Southwestern's Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Program
Biederman Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Institute
Southwestern's Donald E. Biederman Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Institute was established in 2000 to take advantage of the law school's long history of involvement with the entertainment and media industries. The Institute offers a rich spectrum of entertainment, sports, and media law courses and experiential learning opportunities under the direction of faculty who have tremendous practical experience in the field.
Southwestern has been recognized as one of the top ten law schools in the country for entertainment law by The Hollywood Reporter eight years in a row, and as #1 in the Top Law Schools for Entertainment Law by lawstreetmedia.com, among other honors.
Connections to the Industry
Southwestern's Donald E. Biederman Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Institute is intimately connected to a plethora of entertainment and media companies, law firms, and other organizations operating in every aspect of the industry. Lawyers and executives from many of these entities participate in various elements of the Institute’s programs.
*Click on the tabs below to learn more about our upcoming and recent events, "A Conversation With..." series, and our Annual MLRC Conference.
Save the Date: "A Conversation With" Speaker Series Programming
Mark your calendars, everyone! The Biederman Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Institute is excited to announce the upcoming "A Conversation With" programming throughout the academic school year! Detailed invitations will be forthcoming, but please see below for scheduled dates. We don’t want you to miss out on these conversations!
Ken Basin, Global Head of Business Operations (Film/TV) for Riot Games (previously at Paramount Television Studios, Sony Pictures Television, Amazon Studios), author of The Business of Television | Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024 Time: 7:30 p.m. PT Location: In-Person at the 2nd Floor of the Bullocks Wilshire Building; Reception to follow at 8:30 p.m. PT |
Jere R. Hausfater (Entertainment Attorney, Executive Producer, and Film Consultant) | Date: Tuesday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 3, 2024 Time: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PT Location: W511 |
Chris Perez & Dale Nelson, from Donaldson Callif Perez LLP | Date: Thursday, April 11, 2024 Time: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PT Location: Via Zoom |
Ksenia Maiorova & Stephanie M. Scamman, from Green & Spiegel, LLC | Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024 Time: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PT Location: Via Zoom |
Shawn Holley '88 (Partner, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP) | Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT Location: Southwestern Law School, Louis XVI Room |
MLRC Conference 2025
For 22 years, the Media Law Resource Center and Southwestern Law School have hosted an annual forum at which renowned experts discuss the most timely, important, and controversial topics in entertainment and media law.
Thursday, March 20, 2025
1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. PT
Southwestern Law School
4 MCLE Credits offered
Panel topics include:
- Disinformation and the Entertainment Industry
- Litigating Reality
- Trump 2.0
- Breakout sessions
- Series and Backend Deals
- AI Regulation & Digital Media
- Pre-Pub Review for Non-Scripted Content
- Filmmaker/Producer Fireside Chat
Join our e-mail list to stay up-to-date on upcoming Biederman event programming and courses.
Click here to view our past events
These informative, insightful, and provocative "IRL living room" conversations with prominent entertainment and media figures are brought to you in collaboration with our Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic.
We welcome our Southwestern community, our Clinic clients, fellow Golden Globe Foundation grantees, those in the entertainment practice at large, and others in related fields to join us for these speaker series events.
*Golden Globe Foundation generously supports Southwestern Law School’s Entertainment & Arts Legal Clinic for the 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 academic years.
Past guests have included:
- Jeff Toobin, CNN legal and political analyst;
- Arn Tellem, at the time the Vice Chairman and President of the Team Sports Division of Wasserman Media Group, now Vice Chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment which owns the Detroit Pistons;
- Paul Williams, renowned composer, performer and ASCAP President;
- Leah Weil, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Sony Pictures;
- Martin Garbus, renowned trial lawyer, and First Amendment expert.
The Institute regularly co-sponsors symposia with the Entertainment and Intellectual Property Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Los Angeles Copyright Society, the Media Law Resource Center, and other organizations. Additionally, the Institute conducts continuing legal education (CLE) courses on entertainment and media law issues for alumni, practitioners, and laypeople.
Listen and Subscribe to "A Conversation With..." Podcasts
Influential members of the Entertainment, Sports, & Media Law industries discuss their careers and hot-button issues.
You will hear top-notch entertainment, sports, and media lawyers and experts share their journeys and provide insights in conversation-style panel discussions with Q&A.
All previously-recorded episodes are now available!
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Chris Perez and Dale Nelson |
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Ken Basin |
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Henry Lydiate |
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Erika Kirkwood |
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Kenneth Trujillo-Jamison |
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Carolyn Forrest |
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Dr. Michael Epstein |
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Two Theater Lawyers |
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Ina Fichman |
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Anita Surendran |
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Priyanka Khimani |
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Kenneth Wu |
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Mark Hiraide |
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Neville Johnson |
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Judith Finell |
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The Deepfakes Phenomenon |
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Sandra Williams |
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Andrew Schwartzman |
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Dina LaPolt |
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Women In Sports Law |
- Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic
The Clinic provides pro bono legal services to independent filmmakers, series creators, writers, actors, legit stage producers, artists, and musicians. Students work on documentation of underlying rights (clearance reports and fair use analysis) and chain-of-title review, drafting shopping and commenting on and option purchase agreements, music agreements, personal services agreements for producers, directors, actors, other principal crew, location agreements, releases and other development and production related contracts. The Clinic also reviews sales, licensing, and distribution agreements. The students, trained by taking copyright and other entertainment law courses, do the legal work (including client correspondence) which is supervised and reviewed by a panel of 4 or 5 experienced practicing attorney professors.
Learn more about the Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic here.
- Biederman Scholars
In an effort to recognize excellence in academic achievement, and encourage and facilitate career success, the Biederman Institute established the Biederman Scholars program to help expand opportunities for promising future entertainment lawyers.
Each year, a few outstanding students are selected for this honor. Biederman Scholars participate in a variety of Institute initiatives, including an industry mentor program, behind-the-scenes participation in Biederman Institute programs, and priority placement in entertainment and media company externships and law firm practicums.
The Biederman Scholars can also participate in the Biederman Awards event honoring outstanding members of the entertainment and media law community, and other Institute activities.
- Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law
Southwestern's Donald E. Biederman Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Institute established the Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law through a joint venture with the American Bar Association’s Forums on Communications Law and the Entertainment and Sports Industries.
The first of its kind, the Journal addresses all aspects of international and comparative media and entertainment law, including topics related to content, regulation, intellectual property, distribution, publishing, internet and technology, and transactions.
Students are selected to work with the Board of Editors, composed of Biederman Institute faculty and members of the Forum committees, and headed by Supervising Editor, Professor Michael Epstein.
- Southwestern Entertainment and Intellectual Property Alumni Association (SWEIP)
Southwestern's Donald E. Biederman Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Institute has brought together prominent attorneys and executives from leading entertainment companies, law firms, and institutions to serve on its Executive Board. The Institute also works closely with the Southwestern Entertainment and Intellectual Property Alumni Association (SWEIP) which has over 500 members.
The Board and SWEIP play a critical role by helping to connect outstanding students with opportunities for industry experience and future job placement, shaping and focusing the curriculum, developing new programming concepts, and expanding the Institute’s access to speakers and resources.
View SWEIP's LinkedIn group.
- London Summer Program
Southwestern Law School, under the auspices of the Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute, will host a four-week Summer Program in International Entertainment and Media Law and International Humanitarian and Refugee Law at The University of London SOAS, Brunei Gallery from June 15 to July 18, 2025.
This unique and exciting program offers a variety of academic, cultural, and social experiences through:
- Courses on international entertainment, art, music, negotiating and drafting international entertainment contracts, and public interest law.
- Instruction provided by U.S. and British faculty with extensive international experience
- Guest lecturers on course-related topics
- Field excursions to the Royal Courts of Justice and other legal, entertainment, media, and cultural institutions in London