Art Law Forum

[s.live21]

I have just begun the long process of applying to law schools. For some background information, I am currently a second year senior working on three majors and a minor (Art History, French, International Studies, and my minor is in Business). I'll graduate this December and will apply for admissions in 2011.

I'm overwhelmed with questions, but to start, I don't even know what program I should be looking for. I really want to became a lawyer that deals with art. The Shepard Fairey case is one example, others include Yale and Peru, the never ending debate over deaccession, and other various cases involving the likes of Christie's.

I'm interested in the international aspects of Art Law as well, although I've always assumed that is something to work towards after graduating from law School.

The real confusion comes down to looking for the right program. I don't know if I should apply to university's with a great program in Intellectual Property Law (my first inclination though I've come to discover that many of these programs deal with patent law and science, not art), Culture Property Law (though I found websites discussing this, I couldn't find a university that taught it), or simply Contract Law.

My career goals are to work with the legality of art. I want art to always remain the focus. I am just confused as to where I should start.

Do you have any suggestions?

[A'nold]

This is all speculation, but this would be my thought:

The field you are looking at is very specialized and involves a lot of people very concerned with prestige. I would try to get into a top 6 or so school and network my butt of while in school and do internships with the kind of employers you'd want to work for. You might even need to start very low on the company ladder but over time you might gain enough experience/connections to make your dream a reality.

THIS HAS BEEN A GUESS OF THE EMERGENCY GUESSCAST SYSTEM, THIS IS ONLY A TEST.

[s.live21]

Though I am going to shoot for the moon and apply to the best law schools (Columbia is the only university I've found with a program that incorporates art and law), I might land among the stars.

Which brings me back to my original question. Which program would best incorporate these interests?

[secondshiaprince]

Have I missed something or do you plan to do law school in 1.5 years?

Graduating from UG December 2009. Starting Spring Semester 2010... graduating from LS with the class of 2011 in June 2011... not to miss the overall point of your post or anything...

Answer: Go talk to someone in art law. We will just be making stuff up. Go find out if any firms do art law. Decide what you mean by art law, too... do you mean someone working for UNESCO and cultural heritage? Do you want to represent private collectors?

[neskerdoo]

My career goals are to work with the legality of art. I want art to always remain the focus. I am just confused as to where I should start.

Do you have any suggestions?

yes, don't go to law school unless you are willing for law to be the focus

[s.live21]

That's right, I'm planning on going to law school in 1.5 years. It's never too soon to start planning and if I feel ready I'll apply for 2010.

I'm still working out the timing.

[secondshiaprince]

That's right, I'm planning on going to law school in 1.5 years. It's never too soon to start planning and if I feel ready I'll apply for 2010.

I'm still working out the timing.

"admission class of 2011" you said... I read "admissions to the class of 2011". Big difference there

[A'nold]

Ugh, did you read my post? I answered you. Don't look at specialy rankings or programs so much. Go to the highest ranked school possible unless it is out of the top 20 or so (estimation) then go for something where you can get out of school with less debt. Like I said, I would bet that this career hinges a lot on prestige especially considering the clientele, so having an HYS-10 degree would most likely help.

[Renzo]

The governator is right. Anytime you are looking to crack a high-dollar, high-prestige niche the answer to "what school should I go to?" is the best you possibly can. There are likely a few dozen jobs in the world like the one you want.

[s.live21]

Good advice, A'nold. Sorry for the confusion. Thought it was clear in the context of having not yet graduated with my bachelors. Don't see how I could graduate in 2011 without having applied to a Law School, and therefore obviously haven't been accepted anywhere.

And as for Neskerdoo, I was talking about career interests. A doctors focus is always being a doctor--being a cardiovascular surgeon doesn't change that.

We all have something special that makes us tick, no pun intended and I don't mean we all have a pumping heart either.... I think you know what I mean.

[RATRATRAT]

THIS HAS BEEN A GUESS OF THE EMERGENCY GUESSCAST SYSTEM, THIS IS ONLY A TEST.

[Harry Pothead]

Top 6 school for a law job? What a joke. The founder of the Guggenheim's legal team is a Michigan Law grad

Anyway, art law is not a tough field to crack if you're at a top law school. It's specialized but not too much in demand. Just don't expect the pay to be high. The Guggenheim and the Smithsonian have legal internships available there, if I'm not mistaken.

[Renzo]

Top 6 school for a law job? What a joke. The founder of the Guggenheim's legal team is a Michigan Law grad

Anyway, art law is not a tough field to crack if you're at a top law school. It's specialized but not too much in demand. Just don't expect the pay to be high. The Guggenheim and the Smithsonian have legal internships available there, if I'm not mistaken.

Depending on when s/he graduated, Mich might have been top 6 . I'm not saying it's as hard as a SCOTUS clerkship to score, just that going to your local TTT that claims a specialty in art law isn't going to cut it.

[neskerdoo]

Good advice, A'nold. Sorry for the confusion. Thought it was clear in the context of having not yet graduated with my bachelors. Don't see how I could graduate in 2011 without having applied to a Law School, and therefore obviously haven't been accepted anywhere.

And as for Neskerdoo, I was talking about career interests. A doctors focus is always being a doctor--being a cardiovascular surgeon doesn't change that.

We all have something special that makes us tick, no pun intended and I don't mean we all have a pumping heart either.... I think you know what I mean.

some people are cardiovascular surgeons when they went to med school to be pediatricians

[It'saPeaceLily]

This forum may not help you with this question.

There is an Art Law blog: http://theartlawblog.blogspot.com/

Maybe ask the guy who writes that one.

Please post what you find out if you do ask.

[Sam Messer]

As an artist, I've found the need for legal advice which involves copyright law.
Many issues which concern artists today involve copyright and fair use laws.
Working from or sampling images from the internet can present legal problems down the road.
It really is a specialized field which requires an eclectic knowledge base.
But as mentioned above, contact a firm which deals with this field.
http://www.vancouverlaw.net

[lucydog]

You usually don't start your legal career with such a narrow specialty....it is something you work your way into. So if you want to do art law you would probably start off at a firm doing general IP work and then as you advance you could work your way into an art law specialty. I do not imagine that most middle market firms have an art law department, so you will need to get into a top school that places well in a major market (LA, DC, NYC, Chicago)

[emc217]

OP, I don’t know much about it, but I’d probably see what my numbers are, and start checking out the top schools in my range to see who offers the most classes and programs in art-related law. I recall seeing some study abroad programs with this focus, I don't mean for this to be enough info to base a decision on, though, but thought you might be interested:

Here’s some study abroad programs:

Northwestern
• University of Lucerne,Lucerne, Switzerland
The law faculty of the University of Lucerne was established in 2001 and has quickly built up an excellent reputation, ranking among the top Swiss law schools. The faculty of law includes the Research Agency for International and European Private Law, the Institute for SMB and Economic Law, the Center for Social Insurance Law, the International Communications and Art Law, Lucerne (I-CALL), and the Institute for Basic Judicial Subjects. The faculty will begin offering law courses taught in English in 2007.

IU-Bloomington

Florence, Italy
Laws that deal with artistic and intellectual productions are the focus of the Florence Institute. Courses in international art law and international intellectual property are generally offered, as well as courses in immigration law, international negotiations, international litigation, international entertainment law, and international contracts.

UColorado
Florence, Italy Summer abroad with Art Law focus


Loyola-Chicago
a China program that offers courses in Art Law

[kath3rine]

Please bear in mind, "art law" encompasses many types of law, but applied to a specific group of clients. Since art law is not a true body of law, few schools aggregate the various types of law into a single art law course, much less a full art law program. Duke University has one of the most specialized programs: a JD/MA in Art History. Put the following into Google and you will find more info: http://www.duke.edu/web/art/announce/JDMAinAH.pdf

Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, DePaul and Brooklyn Law also have specialized offerings for law students interested in art and art history. However, any good law school will prepare you to be "a lawyer that deals with art." For any lawyer working with arts-based clients, knowing the law is far, far more important than understanding the art!

Preparing to apply boils down to two things: your GPA and your LSAT. No amount of specialized interest will surmount average scores or grades. In the meantime, sustain your interest by reading the Art Law Blog (linked in a post above). It is an excellent resource.

I hope this was helpful. Good luck with your applications.