Opinions on these schools for entertainment law? Forum

[neversol]

Hey everyone--

I'm really interested in going into entertainment law (specifically music). I've read a lot of the posts on here about it and I completely understand that it's a tough field to get into but it's still something I really want to pursue. I've found a couple of schools that I'm really interested in and would love to hear your opinions on them.

I got my BS in Criminal Justice in April and my GPA was 3.67. (I'm still considering going into criminal law, but at this point, entertainment law is WAY higher on the list.) My plan was to work a year and see if I wanted to continue in the field or go to law school. I've been unemployed since graduation with no interviews or feedback whatsoever on any job I've applied for (this includes a practically minimum wage job at a hotel), so I've decided to start getting things together to apply to law school.

I plan to take the LSAT in December, so it may open more options for me (or not) but these are the schools I've been looking at:

Northeastern -- The thing that really attracts me to this school is the co-op program. Also, they are starting a JD/MS in Music Industry Leadership dual degree program in the fall that I've been looking into. There isn't a ton of info online regarding the MS program, but I've heard good and bad things about dual degrees in general, so opinions on that are definitely welcome.

Belmont -- I've been looking here because they have an entertainment law certificate program and a pretty generous merit scholarship program (25% to 100% of tuition for those who qualify). If I chose this school, I would start in their second year as a law school. This is one of my major concerns with this school, along with it being a religious school. I am not religious at all. If anyone has had experience with this, I would love to hear about it. Am I going to have to sit through lectures that are about law and how to be a good Christian? And is it a terrible idea to go to such a new school?

Southwestern -- My big concern with this school is that their bar passage rate is apparently very low within the state. Also, the cost of attendance seems high in relation to their ranking. But they seem to have a pretty good entertainment law program, so would it be worth it the risk?

I'm planning to visit whatever schools I am accepted to, so I'll be able to get some more information, but anything you guys want to throw out there (more schools to consider, reasons not to consider the ones I've been looking at, etc.) is appreciated.

Thanks!!

[Gymnast0206]

What are you PTing right now? Are these the schools that are probably going to be in your "range?"

Many schools offer entertainment law programs, and I don't believe the ones you've listed are among the best. Is there something specifically that attracted you to those institutions? (LSAT/GPA? or Location? or Cost?) Knowing more about what you're looking for would enable me to offer you other schools to consider.

Also, are you sure what you want to do is entertainment law? If so, carefully consider your reasons for wanting to do it. From what I know, most law schools advise against entering law school with "specialty" already chosen.

[Grizz]

Take the LSAT and see where you can get in first.

[Curious1]

The top 3 law school for entertainment law are:

Yale
Harvard
Stanford

That is all. Pick the best school for your market and go to it. Very simple.

[paratactical]

This is a terrible idea.

[neversol]

What are you PTing right now? Are these the schools that are probably going to be in your "range?"

Many schools offer entertainment law programs, and I don't believe the ones you've listed are among the best. Is there something specifically that attracted you to those institutions? (LSAT/GPA? or Location? or Cost?) Knowing more about what you're looking for would enable me to offer you other schools to consider.

Also, are you sure what you want to do is entertainment law? If so, carefully consider your reasons for wanting to do it. From what I know, most law schools advise against entering law school with "specialty" already chosen.

Thanks for replying so quickly. I haven't started practicing yet but I am planning to start within the next week or so. I was attracted to these schools mostly based on location. I want to be somewhere that will have a decent amount of opportunities to gain experience related to the field before graduation. I feel like the main thing that's been holding me back since I finished my UG is my lack of relevant experience. It's also why Northeastern is pretty high on my list at this point.

Cost is somewhat important to me. I have about $20k in debt from my UG that my parents are supposed to help pay back. The fact that Belmont seems to have a pretty generous merit scholarship opportunity on top of a decent location is a huge reason I'm considering it.

Also, since I'm more interested in the music part of it all, I've been looking to see what types opportunities (classes, extracurricular activities, etc.) are available specific to music.

I've been operating on the assumption that I most likely will not score a 170 (just being realistic) so I've been keeping that in mind when looking. Like I said, it could all change once I take the LSAT but I was just looking for some basic advice and opinions.

I'm not dead-set on entertainment law, but it's definitely high on my list. Criminal law is still a possibility. If I get to law school and find something totally different that catches my interest much more than either of those two, I'm not going to exclude it because it wasn't pat of my original plan.

[paratactical]

You should check out Law School Transparency to get some employment info on these schools.

[Helmholtz]

Frankly, you're probably not going to get any JD-required job from those schools. A school like Southwestern or Northeastern flaunting its entertainment law program is like the owner of an engineless car flaunting its awesome cup holders.

[Gymnast0206]

Frankly, you're probably not going to get any JD-required job from those schools. A school like Southwestern or Northeastern flaunting its entertainment law program is like the owner of an engineless car flaunting its awesome cup holders.

lmao.

[Gymnast0206]

've been operating on the assumption that I most likely will not score a 170 (just being realistic) so I've been keeping that in mind when looking. Like I said, it could all change once I take the LSAT but I was just looking for some basic advice and opinions.

Step One: Take the LSAT. You need a score before you determine law schools. Hell, even take a few PTs and see where you're scoring. That will give you a better idea. Most people don't score 170, but there's a big difference between getting a 151 and a 163. You need to know where you fall.

Step Two: Visit http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com or http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com

Step Three: Then make a list.

[neversol]

Thanks for the website suggestions. I'll take some PTs and see where I'm at and start again from there.

[mattviphky]

ucla would be a much better option than Southwestern. You have the GPA for it, so get the lsat score. Good luck!!

[LawSchoolChampion]

Do you have any experience with music or do you just like the idea of entertainment law?

The music business is simple: connections = success.

If you have connections, go to any school you damn well please...if you don't have connections, I would look into criminal law - more jobs exist in the field of criminal law.

Good schools for music law other than the aforementioned HYS:

UCLA
Vanderbilt
NYU
Columbia

More important than the name of the school will be your ability to make connections in a town where entertainment law is big - LA, NYC, and Nashville.

If you can't make one of these schools entertainment law may not be in your cards - and even if you make one of these schools, it's still rare.

Why do you want entertainment law?

[YourCaptain]

If you genuinely want Entertainment law, go to the best T14 you can get, then get a firm job at a Los Angeles firm or Proskauer.

Done.

[RaleighStClair]

If you genuinely want Entertainment law, go to the best T14 you can get, then get a firm job at a Los Angeles firm or Proskauer.

Done.

[caputlupinum]

Hey everyone--

I'm really interested in going into entertainment law (specifically music). I've read a lot of the posts on here about it and I completely understand that it's a tough field to get into but it's still something I really want to pursue. I've found a couple of schools that I'm really interested in and would love to hear your opinions on them.

I got my BS in Criminal Justice in April and my GPA was 3.67. (I'm still considering going into criminal law, but at this point, entertainment law is WAY higher on the list.) My plan was to work a year and see if I wanted to continue in the field or go to law school. I've been unemployed since graduation with no interviews or feedback whatsoever on any job I've applied for (this includes a practically minimum wage job at a hotel), so I've decided to start getting things together to apply to law school.

I plan to take the LSAT in December, so it may open more options for me (or not) but these are the schools I've been looking at:

Northeastern -- The thing that really attracts me to this school is the co-op program. Also, they are starting a JD/MS in Music Industry Leadership dual degree program in the fall that I've been looking into. There isn't a ton of info online regarding the MS program, but I've heard good and bad things about dual degrees in general, so opinions on that are definitely welcome.

Belmont -- I've been looking here because they have an entertainment law certificate program and a pretty generous merit scholarship program (25% to 100% of tuition for those who qualify). If I chose this school, I would start in their second year as a law school. This is one of my major concerns with this school, along with it being a religious school. I am not religious at all. If anyone has had experience with this, I would love to hear about it. Am I going to have to sit through lectures that are about law and how to be a good Christian? And is it a terrible idea to go to such a new school?

Southwestern -- My big concern with this school is that their bar passage rate is apparently very low within the state. Also, the cost of attendance seems high in relation to their ranking. But they seem to have a pretty good entertainment law program, so would it be worth it the risk?

I'm planning to visit whatever schools I am accepted to, so I'll be able to get some more information, but anything you guys want to throw out there (more schools to consider, reasons not to consider the ones I've been looking at, etc.) is appreciated.

Thanks!!

Have you ever worked in any aspect of the entertainment industry? If not take 2 years off go work for a producer/label starting unpaid if necessary. Beyond the maybe 3-5 biglaw firms that have entertainment law divisions, 99% of getting hired in any aspect of the industry is who you know. Connections count 1000 times more in the industry than does pedigree. I really know little of the music side of the industry but I would not go to boston to find your break. Only focus on LA/NYC/Miami schools. Even after you build your connections during your "mail room" years you still need to develop those connections during law school. Focus on this list http://www.variety.com/article/VR111796 ... Id=18#list study these lawyers. Yes HYS are represented on there but beyond that its normally NY regional school(NYU, Fordham etc) or LA regional school(USC, UCLA, Loyola etc). Really you need to work in the industry first before going to law school. You will understand what I am saying when you have been in the industry. To make it in entertainment it takes a completely different set of skills than any other industry and is run in a completely different way then the rest of the business world. You need to find out if you have these skills and if this is really an industry you want to work in because it is not for everyone.