how to become entertainment lawyer

by Dr. Russell Marvin Jr. Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read

Earn a bachelor's degree. The first step to becoming an entertainment lawyer is earning a bachelor's degree. ...
Pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) After graduating with a bachelor's degree, aspiring entertainment lawyers can apply to law schools. ...
Apply for law school. After passing the LSAT, you can begin applying for law school programs. Consider researching and exploring programs in your desired field.
Earn a law degree. The next step in becoming an entertainment lawyer is earning a law degree. The common degree for entertainment lawyers is the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.

Consider a certificate. Some law schools offer an entertainment law certificate. This can help you begin or advance your career.

Pass the bar examination. After graduating from a law program, aspiring lawyers must take and pass the bar exam. ...

Gain professional experience. After passing the bar exam, lawyers can begin practicing law. Many entertainment lawyers begin their careers as legal associates.

Full Answer

When should you hire an entertainment lawyer?

Your career as an entertainment lawyer will start the same way as the career of any lawyer - with a law degree. You can begin this process by enrolling in a bachelor's degree program. Law schools don't require you to major in a specific subject, but you may choose to enter a pre-law program, which incorporates specific courses designed to prepare you for law school.

What is the job description for an entertainment lawyer?

Mar 26, 2019 · Continuing your education isn’t mandatory in the legal field, but if you’re planning to pursue a career path how to become an entertainment lawyer in a specific field, such as an entertainment lawyer, professional development and earning a degree in …

What is the curriculum of an entertainment law degree?

Jul 03, 2020 · Many Entertainment Lawyers majored in Legal Studies or Music Industry Studies as undergraduates. A degree in Music Industry Studies or something similar can give the future Lawyer an understanding of the many areas of the music business before they hunker down and dive deep into the law at law school.

Do you need an entertainment lawyer?

Aug 03, 2020 · Assuming you pass the LSAT, your career in entertainment law will require you to go through another few years of law school and get another degree. Besides your basic law classes, make sure to choose electives that will further your understanding of entertainment law. 3. Pass The Bar. Every state has different requirements for lawyers, so look into the …

Is it hard to be an entertainment lawyer?

Turns out, it's really difficult to break into. It now seems to me that people break into the entertainment law field in one of three ways: Good connections, great experience on the business side, or incredible credentials.

What should I study for entertainment law?

Some aspiring entertainment lawyers choose to study an entertainment subject, such as music or theater. This can give them industry knowledge and insight into the entertainment field.Apr 8, 2021

Do entertainment lawyers work with celebrities?

3. Entertainment Lawyers Have a Diverse Clientele For many attorneys, this is a reality, but many more do not work directly with celebrities. In fact, entertainment lawyers have a wide variety of clients. To start, not all entertainment lawyers are independent entities.Jun 15, 2020

Where do entertainment lawyers make the most money?

Average salaries for entertainment lawyers vary by city. For example, Law Crossing reports that average salaries were highest in Los Angeles where they earned $165,000 per year. Those working in Glendale and San Franciso averaged $164,500 per year. New York City entertainment lawyers averaged $161,000.Jan 20, 2022

What is the top law school in the world?

Harvard UniversityTop 10 Law Schools in the World Based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019RankName of InstitutionLocation1Harvard UniversityUnited States2University of OxfordUnited Kingdom3University of CambridgeUK8 more rows

What type of law is entertainment?

Entertainment law, also referred to as media law, is legal services provided to the entertainment industry. These services in entertainment law overlap with intellectual property law. Intellectual property has many moving parts that include trademarks, copyright, and the "Right of Publicity".

What does and entertainment lawyer do?

What is an entertainment lawyer? Unlike divorce or corporate lawyers, an entertainment lawyer represents and protects the interests of creatives, companies and others in the many areas of the entertainment industry, such as film, television, new media, theater, publishing and music.

What do entertainment lawyers do on a daily basis?

1. What do entertainment attorneys do in a typical day? Lawyers within the practice field of entertainment law break their typical day down to events much like those below: They draft and negotiate development and production contracts with writing, directing, acting and recording talent.

Why do you want to do entertainment law?

'” According to Schroder, entertainment lawyers may protect their clients' intellectual property rights, represent them in court over disputes, negotiate contracts, show them ways to maximize earnings, and help them manage their taxes, among other tasks.

What are sports law?

Sports law is an amalgam of laws that apply to athletes and the sports they play. It is not a single legal topic with generally applicable principles. Sports law touches on a variety of matters, including contract, tort, agency, antitrust, constitutional, labor, trademark, Sex Discrimination, criminal, and tax issues.

Can Entertainment Lawyers make millions?

The top entertainment lawyers in Hollywood are raking in millions each year. And they're probably letting their broke clients crash in their guest house on occasion. Assuming you do all the right things in law school, you should be able to find an entry-level job within nine months.

What is the highest paying lawyer?

Highest paid lawyers: salary by practice areaPatent attorney: $180,000.Intellectual property (IP) attorney: $162,000.Trial attorneys: $134,000.Tax attorney (tax law): $122,000.Corporate lawyer: $115,000.Employment lawyer: $87,000.Real Estate attorney: $86,000.Divorce attorney: $84,000.More items...•Dec 14, 2021

What type of lawyer makes the most money?

Types Of Lawyers That Make The Most MoneyMedical Lawyers – Average $138,431. Medical lawyers make one of the highest median wages in the legal field. ... Intellectual Property Attorneys – Average $128,913. ... Trial Attorneys – Average $97,158. ... Tax Attorneys – Average $101,204. ... Corporate Lawyers – $116,361.Dec 18, 2020

Unions, Groups, Social Media, and Associations

Entertainment Attorneys and students of entertainment law can join the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers. Moo also suggests networ...

What Is The Single Biggest Suggestion You Would Give to Someone Wanting to Get Into This Career?

“Try and have more of a broad set of classes you take. For example, learning tax law was really helpful for me but I also wish I would’ve learned l...

What’S The #1 Mistake People Make When Trying to Get Into This Career?

“It’s great to have drive and focus and I respect that. It’s great to be passionate but the reality is that the entertainment industry is only so b...

What Is The Question People Should Ask About This Career but Rarely do?

“The thing they should ask themselves beforehand is ‘Is this something I really want to do?’ They should really investigate and learn what it means...

If You Could Describe in One Word What Makes You Successful, What Would It be?

“Perseverance. Honestly, there’s going to be a lot of stuff that goes wrong along the way and that’s just life in general. There have definitely be...

What is Entertainment Law?

Entertainment law specifically impacts the entertainment industry. It’s a collection of different types of laws, which are related to the media and entertainment industry. It includes litigation and transaction laws, and also impacts the laws such as state and federal laws, common laws created on the court, and rules created by government agencies.

What areas of the Entertainment Industry are Covered by Entertainment law?

Entertainment law covers different areas of the entertainment industry, which have their own specific policies, rules and regulations, agreements, and others. These include:

Who are Practicing Entertainment Law?

Both transactional and litigation lawyers are practicing entertainment law or casino laws. However, most lawyers in entertainment law specialize in just one type of practice, since it’s more practical than doing both litigation and transactional law.

Where is Entertainment Law being Practiced?

Most entertainment lawyers can be found in Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York City since these cities provide more jobs to do, and a majority of production studios are operating in these areas.

The Importance of Entertainment Law

Entertainment lawyers can fill several roles, which depend on what their specialization is and what their clients need. Here are some of their functions, which also show their significance in the industry:

What is entertainment attorney?

Entertainment Attorneys help their clients to understand legal agreements, ensuring that the terms are in their clients’ best interests. They work with Recording Groups, Record Producers, Songwriters, Music Publishers, Record Label Executives, Music Producers, and Composers. They negotiate recording, merchandising, touring and publishing contracts, as well as Producer agreements.

What do people think of entertainment attorneys?

When most people think of Entertainment Attorneys they envision a flashy, high-powered office and an intense workload. While this is certainly the case at many big-name firms, other Attorneys find this type of corporate environment doesn’t sit well with their creative clients.

What does a music lawyer do?

For superstar level clients, the Music Lawyer may also assist in licensing their image for merchandising purposes or handling the paperwork on sponsorship/endorsement deals. They may even get involved in non-business legal matters , such as prenuptial agreements or divorce settlements.

Who is Kamal Moo?

Los Angeles-based Entertainment Attorney and Manager Kamal Moo focuses on indie artists and labels, having worked with a wide range of clients from Grammy-nominated hip-hop violinist Josh Vietti to Warped Tour and ex-Epitaph Records band I Set My Friends on Fire.

What does Moo say about being successful?

Of the experience and skills necessary to become successful, Moo says, “it goes back to just being good with people. A lot of clients have said to me, ‘You’re so easy to talk to; the last Entertainment Attorney I talked to was a real jerk and made me feel stupid.’ It’s not brain surgery. Anything in law can be made simple. My goal is to explain a lot of things so people understand.

Is law school expensive?

Law school is very expensive and you have to consider this before getting into that much debt. Try to learn. There are lots of books and blogs out there, lots of ways to learn about the industry. There’s a great book called All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman.

What is industry guide?

While we tend to avoid reading more books then assigned, an industry guide is a refreshing and inspiring break from casebooks. Wandering through the entertainment section of your law library may reveal little jewels that breathe an inspiring perspective on career paths in ways you may not have considered. Legal books that give law student advice is such as Entertainment Careers for Lawyers is useful, as is a quick browse at non-legal books that give an overview of what it’s like to enter the industry.

Who is Nicholas La Terza?

Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer, Nicholas La Terza who teaches entertainment law at UCLA, UC Irvine and the University of Miami tells his students to be in the know about the industry. For example, if you want to work with film producers, he says you must be able to name your five favorite producers.

What is an entertainment lawyer?

An entertainment lawyer is a law professional who specializes in legal matters related to the entertainment industry. Entertainment lawyers may focus on advising clients on entertainment contract laws, intellectual property or entertainment labor laws.

What does an entertainment lawyer do?

An entertainment lawyer can specialize in certain entertainment industries or legal aspects. Their duties can vary depending on their area of specialization, but common responsibilities can include:

Where does an entertainment lawyer work?

Entertainment lawyers can work in a law firm or they may work directly for a large entertainment company. Many entertainment lawyers live in or near large cities because cities tend to have more entertainment opportunities. An entertainment lawyer may choose to work in a certain location depending on their specialty.

How do you become an entertainment lawyer?

If you are interested in becoming an entertainment lawyer, consider following these steps:

What Is Media Law?

Media law governs what can be published and broadcast. Some of the elements that media law includes are censorship and the tort of defamation, as well as privacy.

What Do Media Lawyers Do?

Day-to-day responsibilities differ depending on whether you are a solicitor or barrister.

Media Law: Pros

The benefits of a career in media law include how topical it is. As the world of media moves so fast, you can expect to see the things you work on in the news and all around you, from advertising billboards to shops and even TV.

Where Can I Practise as a Media Lawyer?

As media and entertainment law encompass so many industries within media, it’s difficult to summarise the top UK law firms which specialise in media law. Some of the top UK law firms include:

Is it for Me?

As you might have guessed by now, media law is very fast-paced and, because of the nature of the industry, is heavily client-focused.

Routes Into Media Law

Media lawyers either work for law firms, in-house or chambers – as such, you should expect to follow the usual path to becoming a solicitor or barrister.

Work Experience

Work experience with student societies which demonstrate an interest in media or media companies (whether gaming, journalism, theatre or other forms), is important if you wish to follow this career path. This is because it allows you to develop commercial awareness, which is vital for getting a foot in the door.

How long does it take to become an entertainment lawyer?

In order to become an entertainment lawyer, one must obtain both a bachelor and a juris doctor (JD) degree. This process usually takes seven years. Employers also usually prefer that their entertainment lawyers have at least two or three years of industry experience.

What is entertainment lawyer?

Entertainment lawyers advise clients on movie and recording contracts, review and approve all promotional and distribution agreements related to celebrities, protect material that is copyrighted, and help negotiate entertainers' fees and royalties with movie, television and music production companies. Anyone who wants to become an entertainment ...

How do entertainment lawyers make money?

With experience, these professionals can earn more by attracting higher-profile clients. They might also be able to advance from managing legal affairs of local celebrities to those residing in major markets such as New York and Los Angeles. Moreover, those who have been in field for a longer time typically also have larger client bases, which can significantly increase their earnings.

Be in The Know, But Don’T Be A Fan

Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer, Nicholas La Terza who teaches entertainment law at UCLA, UC Irvine and the University of Miami tells his students to be in the know about the industry. For example, if you want to work with film producers, he says you must be able to name your five favorite producers. If you h…