantee reinstatement. This is exactly why building your business off-platform, with owned channels like an email list and your own website, is a core part of long-term creator legal strategy.

PROTECT IT

Ready When You Are

Your business. Your rules.

Book a Strategy Session and we will walk through your current situation, look at any brand deals or platform agreements at a high level, and recommend the exact engagement that fits. One hour. Full clarity.

Book Your Strategy Session

Legacies are created, not inherited.

(813) 444-4156

contact@stokeslegalcounsel.com

Four traps that quietly cost creators everything.

Five stages, five sets of legal needs.

The Creator Counsel Retainer.

What comes with the relationship

Creator packages for specific deals.

The Integrated Legacy Package (ILP)

FTC compliance, endorsement disclosure, and the rules that end careers.

Start with a Strategy Session.

What we cover in your hour together

What creators and influencers actually ask.

Your business connects to everything.

Your business. Your rules.