Professional Development & Careers - Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law LL.M. Program

A major focus of the LL.M. program is for students to gain a more intimate understanding of what to expect in practice and be "client-ready".

To become apprised of recent legal and business developments in entertainment, arts and sports law top practicing attorneys teach relevant and timely courses, and practical learning is a large component of the program.

Practicum & Internships

Each student receives supervised, hands-on training in a workplace related to the student’s track of study.

"I am honored to be this year’s Legal & Business Affairs Intern for The Television Academy Foundation's Internship Program, I feel truly empowered to be working with such an inclusive and diverse group of future television leaders. At HBO, I am observing in-depth the legal and business aspects of the television industry. I am participating and engaging in the negotiation of talent agreements (on-screen, writer/producer, and directors).”

Camila Pedraza, J.D./LL.M. 
Commenting on her Television Academy Foundation’s 2018 Internship Program

Placements Have Included

Site Visits

Pictured: Students visiting Hard Rock Stadium with Myles Pistorius, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Miami Dolphins

Students are invited to local entertainment companies, museums, and professional sports franchises, where they can gain an understanding of business operations, and interact with counsel. 

Pictured: Students visiting Perez Art Museum Miami with Terry Vento, Deputy Director for Legal and Government Affairs, and General Counsel and Mark Rosenblum, Deputy Director for Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer

Site Visits have included:

• The Miami Dolphins/Hard Rock Stadium
• PAMM
• The Miami Heat
• Florida Panthers
• Miami Marlins
• NBCUniversal Telemundo Studios

Pictured: Students visiting NBCUniversal Telemundo Studios with Ana Salas Siegel, Former EVP & General Counsel

Mentorship

By matching a mentor with each student based on student background and interest; the mentors are industry professionals available to bounce ideas off of in connection with career development.

Tutorials

Students stay on top of the latest activity in the entertainment, sports and arts industries. Prominent attorneys and professors conduct interactive sessions on topics of high interest in the marketplace. Tutorials have included:

• Baseball Arbitration with Evan Green, Player Agent and Director of Arbitration, CAA Baseball Division and John Jay, Retired MLB Player & Miami Marlins First Base Coach
• Athletes, Artists and Foundations with Josh Mintz, Vice President, GC and Secretary, MacArthur Foundation
• Live Theater with David Manella, Associate, Loeb & Loeb & Carol Kaplan, Co-Chair Theater & Live Entertainment, Loeb & Loeb
• International Sports Arbitration with Ricardo de Buen, Managing Partner, De Buen Law & Fabiola Moya, Corporate Counsel, CONCACAF
• Entertainment Bankruptcy with Robbin Itkin, Partner, Sklar Kirsh
• The Intersection between Public Relations and Legal with Howard Bragman, Founder & CEO, La Brea Media
• Navigating 1st Amendment Issues in Content Creation with Liz McNamara, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP & Rachel Strom, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
• Ethics in Entertainment with David Halberstadter, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Weekly Guest Speaker Series

Guest Speakers Have Included:

• David Schwartz, Assistant General Counsel, The Walt Disney Company
• Cristina Scarano, VP, Business & Legal Affairs for Latin America & US Hispanic, BBC Studios
• Sandy York, Former General Counsel to the Ultra Music Festival and Principal of York PLLC
• Stephanie Galvin, Associate Counsel, Miami Marlins
• Ana Salas Siegel, General Counsel, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
• Christine Vincent, Project Director, Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative, The Aspen Institute
• Aric Kurzman, General Counsel, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
• Steven Marx, Partner, Podhurst Orseck, P.A.
• Michael Cheah, General Counsel, Vimeo
• Steve Silton, Partner, Cozen O’Connor LLP
• Danna Haydar, Associate General Counsel, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Catherine Levene, Co-Founder, Artspace.co
• Stephanie Genesis, Sports Law Advisor, Director and Co-Founder, Livida Sport
• Adam Neuman, Chief of Staff, Strategy & Operations and Deputy General Counsel, Office of the Commissioner, Big Ten Conference
• Liz Moore, Chief Legal and IT Officer, LPGA; Advisory Board, EASL Program
• Mark Maher, Senior Legal Counsel, Spotify
• Dan Rube, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, NBA
• Beth Mathews, CEO, ASCAP & Clara Kim, EVP & General Counsel, ASCAP
• Kim Harris, EVP, Comcast Corporation & General Counsel, NBCUniversal
• Candice Gidney, Principal, Candice Gidney Law Group and SVP, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Sweetwater Sound
• Suzanne Lopez, COO, Fremantle
• Nerissa Coyle McGinn, Partner, Loeb & Loeb 

• Additional Prior Guest Speakers

  • Lita Rosario –  Founder, WYZ Girl Entertainment Consulting, LLC
  • Scott Parrish –  COO/CFO of Alcon Entertainmen
  • David Fierson –  Head of Operations and General Counsel of Anonymous Content
  • Beth Collins –  EVP, Business Development at Azoff MSG Entertainment
  • Darren Heitner (Founder, Heitner Legal)
  • Darren Weiner, President & CEO of Celebrity Advisors LLC
  • From the NCAA, Jon Duncan (VP of Enforcement), Jennifer Henderson (Managing Director of Academic and Membership Affairs) and Naima Stevenson (Managing Director of Academic and Membership Affairs/Deputy General Counsel) – guest-lectured in the course "Intercollegiate Athletics:  Law, Policy and Regulatory Landscape."
  • Gail McQuilkin, Partner, Kozyak Tropin Throckmorton
  • Hal Biagas (President and Founder, Sideline Sports Management) and Dennis Curran (SVP and General Counsel for the NFL Management Council) – guest-lectured in the course "Cutting Edge Issues for Sports Law Practitioners in a Collectively Bargained World."
  • Jason Bonk, experienced litigator, Hollywood screenwriter and author
  • Jason Dufner (professional golfer) and Ben Walter (Founder of Walter Sports Advisory, and Mr. Dufner’s agent) – guest-lectured in the course "Representing the Professional Athlete."
  • Marlynn Jones, Assistant Director and Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Equal Opportunity Programs and Diversity, Florida International University
  • Myles Pistorius (SVP, General Counsel, Miami Dolphins), Marcus Armas-Bach (Director, Legal and Government Affairs, Miami Dolphins) and Joseph Rich (Vice Chair and Managing Partner, Miami Office of Cozen O’Connor) – guest-lectured in the course "Representing the Professional Sports Franchise."

"It affirmed my ultimate career goals. As I am getting my J.D/LL.M in Sports and Entertainment Law, I've wanted to get into this sphere, and it has given me direct insight into exactly what this type of law is actually like, and I love it."

Alyssa Levy, J.D./LL.M. Class of 2022
Associate, Sidley Austin LLP, Entertainment, Sports and Media Industry Group
(Commenting on her summer 2021 Internship at Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp, New York, NY, where her duties included transactional work involving sponsorships, partnerships, and events across all of the company's properties, including Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater, Chicago Theatre, Tao Lounges, and the MSG Sphere.)

International Symposium

Students in the program attend a two-day International Symposium on Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law.

Independent Study

Tutorials are available for students to have additional writing opportunities and work on business-related projects.

Career Outcomes: Graduates Work in Firms, Agencies and Organizations:

• Andreina Zerpa, LL.M. ‘17  is the Manager of Content Clearance & Business Affairs at Ole Communications.
• Celeste McCaw, LL.M. ‘16 is an Attorney and Telecommunications Fellow at the National Council of Negro Women
• Evan Green, LL.M. ‘17  is an agent in the Baseball Division of Creative Artists Agency.
• Harris Shain, LL.M. ‘16  is an associate at Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce P.A.
• Jamie Lincenberg, LL.M. ‘16  is in the TV Business Affairs Department at Lionsgate.
• Jose Escrina, LL.M. ‘16  is Spotify’s Director of Publishing and Licensing (LATAM)
• Katherine Brennan, LL.M. ‘16  is a Trust Administrator at U.S. Trust’s New York City office.
• Lionel Yarmon, LL.M. ‘16  is a Business Development Manager at New Alchemy Financial Services.
• Maksymilia Wandel, LL.M. ‘16  is at Athletes – USA.
• Maria Jose Rivera, LL.M. ‘17  is a Media Rights Analyst in the Business Affairs Department at Univision.
• Polina Ivko, LL.M. ‘17 is an associate at Amindeddoleh & Associates.

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