Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law? Forum

[Smjocn]

Rutgers-Newark is the only law school I've gotten into. I am wondering if I should attend (I do like the price) or if I should wait a year and re-apply to schools. Here why I would do that: first of all I really want to do entertainment law. And Rutgers does not seem to have much of a concentration in that. Second, I really REALLY do not want to end up in Jersey after graduation. I've lived in Jersey my whole life and I just really want to get out and go to the west coast or colorado. At the same time, I would def be open to living in New York City if I can get a job there. I just know that ending up in New Jersey with a job and living there would by far be the biggest disappointment for me. Any advice would be great.

[mephistopheles]

entertainment law?

[Smjocn]

intellectual property, copyright law, I really want to work with music and movies. Not sports.

[mephistopheles]

then wtf are you doing thinking about new jersey?

[rad lulz]

Do it. I think there are some great networking opportunities within the vibrant community of national and international entertainers in Newark, NJ.

[drmguy]

I talked to a very successful entertainment attorney that went to an east coast TTT. He happened to be best friends with the creator of a soon to be giant comedy movie franchise. If you are in the same situation, I think there is some chance you will end up being a very successful entertainment attorney like him.

[Smjocn]

Ha well I am unfortunately not in that position. I just trying to figure out if rutgers is foster and facillitate my relationship with the entertainment industry. Meaning, is there a rutgers law presence among entertainment attorneys, agents in new york city and the west coast? Considering the lack of entertainment law firms in nj, I am wondering if rutgers will be beneficial enough for me when I try to thrive in the entertainment industry in new york or LA or Denver (for music). Is it worth it to go now inrstead of waiting a year and re applying to somewhere lik Brooklyn.

[piccolittle]

Retake/reapply

[cinephile]

Attend if it's super cheap and you want to live in Jersey.

[Smjocn]

It is super cheap but I definitely don't want to live in Jersey

[Smjocn]

I live in New Jersey now, so Rutgers would be pretty cheap.

[cinephile]

It is super cheap but I definitely don't want to live in Jersey

Well then you know the answer is no. This isn't the school for you. Regional schools are regional. Speciality rankings are useless.

[hephaestus]

What do you think entertainment lawyers do? Serious question.

[drmguy]

What do you think entertainment lawyers do? Serious question.

It has a lot of crossover with celebrity gynecology, right?

[patrickd139]

OP: Don't go to a law school planning to transfer

Also, don't post in this forum without actually getting at least one semester's grades.

Mostly, read this. All of the pertinent information has been posted there already.

[Wholigan]

I just know that ending up in New Jersey with a job and living there would by far be the biggest disappointment for me.

Ending up in NJ with a job is a best-case scenario if you go to RU/N, not a worst-case scenario. If you've had enough of NJ, reapply for next year. And don't go to law school at all unless you have a second and third choice practice area that you would be happy with besides entertainment law.

[jbiresq]

If you want to practice entertainment law your only sure bets are to get an SA at O'Melveny & Myers or Sheppard Mullin in Century City. For that you're going to probably need a T14 or UCLA/USC. Getting into an entertainment practice at another big firm will be tough because these deals/cases come around so rarely and are highly desired by other attorneys at the firm.

As to smaller firms, they probably don't hire entry levels (I know Greenberg Glusker, where Tom Cruise's lawyer works, doesn't take summers, at least this year.) Also, if you want to be an agent going to law school is a giant waste of time.

TL;DR do not go to Rutgers. Also, entertainment law is basically a pipe dream. Brooklyn would be just as bad IMO.

[jbiresq]

What do you think entertainment lawyers do? Serious question.

This. What do you want to do?

[hephaestus]

Wait a year, retake, reapply. You will be glad you did. Also, pick a more realistic career choice, as above posters have suggested.

[pbfoot]

Having worked for a major talent agency in LA, I can tell you that you will NEVER get into ent law in any serious capacity from Rutgers. Only real shot at ent law is, like others have said, USC/UCLA (though I'd add that I worked with a lot of people from Pepperdine, Southwestern, and Loyola-LA as well) and Stanford/Boalt/some of the other higher T14.

And just so you're clear-most entertainment law is just corporate transactional law dealing with movies/music/film, maybe occasional IP/contract litigation. Unless you're at an agency (hard) or working at Ziffren (harder) it will not be glamorous as you probably expect unless you make partner.

[Mr Cooper]

I think Ari Gold went the JD/MBA route at Michigan...

Big name school (HYS), big time location (UCLA/USC/maybe Berkeley) or big time connections. Other than that....

[Nova]

Second, I really REALLY do not want to end up in Jersey after graduation.

Then dont attend a local school there.

[Crowing]

Serious question: does IP related to "entertainment law" still require passage of the IP bar/possession of a STEM degree?

[TooOld4This]

Serious question: does IP related to "entertainment law" still require passage of the IP bar/possession of a STEM degree?

Not unless you are dealing with patents for new tech or something

Only patent prosecution requires patent bar and STEM is helpful (but not always required) for patent lit.

Entertainment IP would be "soft IP" mostly-- ie trademark and copyright. No science needed..

[timbs4339]

What is you instinctive answer?