Top Law Schools

Hey TLS, I've used the search button, but nothing comes up at all when it comes to this specific field.

Does anyone know what the best schools would be for live theatre entertainment law? I know NYC is the place to be when it comes to theatre, but are there any schools in particular that would be beneficial?

It seems that entertainment law is talked about as if it is one of the hardest fields to break into, and almost not even considered a real branch of law. I've seen a lot of posts calling it harder to get into than being a performer itself. The outlook from this website for it is extremely pessimistic. This is the field that I have an undying passion for though, and although I know it is a dream filled profession with countless starry eyed people wanting to do the same thing, is it truly as hard as people said on here?

Thank you

IBTshitstorm

NYU. Make friends with all of the undergrads since they will be your future clients.

I'm interested in Space Law, or more specifically the moon travel branch of Space Law. Does anyone know what schools are good for that?

Metalvirus wrote:Hey TLS, I've used the search button, but nothing comes up at all when it comes to this specific field.

Does anyone know what the best schools would be for live theatre entertainment law? I know NYC is the place to be when it comes to theatre, but are there any schools in particular that would be beneficial?

It seems that entertainment law is talked about as if it is one of the hardest fields to break into, and almost not even considered a real branch of law. I've seen a lot of posts calling it harder to get into than being a performer itself. The outlook from this website for it is extremely pessimistic. This is the field that I have an undying passion for though, and although I know it is a dream filled profession with countless starry eyed people wanting to do the same thing, is it truly as hard as people said on here?

Thank you

What do you want to do? Negotiate contracts?

Or do you want to sue Spiderman producers for personal injuries? Or do you want to argue with NYC gov about permits?

What do you actually want to do? I have the sneaking suspicion (in the way Poland had a sneaking suspicion, at the end of August 1939, that the Nazis and the Soviets were going to annihilate their country) that you have little idea what legal work is about.

Metalvirus wrote:Does anyone know what the best schools would be for live theatre entertainment law?

This is the field that I have an undying passion for though, and although I know it is a dream filled profession with countless starry eyed people wanting to do the same thing, is it truly as hard as people said on here?

you have an undying passion for the field of live theatre entertainment law?

[1] what do you think that even means? making sure everyone signs the waiver forms so when your next spiderman understudy faceplants onto the stage your larger company doesn't get its dumb ass sued out of existence?
[2] in general, the more modifiers to 'law,' the more difficult/non-existent that field is.

edit: dammit, my spiderman reference was nabbed.

BeenDidThat wrote:

Metalvirus wrote:Hey TLS, I've used the search button, but nothing comes up at all when it comes to this specific field.

Does anyone know what the best schools would be for live theatre entertainment law? I know NYC is the place to be when it comes to theatre, but are there any schools in particular that would be beneficial?

It seems that entertainment law is talked about as if it is one of the hardest fields to break into, and almost not even considered a real branch of law. I've seen a lot of posts calling it harder to get into than being a performer itself. The outlook from this website for it is extremely pessimistic. This is the field that I have an undying passion for though, and although I know it is a dream filled profession with countless starry eyed people wanting to do the same thing, is it truly as hard as people said on here?

Thank you

What do you want to do? Negotiate contracts?

Or do you want to sue Spiderman producers for personal injuries? Or do you want to argue with NYC gov about permits?

What do you actually want to do? I have the sneaking suspicion (in the way Poland had a sneaking suspicion the Nazis and the Soviets were going to annihilate their country) that you have little idea what legal work is about.

Haha..I should have been more specific.

I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

Metalvirus wrote:
I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

It sounds like you want to be an agent, not a lawyer.

Metalvirus wrote:Haha..I should have been more specific.

I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

I don't think you need a law degree for this.

lol, another entertainment law thread... pretty entertaining...

SUNY Stony Brook Law School

ole miss is the best school for space law

Metalvirus wrote:
I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

How familiar are you with the business? A person who was in a locally successful band talked to me about his contracts when I mentioned I was going to law school. They needed a lawyer to write it, it cost them $300 and that was all they spent since they used the same contract with every venue (yeah they had an M&Ms type clause). There isn't that much business in it.

Theatre entertainment law? What in the fuck is that? I doubt there's more than a handful of lawyers who specialize in "theatre entertainment law"

Also, entertainment law is one thing, but "theatre" entertainment law?! c'mon now. Im sure negotiating contracts is incredibly boring and nowhere near as glamorous as you think it is

What is "theatre entertainment law?"

Hannibal wrote:

Metalvirus wrote:
I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

How familiar are you with the business? A person who was in a locally successful band talked to me about his contracts when I mentioned I was going to law school. They needed a lawyer to write it, it cost them $300 and that was all they spent since they used the same contract with every venue (yeah they had an M&Ms type clause). There isn't that much business in it.

This.

According to Martindale, Live Nation, which produces 22,000 events nationwide annually, has two attorneys: a GC who is also a corporate executive, and one deputy GC under him.

Metalvirus wrote:I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

Have you done any research into this field? There's not a ton of work available. Contracts for actors, directors, choreographers, designers, etc. are basically standardized. Only if there's some unique aspect of the show that requires altering those standard clauses, would there be a need for negotiations. Then their respective union would negotiate on their behalf. Contracts with theatrical venues are also pretty standardized and negotiations only really happen when there's some aspect of the show that requires either physically altering the theatre or violating the union code (i.e. staging a straight play in a musical theatre venue and therefore not employing the minimum number of musicians). There will also be negotiations every few years when the agreements between the various unions expire.

If you want to be involved in those negotiations, then you need to be counsel for Equity/IATSE/SDC/The Broadway League/etc. (I believe, though I'm not positive, that they all have in-house counsel) I'll note, though, that the union reps handle a lot of the actual negotiating, you'll mostly be drafting the language of the contracts based on what they decide. These jobs are also limited and have low turnover.

You could also just be an agent and negotiate billing credits and salary increases for actors and creatives. You don't need to go to law school for that.

tl;dr - theatrical entertainment is not a field of law, it's a bunch of union reps bitching at each other.

Hannibal wrote:

Metalvirus wrote:
I want to negotiate contracts yes, preferably for productions in venues, or deals with the business side of forming a show.

How familiar are you with the business? A person who was in a locally successful band talked to me about his contracts when I mentioned I was going to law school. They needed a lawyer to write it, it cost them $300 and that was all they spent since they used the same contract with every venue (yeah they had an M&Ms type clause). There isn't that much business in it.

The M&Ms clause was fucking brilliant.

I did a bit of research on the field and it seems like for someone wanting to do theatre entertainment law these are the best schools,

1. Yale
2. Harvard

imbored25 wrote:I did a bit of research on the field and it seems like for someone wanting to do theatre entertainment law these are the best schools,

1. Yale
2. Harvard

I don't know any "entertainment lawyers" per se, but I do know a couple sports agents (certainly these two fantasy jobs are close enough to be interchangeable for TLS purposes).

I would guess that even HY won't replace just coming into LS with contacts to the industry.

Yale

Don't waste your time and money in law school. Audition for the role of Atticus Finch in your local community theater's production of 'To Kill a
Mockingbird' and go from there.

go to FIT law and work for these guys
--LinkRemoved--

Case2L wrote:Don't waste your time and money in law school. Audition for the role of Atticus Finch in your local community theater's production of 'To Kill a
Mockingbird' and go from there.

OP is a method actor, or James Franco. One of the two.

Desert Fox wrote:

Case2L wrote:Don't waste your time and money in law school. Audition for the role of Atticus Finch in your local community theater's production of 'To Kill a
Mockingbird' and go from there.

OP is a method actor, or James Franco. One of the two.

Can't it be both?