Attorneys Goodwyn and Hendley Ride TikTok Tips to Success with Entertainment Clients

Andrew Goodwyn and Holland Hendley haven’t taken the usual path to law firm success.

Goodwyn majored in fashion merchandising, while Hendley studied music and business. Both dreamed of pursuing careers in entertainment and quickly realized that the most impactful route would be as counselors for the many creative artists among us.

Through research it became apparent to them that many of the big players in entertainment have law degrees — a necessary ingredient for negotiating the mega contracts they hoped to someday win for their clients.

The two headed back to school and got their legal degrees from Texas A&M, then started Hendley & Goodwyn, LLP, in Nashville.

Naturally they nicknamed themselves the Music City Attorneys and took an uncharted step when they decided to specialize in representing young athletes in the burgeoning esports business. For those who may not be in tune with this rapidly growing form of competition sports, the term esports refers to multiplayer video game competitions played online or in front of an audience.

.And if the unique nature of their practice isn’t enough to grab your attention, did we mention that Hendley and Goodwyn started their practice just four months before a pandemic?

Or that part of their practice’s marketing efforts included setting up a TikTok channel called Legal Tips and Skateboard Tricks?

No, most definitely not the usual path, but that’s what makes their story interesting.

“We’ve always had a passion for helping the little guy figure out how to turn their artistry into more of a business or career.”

Being creative themselves, Hendley and Goodwyn understand the struggles that come from trying to make a living doing what you love.

“A lot of these esports players, they’re young and don’t necessarily have the business acumen,” said Goodwyn. “A lot of them are getting taken advantage of by people who have more experience and know more about how to navigate contracts.

“They’re ending up in these contracts that are just totally overbearing.”

But why esports? Why did two artistic types from the Lone Star State open a law firm in Music City to specialize in
representing young people playing video games?

“It’s an interesting industry. It’s a lot like traditional sports before they had unions.”

When most people start a business, they look for the largest possible audience to serve, hoping they can catch just a small percentage of that audience.

Hendley and Goodwyn took the opposite approach, instead choosing to get in on the ground floor of what they see as a
business with unlimited potential.

“There are a lot of players in esports and there’s a lack of representation for them. While we’re certainly not the only esports attorneys or the first ones, we are somewhat on the ground floor.

“A lot of people think esports is a bubble and all the investments are crazy and there’s no money to make,” said Goodwyn. “It’s such a new industry.

“And there’s no doubt, a lot of these organizations in esports are going to have to find a way to monetize other than just selling hoodies and jerseys.”

Speaking of monetization, how successful can you be opening a new law firm shortly before COVID-19 hit?

“We were fortunate in that we had four months to network in person before the pandemic hit.”

Four months may not seem like a lot of time for most people to get a business off the ground, but when you have the kind of drive Hendley and Goodwyn do, you can make a lot of contacts in that time.

“We were out there probably 5-7 times a week, so we managed to build up a fairly large network in a fairly short amount of time. It also helped that we had a few connections in Nashville.”

In the meantime, the two young lawyers haven’t missed a beat continuing to market their practice in a pandemic.

According to Goodwyn, “One thing we stress that has really helped us is getting Google reviews and just having a decent looking website.”

And then there’s the TikTok channel.

“We have to find ways to stand out from the crowd. Attorneys are all charging a lot of money and they’re all doing essentially the same thing.”

It’s hard to say exactly how many attorneys use TikTok to promote their law firms, but that universe definitely gets smaller for attorneys promoting both their practices and their skateboarding skills.

Enter Andrew Goodwyn, who goes by the handle @lil_esquire on TikTok and uses Legal Tips and Skateboarding Tricks to appeal to the entertainment crowd.

“Entertainers, when they see something like this, they’re thinking, ‘Oh good, this isn’t some old gray-haired guy in a suit. This is someone like me, someone out here just enjoying some skating and throwing out some tips and tricks along the way.’

“What you’re selling is more your personality than your service, so we like to appeal to that entertainment crowd.”

Considering the success they’ve had while starting their firm in the very worst of circumstances, that’s pretty hard to argue.