Los Angeles Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law & Business Semester

The Los Angeles Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law & Business Semester is offered to our students interested in building their professional acumen and networks in the entertainment and sports industries. Students selected for the program spend the spring semester in Los Angeles taking entertainment and sports-focused courses, learning from Northwestern residential and adjunct faculty (industry professionals including leading Northwestern Pritzker Law alumni). There also is a “Leadership in Entertainment” speaker series showcasing influential leaders in film, music, and sports entertainment. Classes are held in conference rooms of three Century City law offices with significant entertainment practices – Loeb & Loeb, Greenberg Traurig, and Latham & Watkins.

Courses

The Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Semester is an accredited curricular experience. Courses are held in Century City law firm offices and focus on various law and business aspects of the entertainment and sports industries. Recent courses offered include:

Media and Entertainment Law
Sports Law & Business
Emerging Entertainment: Law & Practice
Music Law & Business
Entertainment Labor Law & Policy
Entertainment Law & Entrepreneurship
Video Game Law
The Business of Media and Marketing Law

Externships

All students in the program are assigned legal externships in entertainment or sports companies and organizations. Recent externship companies include:

AMC Entertainment
Sony Animation
A+E Networks
Riot Games
Sony Pictures
Campfire Studios
United Talent Agency
Lucas Museum
Dynasty Equity
NoCap Sports
CMG Worldwide

Universal Music Publishing
Sony PlayStation
Wasserman Media
Olive Hill Media
Stampede Ventures
IMAX
LA28 Olympics
LA Dodgers
Gelfand Rennert Feldman
William Morris Endeavor
Live Nation

Entertainment Company Visits

Students visit entertainment and sports companies where they tour the facilities and meet with in-house counsel for Q & A opportunities. Recent and upcoming visits include:

SoFi Stadium
Sony Pictures
IMAX
Riot Games

Apple Beats by Dr. Dre
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Paramount Pictures
Amazon Studios

Entertainment Conferences

2025

Forces of Change Conference

2024

Eligibility

All rising second and rising third-year JD students are eligible to apply. Among other factors, students are selected based on: their stated interest in experiencing entertainment, media, or sports law environments; their past coursework or experiences in the entertainment, media or sports industries; an appropriate externship match with an entertainment, media, or sports company; and maintaining a balance between second and third-year students.

Note: There is a 16-unit cap on course credits for the program semester and students must reserve 1500 bid points for the program. The curriculum will be exclusively comprised of the courses designed for the program and students may not enroll in classes offered on the Chicago campus during the spring semester program. Participation in this program does not excuse any other graduation requirement.

Student Perspectives

"The LA program and my externship at Universal Music Publishing Group gave me hands-on experience in the music industry, where I negotiated and drafted contracts, gained insight into deal structures, and worked on agreements for some incredible artists."

Gabriella B. A. (JD '24)
Universal Music Publishing Group

"I worked on a character copyright analysis, trademark agreements, and movie rights to video game IP. Being able to touch so many aspects of the video game industry was an incredible experience."

Stephen A. (JD '24)
Sony Interactive
PlayStation

"Gaining hands-on transactional experience at Sony, like drafting real artist agreements, was such an incredible addition to my legal career. And as someone who loves movies and this industry, working on the Sony lot was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had."

Cecilia C. (JD '25)
Sony Animation

"The LA Program was one of the highlights of my law school career. My externship with the LA28 legal team was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play a small role in shaping the future Olympic Games. It was truly an experience I won't forget."

Riley B. (JD-MBA '25)
LA28 Olympics

"The LA Program opened more opportunities for me as a first-year associate. The hands-on experience I gained through my externship, combined with the practical course offerings, equipped me with transferable skills rarely taught in law schools. As a result, I was able to add more value to matters and publish articles with my firm."

Rachel K. (JD '24)
Campfire Studios

"Participating in the LA Program was my single best experience at Northwestern. Through my externship at United Talent Agency and the incredible classroom access to accomplished legal professionals, I developed a practical understanding of entertainment law that I simply would not have been able to obtain anywhere else."

Jago T. (JD-MBA '24)
United Talent Agency

"The access to our alumni in entertainment was amazing. If you are interested in entertainment law, this is the program to do."

Ashley A. (JD '24)
Sony Pictures

"The coursework was both academically interesting and directly practical to working as an entertainment attorney. My externship at Sony Pictures gave me the hands-on experience of working on movie and actor contracts. And getting to work on the Sony lot every day was a childhood dream come true!"

Ben M. (JD-MBA '25)
Sony Pictures