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Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:12 pm
by 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:12 pm
by mephistopheles
entertainment law?

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:14 pm
by Smjocn
intellectual property, copyright law, I really want to work with music and movies. Not sports.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:15 pm
by mephistopheles
then wtf are you doing thinking about new jersey?

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:16 pm
by rad lulz
Do it. I think there are some great networking opportunities within the vibrant community of national and international entertainers in Newark, NJ.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:21 pm
by 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:35 pm
by 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:39 pm
by piccolittle
Retake/reapply :)

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:41 pm
by cinephile
Attend if it's super cheap and you want to live in Jersey.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:47 pm
by Smjocn
It is super cheap but I definitely don't want to live in Jersey

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:48 pm
by Smjocn
I live in New Jersey now, so Rutgers would be pretty cheap.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 5:36 pm
by cinephile
Smjocn wrote: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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 5:49 pm
by hephaestus
What do you think entertainment lawyers do? Serious question.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 6:05 pm
by drmguy
ImNoScar wrote:What do you think entertainment lawyers do? Serious question.
It has a lot of crossover with celebrity gynecology, right?

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:05 pm
by 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:32 pm
by Wholigan
Smjocn wrote: 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:25 pm
by 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:28 pm
by jbiresq
ImNoScar wrote:What do you think entertainment lawyers do? Serious question.
This. What do you want to do?

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:29 pm
by hephaestus
Wait a year, retake, reapply. You will be glad you did. Also, pick a more realistic career choice, as above posters have suggested.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 5:34 pm
by 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.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:32 am
by 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....

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:37 am
by Nova
Smjocn wrote: Second, I really REALLY do not want to end up in Jersey after graduation.
Then dont attend a local school there.

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:52 am
by Crowing
Serious question: does IP related to "entertainment law" still require passage of the IP bar/possession of a STEM degree?

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:00 am
by TooOld4This
Crowing wrote: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..

Re: Attending Rutgers-Newark for entertainment law?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:18 am
by timbs4339
What is you instinctive answer?