About Protect Your Magic:
For years, my law firm’s signature service — a holistic assessment of a new client’s intellectual property — was called Protect Your Magic. We stopped using the name, but I couldn’t let go of the idea.
“Magic” is a capacious and flexible container that can include visual art, writing, music, ritual — pretty much anything. I help a diverse array of creative clients with any kind of content that can be legally protected. I protect “magic” with a blend of my legal expertise, art historical training, feminist theory, decades of witchcraft, and nearly life-long experience in psychotherapy. In my day job, I make extremely responsible decisions about which knowledge to draw on, when, and with whom.
On Substack, I get to be a little less responsible.
I self-censor regularly as a lawyer (as I should), so Substack is a place to explore the intellectual paths not taken: fascinating legal cases that don’t apply to the matters on my desk, theories of intersectional copyright law, and the holy intellectual trinity of Matilda Joslyn Gage, adrienne maree brown, and Silvia Federici.
Sometimes, I will offer insights that have marinated for years — writings studied and vetted by mentors and peers but never published. Sometimes, I will interview my favorite thinkers, writers, and makers. Sometimes, I will wax excitedly about someone else’s work because I’m all fired up and dying to discuss it. Sometimes, I might offer a bunch of related links sewn together by a single thread, as I love a good archive.
Protect Your Magic publishes biweekly, usually on Tuesdays. (Clients come first.) It is free and will always be free. Sharing is the best support you can offer!
About Katherine:
I’m an art historian and the principal attorney at Implement Legal, based in Chapel Hill, NC. I have helped hundreds of artists, writers, and other creatives build businesses, protect their creations, and plan their legacies. When not drafting wills and negotiating contracts, I teach Art and Entertainment Law at Queens University of Charlotte.
Previously, I founded de Vos Devine Law, a boutique art law firm based in Asheville, NC, and Cauldron Arts Incubator, a consultancy for Southeastern artists. I’m the former executive director of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Before all that, I worked at Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft LLP, assisting nonprofits with organization, tax exemption, and operations.
I have spoken widely about intellectual property, artists’ rights, arts organizations, and art markets at venues including Triangle Artworks, Mountain Bizworks, University of California at Berkeley, Harvard University, the North Carolina Museum of Art, Art Basel, and Art Papers Salon.
I’m an INTJ who likes espresso, cashmere, and archery. I love deep conversations with strangers, and I believe in the collaborative power of online communities.
You can follow me on Instagram, the only social media platform I tolerate.
Comments Policy: No Hate Speech. No Shame. No Exceptions.
This newsletter’s logo is inspired by The Gorgoneion (i.e., Medusa’s face and head), a symbol of protection, transformation, and feminine empowerment. Because I’m a feminist lawyer who protects creative clients’ transformative works.
I’m about as pleasant as Medusa when it comes to trolls.
Protect Your Magic is a shame-free community. By engaging with my work, you agree to the following:
Debate is natural, but kindness is non-negotiable.
There are no stupid questions, so feel free to be curious. However, judgment kills curiosity, so please be mindful of your tone.
Degrading comments towards any race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability will not be tolerated. Also subject to immediate removal: sexually explicit commentary, promotion of illegal activity, ad hominem attacks, and any harassment.
What-about-isms will be met with swift sarcasm. I do not have time for nonsense.
Finally…
I love reader questions and ideas. If you have an idea for a future newsletter, please email me at hello@implementlegal.com with “IDEA” in the subject line. You can also contact my team at that email address with any other concerns.
