Entertainment lawyers help to put together deals, review contracts, and help artists, performers, and those who hire them protect their rights. If you have a mind for detail, love the law, and are eager to become immersed in the entertainment industry, you might want to learn more about how to become an entertainment lawyer.
Entertainment law is a rapidly evolving area of specialization within the legal industry. The changes in technology and social media are revolutionizing the areas of intellectual property and information management. Globalization means that these issues cross boundaries, requiring attorneys to be able to take a worldwide view. In order to participate in this field, you need to earn a bachelor's degree, then a law degree, and gain experience in the field of entertainment law.
Entertainment Law: Music Industry 202
This video is almost 30 minutes law, and features entertainment lawyer Matthew Middleton discussing current issues in entertainment law. He discusses his career, and how he traveled from a middle school in the South Bronx to an attorney representing clients who include Missy Elliott. Middleton stresses the importance of working hard in school, but does admit to having been lucky in making contacts in school with musicians who went on to become successful.
Step 1: Get a Bachelor's Degree
- Admission to law school can be highly competitive, so its important to work hard and get excellent grades in college. As there is no required pre-law major, you should use this time to take classes that will help you understand areas that you'll be dealing with as an entertainment lawyer. Music, drama, film studies, accounting, marketing, or technology would all be helpful majors. While in college, look for work experiences in the entertainment industry to broaden your knowledge of the field.
Step 2: Attend Law School
- Before specializing in entertainment law, you should focusing on becoming a good lawyer. Do well in law school to maximize the number of job opportunities you'll have after graduation. Select electives that relate to issues you'll need to know about while practicing entertainment law, such as:
- When selecting a law school look for a school that has alumni who have developed successful entertainment law practices. These will be a good source of contacts for you, perhaps even providing avenues for internships while in school. Attending school in a geographic area that has a high concentration of entertainment business would also be useful.
Step 3: Get Experience
- During law school, look for internships which will give you experience in issues relevant to entertainment law such as copyright infringement of intellectual property litigation.
When looking for your first job in the industry, you have two choices:
- You can sign on with a law firm that has a large entertainment practice. Most of your experience will involve representing artists, but entertainment firms also represent industry, so you'll get exposed to both sides of the practice with a firm.
- Publishers, studios, and recording companies have in-house legal counsel as well, so you can also look for jobs on the industry side. Although you won't be gaining experience representing individual artists, the opportunity to gain first hand knowledge of the issues facing industry will be helpful even if you later decide to represent individuals.
