All Rise for the Encore: Chelsea Donoghue’s Musical Journey into the Legal Field
Author: Nishara Fernando
Interviewers: Kieley Cornwell, Tiffany Lu & Nishara Fernando
In the decked-out halls of the UNIFIED Music Group office, in-house lawyer Chelsea Donoghue let us peek behind the curtain at life as a music and entertainment lawyer. Like a true performer, she aced our song association game and talked us through her unique journey into her in-house role. P.S. Try and spot all the musical references hidden throughout this piece!
Chapter 1: La La Land Law School
Chelsea’s journey into law began with a twist of fate. Originally enrolled in a jazz course she accidentally wandered into the law orientation session during her first week. There she realised what many aspiring lawyers eventually learn. That is, that the legal profession can be more than just fancy suits and dramatic courtroom showdowns, but that it is a vast and diverse field with plenty of room for the creatives!
Not many law students can say that they balanced assignment season with touring the world. Chelsea’s law school experience was far from typical in this way, as she juggled studies with her full-time music career. While many of her classmates spent long nights in the library, she was also performing at gigs and travelling, navigating two demanding worlds at once.
This balancing act meant she had less time for the traditional campus social scene, though she now recognises how valuable it can be to build those connections early on. ‘You don’t realise at the time how valuable those relationships can be,’ she reflects. The friendships she did form, however, have endured and grown into meaningful professional ties. This leads into her first piece of advice to law students; to invest in the relationships made at law school since, ‘those connections stay with you forever.’
Chapter 2: Crazy Little Thing Called Love Law
Chelsea then spoke to the difficulty of breaking into the niche of music and entertainment law. Specialising in this field is no easy feat, particularly in Australia where only a handful of practitioners work in the area. At the same time, she reflects that being part of such a small group has its advantages as it means her expertise is often in demand. Her first legal experience came through an internship at Sanicki Lawyers, a boutique music and entertainment firm in Prahran. It was there she found her rhythm, learning to harmonise legal skills with the creativity of the industry.
Considering Chelsea’s rich musical background, her musicianship gave (and continues to give) her a unique edge in her career, helping her to speak the same language as her client and peers and understand the nuances of the industry. Nonetheless, she notes that a musical background is not the only way to get your foot in the door. Attending industry events, networking, and paying close attention when your lecturer mentions contracts all go a long way for those aspiring to be a lawyer in the music or entertainment space.
She further emphasises that while niche areas (such as the music and entertainment legal industry) can be highly competitive, they depend on legal skills and practices that are used widely in the profession and are absolutely transferable from any starting point.
Chapter 3: The Life of a Showgirl (and Lawyer)
Chelsea’s workday begins early, often with a 6am walk to clear her mind before diving into emails and planning. Her 9 to 5 in the office is dynamic and multifaceted. She drafts publishing and recording agreements, negotiates with record label executives, and advises bands on internal disputes. Highlighting how her work is strategic, forward-thinking, and deeply embedded in the evolving landscape of the music industry, she speaks on her involvement in launching new music programs and collaborating with UNIFIED Music’s software developer to create tools for contract drafting. The most common disputes she sees involve managers and artists, band breakups, and royalty disagreements and she deals mostly with contract law.
From left to right: 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs’, La La Land, and The Sound of Music album covers. See if you can spot the references to these favourites in this write-up!
Chapter 4: ‘Do You Want the [in-]House Tour?’
Now working in-house, Chelsea enjoys the freedom that comes without billable hours. “I can just sit down and work on a contract and spend as much time to get it right" she explains, without the pressure of time tracking. She reflects on the shift from juggling hundreds of clients in her past role to focusing on UNIFIED Music as her sole client and the reward in being able to immerse herself in the company’s culture, strategy and growth.
The UNIFIED Music office itself is a reflection of this blend of law and creativity. Any music lover would feel at home among the iconic records and portraits of legends on the walls. For students who feel torn between their passions, the space stands as proof that pursuing a legal career doesn’t mean pushing aside your other interests (i.e you really can live the best of both worlds!).
Chapter 5: What I Like About You Copyright, Contracts and Corporations Law
For students looking to enter entertainment law, Chelsea recommends focusing on copyright, contracts and corporations law. She points to ‘All You Need to Know About the Music Business,’ by Don Passman as essential reading, and stresses familiarising oneself with different types of music deals. Beyond this, she highlights the importance of networking given that jobs in this field are rarely advertised, meaning that it really is about who you know.
Her approach to networking is short n sweet, that is, to make friends, not just contacts. This mindset takes the pressure off and helps build genuine and lasting connections. Chelsea also encourages students to be active on social media, at gigs and to attend music industry events through organisations such as Music Victoria, The Push, Support Act, and Unified Music Group.
Chapter 6: Dream On
Landing her in-house role at UNIFIED marked a major career milestone, but for Chelsea it’s just the beginning. She’s committed to helping grow the business from within, combining her legal expertise with her passion for music and innovation.
Within EncycLAWpedia’s living library of the law, her story entitled ‘All Rise for the Encore,’ would start from the very beginning (a very good place to start) when she accidentally wandered into that law school orientation and found herself on the path to her dream career.
As a final anecdote she shares one of the strangest green room rider requests she’s come across, when an artist wanted a bowl of Smarties with all the red ones removed. And yes, the team delivered, reminding us that in law, as in music, attention to detail matters everywhere.
Chelsea is one of the mentors in UNIFIED Music Group’s Ground Floor program, supporting up-and-coming Australian artists as they navigate the music industry. Read more here.