With the diverse and evolving challenges of the Digital and Information Age, the entertainment and media industries are more complex and exciting than ever before and present a myriad of opportunities for law students who aspire to practice in these fields.
Launched in 2000, Southwestern's Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute further solidified the law school's long history of involvement with the entertainment and media industries. It features a rich spectrum of courses on subjects ranging from music publishing and motion picture production law to technology agreements and information privacy law. The Institute's externship program enables students to earn credit while working for leading companies and organizations such as the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences, Lions Gate Entertainment, Virgin Records, and the Writers Guild of America. Summer session on campus and the London Summer Program in International Entertainment & Media Law offer specialized courses and opportunities in the field to experience life and work in the entertainer and media capitals of the U.S. and Europe.
The Institute maintains a direct connection to the industries through its alumni network as well as its highly experienced faculty, which is comprised of current and former practitioners as well as esteemed academics. The site of frequent guest lectures, conferences and other symposia, the Institute serves as a valuable resource for the profession, while keeping the campus abuzz with industry-related events and discussions. It also offers the nation's first LL.M. degree in Entertainment and Media Law. The Biederman Institute provides students with an in-depth education in one of law's most stimulating fields.
