A Solid and Expanding Curriculum
Southwestern offers an extremely broad range of over 40 entertainment and media law courses and numerous externship placements in entertainment and media law settings.
Externship Program
Southwestern has developed close ties to the entertainment and media industries both locally and beyond to provide unparalleled externship opportunities for our students. These on-site placements with studios, guilds, agencies and related companies expose them to the world of the entertainment lawyer, provide crucial networking opportunities and add immeasurably to their skills and confidence.
The externship program features over 50 in-house entertainment placement settings, such as BET Networks, Blitz Distribution, Inc., Body Glove International, Comedy Central, Fox, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Motion Picture Association, NBCUniversal, Rhino Music, RKO Pictures, Screen Actors Guild, Sony Pictures andWarner Bros. In order to maximize the educational value of these experiences, students report periodically to faculty members, who also meet with supervisors from the companies at which the externs serve.
LL.M. Program
Drawing on the resources and activities of the Biederman Institute, Southwestern was the first law school to establish a post-J.D. program of study leading to the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Entertainment and Media Law. The highly selective graduate program has a limited enrollment each year and has attracted outstanding law graduates from around the world. The curriculum requires the completion of 24 credit hours of full-time study over one year, or part-time study over two to four years. A student has the ability to select a general group of courses, or to pursue a more focused curriculum by choosing courses specific to their desired interest of either entertainment or media law. People around the world are now able to take advantage of Southwestern's highly regarded LL.M. in Entertainment and Media Law with the launch of the online version of the LL.M. Program, which offered its first set of courses in Fall 2010.
Summer Programs
Los Angeles, CA
As part of the law school's regular summer session, Southwestern offers numerous entertainment law-related courses. The Summer Entertainment Law Program in Los Angeles features a variety of courses taught by top entertainment, media and sports law attorneys; specialized externships; private tours of major motion picture and recording studios; and meetings with prominent Southwestern alumni working in the field.
London, England
Southwestern's International Entertainment and Media Law Summer Program at the University of London features a variety of academic and social experiences through: international entertainment and media law-related courses; instruction provided by American and British faculty with extensive international experience; guest lectures by leading members of the British entertainment and media law bar; and field excursions to the Royal Courts of Justice, and local entertainment and media facilities in and around London.
