The two areas of study for this topic-specific Specialist Program are Sports Law and Media and Entertainment Law. A required elective further sharpens your understanding of Sports Law.
Sports Law
Sports law has historically been lumped in with entertainment representation. However, with the relatively recent explosion of sporting events and professional leagues, sports law requires its own focus with special attention given to athletic issues not relevant to other forms of entertainment. Gain an understanding of entertainment law as it pertains to athletes, along with contract and employment law. Learn about issues relating to female athletes (such as Title IX), drugs and drug testing, and sports injuries. Prepare yourself for the high-pressure, high-stakes experience of working with attorneys, agents and, of course, athlete clients.
Media and Entertainment Law
Legal agreements guide every concert, television show, movie, song, play, sporting event and every other form of entertainment. More than ever law saturates the entertainment industry, seeking to protect the interests of artists and performers, and to ensure the interests of financial backers. Become an integral part of the legal entertainment scene by learning to draft entertainment contracts, monitor the performance of contracts, and communicate with clients and other parties involved in negotiation processes.
Examine the laws that encompass the entertainment industry, such as how to represent clients in this field regarding publicity, privacy, advertising and marketing, rights of deceased artists and authors, enforcing royalty agreements, distribution of royalties, contractually mandated audits, copyright protection and enforcement, patents and more. In addition, you will acquire the skills to conduct entertainment specific research, correspondence and plea preparations.
Paralegals can be invaluable to attorneys in the entertainment industry, where the egos and personalities are different, more sensitive and often more volatile than standard areas of representation. Paralegals often provide a less threatening conduit for communication to flow, and this specialist area is tailor-made for a dynamic, skilled paralegal.
Elective
Once you have begun this program, you will work with your instructor to determine which elective course fits best with your particular area of interest. You will choose one of the following electives: E-Discovery, Accounting and Tax Law for Paralegals, Legal Ethics, Laws of Evidence, Advanced Legal Research or Constitutional Law.