Entertainment Law vs International Trade/Arbitration Law Forum

[collier94]

I am about to apply to law schools (mostly T14s) and I am trying to decide about which field I would be more interested in, since certain schools have very strong strengths (Ex:USC/UCLA for Entertainment Law).

So, I would like to know a little bit more about the Entertainment and International Trade/Arbitration legal fields. I have always been interested in International Business Law, but I have been recently disillusioned by recent posts I have read that have described the field as boring and not as international (travel opportunities) as I thought. It sounds like I would be stuck in a corporate office all day, which is not something I want from my legal career. On the other hand, I have recently become more interested in Entertainment Law from reading posts describing its interesting work (I am familiar with actual work duties) and perhaps better lifestyle. I know I shouldn't expect to deal with A list celebrities, but it sounds like the casework involves more personal interaction and may not have as many days of crazy work hours.

Could lawyers involved in/familiar with either Entertainment Law or International Trade/Arbitration comment on these fields? I would appreciate any and all advice. Particularly if someone could get me interested in any International Business legal field again.

[Slytherpuff]

I'm interviewing almost exclusively with firms that are great for international trade/arbitration so feel free to message me, but I also wanted to recommend that you look at white collar investigations and particularly anti-corruption/FCPA if you want to do a lot of traveling. FCPA work is thriving in DC right now - it can be hard to break into but not impossible from a top school. (CCN and above, and otherwise probably Georgetown with top grades.)

I would caution you to reconsider why you want to be a lawyer though. It won't all be as glamorous as you think and you will spend the vast majority of your time "stuck in a corporate office all day" so do keep that in mind.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I would caution you to reconsider why you want to be a lawyer though. It won't all be as glamorous as you think and you will spend the vast majority of your time "stuck in a corporate office all day" so do keep that in mind.

[iamgeorgebush]

What kind of entertainment law? There are a number of different types. One thing you should know is that "entertainment law" isn't really a "type" of law in the way that corporate law, securities law, intellectual property, or constitutional law is. Rather, it is an industry. Thus, you shouldn't expect the legal work to be dramatically different from legal work in other industries, and if you wouldn't be happy being a lawyer doing non-entertainment work, you probably wouldn't be happy being a lawyer doing entertainment work.

That being said, here are the types. Disclaimer: These descriptions are based on my research and not on personal experience as an entertainment lawyer. My research includes reading all there is on the Internet to read about entertainment law and talking to practicing attorneys in each of the below categories.

(1) Talent-side work is probably what most people think of when they think of entertainment law. It consists of doing deals for actors, directors, musicians, etc. It's high-volume dealflow with quick turnaround. The deals aren't terribly complex, which could be a plus or minus depending on how you view it. Good lifestyle compared to BigLaw—thanks in part to the lack of a billable hour. Instead, these lawyers take a percentage cut of their clients' deals, much like an agent might. But really, really, really hard to break into—if you're thinking about going to law school, you should assume that you won't be able to secure this type of work (which, of course, is not to say that you shouldn't try to secure if you do go to law school—just be aware that it probably won't happen, and make sure you are happy with the alternatives). If you want to do this kind of work but don't already have entertainment-industry connections, start building them now. Good grades from a top school are also very helpful.

(2) Then there is film finance, entertainment-specific M&A, distribution agreements, licensing agreements, and other types of "corporate" entertainment work. Within this, there can even be sub-specialties (e.g., film finance). The deals tend to be more complex than talent-side work and more closely resemble general corporate work in terms of what the day-to-day is like. This area is also really competitive to break into. Good grades from a top school are helpful, if not necessary.

(3) Then there are in-house positions at entertainment companies like HBO and Disney. These positions come in all the sorts of different varieties that in-house positions come in—you could be doing licensing, securities, M&A, labor and employment, etc. This type of work doesn't seem to be all that different from normal in-house work. These jobs are easier to get than the former two types, but still not easy. Most people with these jobs start in the corporate practices of large law firms, as you can see from browsing the LinkedIn profiles of in-house folks at just about any big entertainment company.

(4) Then there are litigators who frequently work with clients in the entertainment industry. So you'll be dealing with breach of contract disputes, copyright disputes, etc. I get the impression that most people who do this sort of work do it as part of a broader litigation practice, and it's not really all that different from any other general commercial litigation practice.