| A Message from the Director
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EMLI Director Julie Shapiro '89
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"You are students for only a few years, but you are alumni for life.” After attending the law school’s 2021 conferral of law degrees ceremony via Zoom, I write this note while reflecting on an unprecedented year. Among the many inspirational words that day, those by Dean Michael Waterstone resonate the loudest.
To the alumni and others who generously gave of their time to the Entertainment & Media Law Institute (EMLI) this year: Thank you! Thank you to those who served as guest speakers for the student organizations, those who made time to speak to students individually and to those who volunteered as mentors for the Entertainment Law Fellowship Program. Your participation enhances our students’ law school experience and helps them identify the area of entertainment they wish to pursue.
The 2020-2021 school year was my first year back at LMU Loyola Law School, and it was certainly like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic changed how we manage our lives. It changed how law students learn and work. I joined LLS as EMLI Director just months into the pandemic, during the law school’s Centennial Celebration, no less. Academia was hit hard. LLS’ response was nimble, and its priorities crystal clear. Faculty and staff made students a priority and worked together to overcome the challenges of online instruction.
The entertainment industry was also among those hit hardest by the pandemic. Production shutdowns had a rippling effect. Unemployment and economic hardship cast a spotlight on systemic inequalities within the industry. The death of George Floyd ignited calls for reform not only of the criminal justice system but of Hollywood. We are living during a pivotal and public moment for accountability.
I am proud to present the Entertainment & Medial Law Institute’s inaugural newsletter. The newsletter offers readers a glimpse of the wonderful programs and events offered by the institute. It highlights our student organizations and the next generation of leaders in entertainment, media and sports law. Read more >>
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| Variety, The Hollywood Reporter & Billboard Rank LLS as Top Entertainment Law School
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Congratulations to the Loyola Law School alumni who were recognized by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard in 2020 and 2021!
LLS alumni continue to make their mark among Hollywood’s most successful and productive attorneys. THR recently ranked the law school No. 7 on its list of the Top 10 Entertainment Law Schools for 2021, featuring it as one of the best for educating the next generation of entertainment attorneys. Six LLS alumni appear on THR's 15th-annual Power Lawyers list for their work leading high-stakes litigation, mega-mergers and big-ticket talent pacts during the pandemic.
Variety’s 2021 Legal Impact Report lists numerous LLS graduates among the legal professionals who have made their mark on the entertainment industry this year by supporting artists and studios in their endeavors. Loyola Law School is one of the most well-represented law schools on Variety’s report with 13 alumni featured. Included in the list is Barbara Rubin ’78, a longtime adjunct professor who has served as director of the school's Entertainment Law Practicum. More >>
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LLS Grads Pass California Bar Exam at Overwhelming Rate
LLS' pass rate for first-time takers of the October 2020 California Bar Exam takers was 92 percent – 8 percentage points higher than the statewide average for first-time takers from ABA-accredited law schools. On the February 2021 exam, LLS alumni had the best pass rate – 94% – among first-time takers from ABA-accredited law schools in the state.
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| Entertainment Law Fellows Program
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 | Clockwise from top left: Mikyla Abdul-Azim, Christina Moore, Cindy Kaneko, John O.S. Houston, Connor Sletten, Kevin Togami, Max Newman.
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Congratulations to the inaugural graduating class of Entertainment Law Fellows and a special thank you to their alumni mentors who made this program possible. Mentors for this class include Tara Toner ’13, attorney, Netflix; LLS Board Member Stuart Liner ’87, partner, DLA Piper; Jason Glushon ’16, president and founder, Glushon Sports Management; Tom Ara ’99, partner, DLA Piper; LLS Board Member Gretchen Stockdale ’02, COO & general counsel, Pilgrim Media Group; Rick Ross ’73, partner, Eisner Law; and Daniel Stuart Daniel Stuart ’73, senior vice president, Kobalt Music.
We are currently seeking mentors and student advisors for the incoming class of Entertainment Law Fellows. This fall, 14 first-year students will become Fellows. If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please contact EMLI Director Julie Shapiro at julie.shapiro@lls.edu by August 1, 2021.
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The EMLI community of students and alumni organized numerous academic, professional and social events during the year that brought us closer during a time of physical distancing. Read below to see how our institute lived its mission to educate and inspire our students.
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2021 Entertainment Law Review Symposium: Embracing Change
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 | "Leveling Up: The Rapid Expansion of the Esports and Gaming Legal Industry" featured (clockwise from top left): Bryce Blum, founder, ESG Law; Emma Smizer '22, LLS Entertainment Law Fellow; Genie Doi '14, founder, Immigrate.LA; Matt Dobill '17, counsel, Epic Games.
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This year’s Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review Symposium centered around “Embracing Change” and how the intersection of technology and entertainment is shaping the future of the industry. Topics included the life of a female sports agent, the expansion of the esports and gaming industry, Section 230 and the future of online speech, and more. Panelists included Professor Aaron Caplan, prominent constitutional law scholar, and several notable alumni: Matt Dobill ’17, counsel, Epic Games; Gene Doi ’14, Immigrate.LA and of counsel, ESG Law; Julie Nguyen ’99, senior vice president, HBO Max.
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EMLI and the LMU School of Film and Television (SFTV) Host 'Call My People: How Creative Talent Works With Their Business Team'
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The Entertainment & Media Law Institute and the LMU School of Film and Television (SFTV) joined forces to create a must-see event for the students of both grad schools. The premier event, “Call My People: How Creative Talent Works With Their Business Team” highlighted Jenniffer Gómez MFA ’11. Gomez, a queer Latinx writer and rising star, was joined by Allison Binder, attorney and partner, Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson et al; agent Matthew Doyle, Verve Agency; and manager Jairo Alvarado, Redefine Entertainment. Gómez's reps offered insight into their working relationship and the role each representative plays. They spoke candidly about racial and gender inequities in the entertainment industry from deal-making to marginalized groups in storytelling. The event was moderated by Janna Brancolini ’14, LMU Loyola Law School alum and freelance journalist for Bloomberg Law.
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Entertainment Law Fellowship Forum
Each January, the Entertainment Law Fellows are invited to an exclusive event known as the “Forum.” For the past two years, Glaser Weil LLP hosted the Forum at its law firm offices. This year’s Forum was held remotely. Student fellows gathered via Zoom to hear from alumni and industry professionals about the business of entertainment. Speakers included executive producer/media strategist, Larry Lyttle; Jonathan Handel, writer and entertainment/technology lawyer, Troy Gould; Natalie LeVeck ’11, corporate counsel, Google; Chase Turner ’19, associate, Ramo Law LLP; and LLS Board Member Corii Berg ’92, executive vice president and general counsel, Lionsgate Entertainment.
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| The Role of General Counsel in Sports
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Clockwise from top left: Maggy Carlyle, Kyra Buch ’14, Alex Winsberg, Todd Davis, Bobby Hacker, Dean Michael Waterstone.
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EMLI presented “General Counsel in Sports.” The event was moderated by alumnus Kyra Buch ’14, Littler Mendelson. The panel included Maggy Carlyle, general counsel, Pac-12 Conference; Todd Davis, general counsel, Los Angeles Rams; Bobby Hacker, Attorney at Law + Sports Management Consulting; and Alex Winsberg, general counsel, legal affairs and risk management, Angels Baseball LLP. A very special thanks to Robert E. Buch ’73, Loyola Law School board member and partner at Seyfarth Shaw, for his support in this event!
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For the past six years, Loyola Law School in collaboration with the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA) has organized a unique conference for lawyers and industry professionals that explores the impact of the convergence of technology, entertainment and the law. TechTainment™6.0 explored the concept of The Augmented Human, enhancing real-world entertainment using AR/VR, the explosion of the podcast industry, and the tensions between social media content moderation and free expression. Moderators of the three-day event included Traci Freed ’05, founder, Freed Law, P.C. and Oral Caglar ’98, principal counsel, Corporate Legal Technology, Disney, along with Professor Justin Hughes, the Hon. William Matthew Byrne, Jr. Chair.
LLS looks forward to hosting another groundbreaking TechTainment™ conference in November 2021. Details and registration for TechTainment™ 7.0 are forthcoming in the fall. TechTainment™ qualifies for MCLE credit.
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| EMLI Student Organization Events
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Women in Entertainment Law Society (WELS)
The Women in Entertainment Law Society (WELS) welcomed two LLS alumni, Seema Tilak ’14 and Ted Nguyen ’16, partners at Create LLP. Tilak and Nguyen discussed the decision as recent grads to start their own law firm and the cutting-edge world of representing influencers and creatives. | | 
Loyola Sports Law Association (LSLA)
The Loyola Sports Law Association (LSLA) hosted Kevin Schulz of Foley LLP and Investment Banker Daniel O'Brien to discuss how they engineered the $2.2-billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers, what building a record-breaking deal looks like, and how SPACS might help change the structure of franchise ownership.
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Entertainment & Sports Law Society (ESLS) Back-to-School Welcome
We were delighted to welcome back Professor Emeritus Jay Dougherty for the annual ESLS back-to-school kick-off meeting. The meeting was held remotely. Professor Dougherty was joined by Professors Barbara Rubin and Julie Shapiro in a discussion about “working as a lawyer in the entertainment industry.” Given the impact that COVID-19 had on the media and entertainment industry, Dougherty suggested that economic recovery would take some time. All three professors agreed, however, that there should be no shortage of work for entertainment lawyers.
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- Virtual Practice Area Career Fair
The Loyola Board of Governors invites all students and alumni to attend an edition of its Virtual Practice Area Career Fair series On July 8, participants will have an opportunity to engage with notable alumni who specialize in entertainment, intellectual property and sports law: Greg Rose ’95, Scroggins Entertainment Law; Philip Nulud ’06, Buchalter; Jonathan Mputu ’17, Endeavor and LLS Board Member Gretchen Stockdale ’02, Pilgrim Media Group. We hope to see you there! RSVP>>
- Entertainment Law Practicum (ELP)
Barbara Rubin, assistant professor and executive director of the Entertainment Law Practicum, will once again host her annual mixer for ELP students and their supervisors at Glaser Weil. Details forthcoming.
- Spring Mentor-Mentee Luncheon
The Entertainment and Sports Law Society, in conjunction with the Entertainment Law Concentration and the Entertainment Law Practicum, will host its annual Mentor-Mentee Luncheon in spring 2022. The event is a perfect opportunity for students to network and meet attorneys who work in different areas of the entertainment industry.
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Entertainment Law Practicum Spring 2021
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| Involvement Opportunities
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- Inspire Students Through Guest Speaking
The Entertainment & Media Law Institute (EMLI) hosts several speaker events throughout the year. If you would like to participate as a guest speaker, please contact EMLI Director Julie Shapiro at julie.shapiro@lls.edu. Alumni are welcome to participate and speak during a class session of the Entertainment Law Practicum (ELP), an event for the Entertainment Law Concentration and Entertainment Law Review and/or any of the EMLI student organizations: Entertainment and Sports Law Society (ESLS), Women In Entertainment Law (WELS) and Loyola Sports Law Association (LSLA).
- Hire a Student
The field of entertainment law is incredibly competitive. It is vital for our students to get hands-on, practical experience during law school. If your firm or company is looking for support during the fall, spring and/or summer semesters, our students are prepared and eager to work. Students may work for pay and/or academic credit. If you are interested in hiring, please contact EMLI Director Julie Shapiro at julie.shapiro@lls.edu or Private Field Placements Director Grace Parrish at grace.parrish@lls.edu.
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