Entertainment Law Track - Courses & Requirements

The entertainment track prepares students to represent the full spectrum of collaborators in the entertainment industry.

In addition to directors, actors, and musicians, entertainment lawyers more often advise companies that produce and distribute entertainment content, license celebrity brands, purchase and sell companies or music catalogues.

By studying the entertainment track within the comprehensive EASL LL.M., it is possible for students to fully prepare for the practice of “entertainment law,” thereby giving them a competitive edge in the search for employment in the industry.

The Entertainment and Sports Law Society (ESLS) is one of the most active student organizations and it has hosted an annual international symposium since 1997. Read more on entertainment law at Miami Law.

In addition, Billboard Magazine ranked many Miami Law alumni as top music lawyers in 2021, ranked Miami Law as a top 2019 music law school, and LL.M. Guide ranked it a Top 10 Program Worldwide in 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 and #2 most popular program in the U.S.

U.S. Trained Lawyers

The LL.M. is two semesters consisting of required and elective courses, and a practicum. All courses are taught by Law School faculty and prominent practicing attorneys.

The blended nature of the LL.M. enables students to maximize their studies and create a curriculum to match individual professional interests.

Prerequisites (4 of 6 required or equivalent):

• Administrative Law
• Antitrust
• Business Associations
• Federal Income Tax
• Labor Law
• Trusts and Estates

• Required Courses
• Example of Electives
• Conference

International students have the option to do a special course of study in the LL.M. in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law to accumulate enough credits to comply with the State Board of Law Examiners’ requirements to qualify to sit for the New York Bar Exam.

These students still complete the LL.M. in the same two-semester period and earn the same degree.

If an international student does not want to take the NY bar or wants to take additional courses, they can fulfill the credit requirement by enrolling in EASL electives of their choosing.

Prerequisites: None

• Required Courses
• NY Bar Courses

As a center of music and film and a hub for the Hispanic media industry, the city is fueled by an influx of international ideas and has witnessed the growth of both homegrown companies and international offices. Students have access to this network with local mentors, practicums and externships. These companies include Fortune 500 Latin American headquarters for:

• HBO
• CAA
• BBC
• Nickelodeon
• Discovery Networks
• Sony
• ESPN
• Viacom

International Study Option: Global Sports and Entertainment Law Course

Offered in conjunction with the Madrid-based Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE), a leader in legal education, Miami Law offers a course for law students and professionals who are interested in broadening their understanding of the global sports and entertainment industries and provides an understanding of the differences and similarities between the U.S. and the international entertainment and sports law landscapes.

Leadership & Faculty

Track Directors

Ivy Kagan Bierman - Director of the Entertainment Track and Adjunct Faculty. Partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP in Los Angeles and one of a select few entertainment industry labor lawyers looked to for representation in guild and union matters. She was recently selected by the Beverly Hills Bar Association as the “2015 Entertainment Lawyer of the Year.”

H. Gwen Marcus - Distinguished Practitioner and Advisor, Entertainment Track, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law LL.M. Gwen Marcus has enjoyed a four-decade career in entertainment law, having most recently served as Showtime Networks Inc.’s longtime Executive Vice President & General Counsel. Ms. Marcus joined Showtime in 1984 as Assistant Counsel after serving as an associate in the entertainment department of the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where she represented clients in the theatre, film, television, and publishing industries.

Faculty

Michael Cheah - General Counsel of Vimeo, one of the premiere video-sharing websites. Responsible for leading the company’s public policy and legal compliance efforts

Harold Flegelman - Founding Program Director and Former Director of the Entertainment Track, Graduate Program in Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law

Ana Francois - Faculty member at University of Miami School of Communication, Francois specializes in media management issues such as startups, rights management and valuations

Danielle Garno - expert on issues faced by the fashion community, including, startup phase and commercial advice, intellectual property such as trademark and copyright infringement, social media marketing, advertising, and anti-counterfeiting, as well as employment and general business litigation. 

Mansour Ghomeshi - IP expert and VP and General Counsel at 360fly; previously lead IP counsel at Motorola and teaches course on Intellectual Property, Transactions and Negotiations

Vivek Jayaram - Intellectual property expert with years of experience handling complex IP and general business disputes for U.S. companies in state and federal courts and for several foreign businesses

Professor Lili Levi - Teaches copyright law and international copyright law, defamation and privacy law; and prior thereto, was Broadcast Counsel at CBS, Inc. Her scholarship focuses on media and communications law

Brian Oliver - General Counsel, Director of Legal & Biz Affairs, Chief Gov't & Public Affairs Strategist at Rolling Loud Music Fesival

Michael Olsen - Former Senior Vice President for Business Development at IndieBlu Music

Hernán Pantaleón - Over 20 years' experience in art, entertainment, mergers & acquisitions, banking and finance; teaches courses on Legal Aspects of TV Production in Latin America and Doing Business in Latin America

Henry W. Root - Partner at Lapidus, Root & Sachrow, LLP with 30+ years of legal and business affairs experience in the entertainment, music, television and media industries

Ana Salas Siegel - Executive Vice President & General Counsel at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises

Jose Sariego - Partner at Bilzin Sumberg, specializing in International corporate and entertainment lawyer with more than 25 years experience. He was previously the SVP–Business & Legal Affairs for Telemundo.

Jaime Rich Vining - Teaches Trademark and Advanced Trademark Law, and named a “Rising Star” by Florida’s Super Lawyer Magazine since 2009

Krista Whitaker - Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Miami HEAT

Sandy York - Former General Counsel, Ultra Music Festival

Marc Zand - Oversees Content Acquisitions and Business Affairs for ION Media

See All Faculty