Navigating the World of Entertainment Law: The UCLA Curriculum

UCLA School of Law, through its acclaimed Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law, prepares students for successful careers as lawyers, policymakers, and leaders in the motion picture, television, music, and sports sectors. Students gain a solid grounding in the customs, theories, and policy issues that underlie entertainment law practice.

The Ziffren Institute: A Hub for Media Law Leaders

With experienced teachers, innovative clinics, and prominent alumni, the Ziffren Institute creates media law leaders. The UCLA Entertainment Law Review tackles issues from new media law to sports law.

Experiential Learning

Entertainment law students can elect to complete a specialization in the program or pursue select courses and experiential offerings. These include the innovative Documentary Film Legal Clinic, where rising documentarians and artists receive legal assistance that is vital to bringing their visions to the screen.

Master of Legal Studies in Entertainment & Media Law

UCLA Law's Master of Legal Studies in Entertainment & Media Law is a top-ranked program designed for aspiring entertainment professionals. The program leverages its unparalleled location to bring together renowned industry leaders and legal minds. Someone in the entertainment industry would absolutely benefit from this program. When we look at the history of…the entertainment industry, folks with a legal footing and a legal background have a track record of success.

J.D. Specialization in Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sport Law

The Specialization in Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sport Law's J.D. curriculum involves completion of seven courses arranged in three tiers.

Read also: Entertainment Industry Disruption

Tiered Course Structure

While the tiers are roughly progressive (in that, for example, basic copyright and entertainment law are helpful for the more advanced courses), generally the courses below may be taken concurrently (subject to a given instructor’s prerequisite requirements in specific instances). It is strongly recommended, however, that students in the Specialization complete the Introductory A-Tier in the second year of law school. These mandatory courses are intended to present the fundamental principles and practices of contemporary entertainment law, and they cover copyright protection, various transactional doctrines, and media law.

The array of courses in the middle tier offer choices of subject areas that establish the foundation of entertainment law as a form of business practice encompassing certain routinely encountered law and doctrines.

LL.M. Specialization in Media, Entertainment, Technology, & Sports Law

The Specialization in Media, Entertainment, Technology, & Sports Law LL.M. curriculum involves completion of four courses arranged in two tiers.

LL.M. Curriculum Structure

While the tiers are roughly progressive (in that, for example, basic copyright and entertainment law are helpful for the more advanced courses), generally the courses below may be taken concurrently (subject to a given instructor’s prerequisite requirements in specific instances). The mandatory courses of the Introductory A-Tier are intended to present the fundamental principles and practices of contemporary entertainment law, and they cover copyright protection, and various transactional doctrines.

Representing Talent in the Entertainment Industry

The legal representation of above-the-line talent in the entertainment industry is one of the most dynamic and interesting areas of entertainment and media law. It is also one of the most competitive.

Read also: Explore Entertainment Studies at UCLA

Course Focus

This Course will examine the practice of representing clients from the point of view of the transactional entertainment lawyer and other members of the client’s representation team. Specifically, what is the role that the entertainment attorney plays in the talent representation eco-system? How does the entertainment attorney contribute to the talent’s team of representatives which generally includes a talent agent or a manager or both in addition to a lawyer?

This Course will assess the function and practice of representing clients that are engaged in the development and production of motion pictures and television including the acquisition of underlying literary rights and the adaptation of material from another medium. We will examine the component parts of the employment agreements for each of the central creative collaborators in film and television: writers, producers, directors and actors. Each of these agreements have their own terms of art, jargon, customary elements and compensation scale that are unique.

We will also review the legal principles and concepts applicable to representing clients in film and television, the leading cases in this area, and give students the opportunity to participate in a mock negotiation. This Course will include lectures and guest speakers to give students insight into what it takes to successfully represent talent in the entertainment industry.

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tags: #ucla #entertainment #law #curriculum

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