"The Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic gave me the tools I needed to be successful in the legal field. The hands-on experience not only refined my skills as a legal professional, but gave me the confidence to tackle any project no matter the complexity. I’m grateful to have learned from leaders in the entertainment industry and I will carry these lessons with me throughout my career." 

— Katrina Petty, Former Clinician (Spring 2025, Fall 2025)

"Working on [documentary feature film] Soul Patrol was especially meaningful because I was able to support the project through the negotiation of an executive producer and life rights agreement, helping ensure that [our client] Ed’s story could come to life. I gained valuable experience working with opposing counsel from two well-recognized entertainment law firms, which offered insight into how these deals are handled in practice. I also assisted with the copyright registration for Soul Patrol, Ed’s book, helping protect the underlying work. Ed was a thoughtful, communicative, and deeply passionate client who cared about ensuring his story was authentically represented."

— Rosemary Tamayo, Esq., Current Fellow

"Working in Southwestern’s Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic has been a rewarding experience on many levels. Clinic clients span several mediums (film, television, literature, art installations, etc.), and clinicians gain hands-on experience with several different types of work product. The Clinic exposes its members to various aspects of client care, starting with informational intake meetings and continuing through various project stages from development to distribution. At the end, clinicians see their work in action when projects hit the big or small screen. What a feeling it is to help get these stories out there and in front of audiences! Practically, the skills and experience I gained translated into real-time results when I found myself implementing them at my day job. The Clinic provides the opportunity to learn, grow, collaborate, challenge yourself, and push yourself to help clients in the best way possible." 

— Stephanie Anderson, Former Clinician and Current Fellow

"The Clinic was where entertainment law truly “clicked” for me. It emphasized skills-based learning in the best way possible – by doing the work. I worked hands-on with copyright law and services agreements, including work-made-for-hire issues. I actively drafted, redlined, and negotiated agreements with opposing parties on behalf of passionate and creative clients. Just as importantly, I learned how to communicate complex legal issues to clients in a clear, practical way. That combination of real drafting, negotiation, and client interaction put me well ahead entering internships and, later, practice, and allowed me to handle sophisticated transactional matters early in my career."

— Franklin Franco, Former Clinician (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)

"Being part of Southwestern Law School’s Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic in multiple capacities is an experience I will always cherish. During law school, I had the opportunity to serve both as a Clinician and as a Project Manager. Now, as a licensed attorney, it is incredibly rewarding to give back to the program as a Fellow, where I can serve as a resource to current students – just as others did for me when I was gaining invaluable educational and practical experience. As a transactional attorney, I rely daily on the skills I developed in the Clinic such as the ability to distinguish between business and legal terms, communicate effectively with clients, draft and redline agreements, negotiate key deal points, issue spot, and analyze and advise on risk assessment.  Working alongside some of the best professors and colleagues in the industry truly set me up for success after graduation. For anyone considering the Clinic, whether as a student or a client, the experience and legal guidance it provides are immensely valuable."

— Nastassia Tiangco, Former Clinician and Current Fellow

"The Clinic provides a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience with many aspects of Entertainment Law. By working in the Clinic, I was able to draft and redline different agreements, work collaboratively in teams to meet our client's needs, and learn so much from the experience of the Professors and the Fellows. The experience you get in the Clinic is a great talking point during interviews to showcase the skills and knowledge about Entertainment Law."

— Amber Mandt, Former Clinician (Fall 2023)

"My time at the Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic has been an incredible learning experience. Drafting agreements and interacting directly with clients has prepared me well for legal intern and clerk positions. I am very grateful for the Professors and Fellows at the clinic for their guidance and support."

— Nelson Campbell, Former Clinician (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)

"Working at Southwestern's Entertainment and the Arts Legal Clinic during law school has been an invaluable experience. At the start of the semester, I hoped to gain experience drafting and negotiating entertainment contracts, communicating with clients, and understanding what it takes to work in entertainment law. Under the supervision of the professors and Clinic fellows who are knowledgeable, patient, and professional, everything I hoped to learn and experience has become a reality. The ability to work on real projects and have an impact on actual clients has undoubtedly made me a stronger job candidate and a better professional in the industry."

— Michael Segal, Former Clinician (Fall 2023)

"Working in the clinic has been such a rewarding opportunity. The collaborative nature of the clinic and the hands-on experience working with clients has prepared me for what working at an entertainment law firm will be like. No question is too small, and every conversation is meaningful. I am grateful to the professors, fellows, and veteran clinicians for all their advice. It has given me the confidence to grow as a professional."

— Matt Duffy, Former Clinician (Fall 2023)

"The Southwestern Entertainment & Media Arts Clinic is one of the best decisions I have made in my law school career. The hands-on experience I received with redlining contracts, discussing complicated legal issues, and the intense fair use and clearance project prepared me greatly for my field externship. I showed up on the first day of work and didn’t feel like a fish out of water. I understood what was being asked of me. I knew what questions to ask and felt comfortable because I was confident in training from the clinic. Also, the clinic’s reputation permeates through the industry. Our professors have set the table for us to feast. I would do it all over again. It will push you but in the most necessary way."

— Quentin D. Warren, Former Clinician (Fall 2023)

"I believe that my work in the Clinic prepared me for legal intern and law clerk positions while in law school, as well as made me a competitive candidate for postgraduate counsel positions in the field of entertainment law. Through my experience and connections at the Clinic, I received two postgraduate offers in the entertainment law field from an Entertainment Boutique Law Firm and a Network."

— Brynn Bodair, Former Clinician + Current Fellow (Spring 2021, Fall 2021)

"Working in the clinic has been a wonderful learning opportunity. It has given me hands-on experience working with clients. Additionally, it has allowed me to work with a team of clinicians to figure out the best way to serve the client. I’ve learned a lot during my time in the Clinic, and I’m grateful for the guidance I’ve received from professors and veteran clinicians."

— Krystina Cavazos, Former Clinician (Fall 2022)

"The Clinic provides an incredibly professional, collaborative, and supportive environment for students to experience what working at an entertainment law firm is like by allowing us to communicate openly with our clients and provide extensive advice and documentation for their many projects. The Clinic professors give us the freedom to draft complicated contract provisions and negotiate extensive deal terms while simultaneously preparing us for future employment opportunities."

— Jacob Halajian, Former Clinician + Current Fellow (Spring 2021 - Present)

"For my feature documentary film, "Among Neighbors," receiving the representation and consultation of Southwestern Law School’s Entertainment and Arts Legal Clinic was a huge blessing. The film uses hundreds of third-party materials, and the Clinic thoroughly reviewed each and every item to help determine if we had licensed it properly, if it was in the public domain, or if we could make a legitimate fair use claim. The Clinic also advised me regarding agreements with distributors and sales agents, as well as with nonprofit organizations connected to my film, and the professors gave candid guidance about the challenging realities of the documentary marketplace. Their comprehensive and well-informed input helped clarify answers to the countless questions I had while completing and then releasing my film. I really cannot say enough about all the help the Clinic provided over many months, and I will always be grateful for each person involved in it."
 

— Yoav Potash, Writer, Producer & Director, Among Neighbors

"Southwestern Law School’s Entertainment and the Arts Legal Clinic has been an invaluable resource for Greenwich. Our distribution company needed a fresh set of legal eyes on a wide range of contracts. The Clinic’s professors and students provided a thorough review and insightful suggestions for Greenwich’s agreements. We couldn’t be happier with their work and highly recommend them for those seeking similar counsel."

— Greenwich Entertainment

"Working with the Southwestern Law School Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic was an essential part of finishing my debut feature documentary. The Clinic provided thorough, clear, and incredibly professional legal support across multiple stages of production, including creating and reviewing contracts, fair use analysis, archival clearances, and chain-of-title review. Their team approached my project with seriousness and attention to detail, ensuring that my film was buttoned-up legally and well positioned for distribution.

In a landscape where independent filmmakers are often working with limited resources, the reliable pro bono support the clinic provided made a meaningful difference in my ability to focus on the creative work, with confidence that the legal foundation of the project was in place. Our entire team is so grateful for the clinicians’ expertise, quick responsiveness, and commitment to supporting independent and queer artists."

— Brydie O’Connor, Director/Producer, Barbara Forever

"Can’t believe what we were able to achieve with this short doc and so grateful to have had the SWLS team by our side from the start. What a difference the clinic has made in our ability to tell this story meaningfully and accurately."

— John Beder, Director, How to Sue the Klan

"On my first low-budget feature, Tempest, I had the tremendous good fortune to have production legal services provided by the Southwestern Law School Entertainment and the Arts Legal Clinic.  Their work was exemplary.  They drafted most of our agreements and releases and generated a thorough and detailed Clearance Report.  But they went way beyond that.  Their professor advised us on the best way to handle a thorny chain-of-title issue, and warned us away from a course of action that would have created expensive credit-related problems with the WGA.  The clinic is an invaluable resource for low budget filmmakers, and I would recommend it to any production." 

— David Weisenberg, Producer, "Tempest"

"I highly recommend the excellent services provided by the Entertainment & the Arts Legal Clinic.

We engaged with the team for various legal needs on our feature film and each time we were met with friendly, professional, knowledgeable and efficient students and fellow. They helped us navigate the production and distribution pipeline and supplied many legal documents we utilized.

The team provided vital insight and guidance while advancing our production. This program has proven to be important, successful, and critical to support."

— Allison Tate, Lead Producer, "Big Boys" (2023) Feature Film

"[The Clinic’s] role in the film is extremely important. We could work for years, but with one legal mistake, we could lose everything. I am genuinely impressed by [the Clinic’s] attention to detail and your ability to meet deadlines while maintaining a high level of professionalism. Your contributions have significantly impacted my peace of mind, knowing that I am in good hands."

— Meital Cohen Navarro, Director/Producer, "Untitled DR Congo Project"

"There are many legal facets to consider when you are working on a feature-length documentary that we didn’t know about. With the Clinic’s support and guidance, they provided the following customized items: producer agreements, a director agreement, appearance releases, crew deal memo agreements, cast agreements, and location release agreements. They also provided amazing professional-client engagement by answering all our questions through Zoom meetings, emails, and even a few after-hours phone calls. I can’t express how grateful we are for being able to work with the Clinic while learning about the process overall!”

— Shantel Hansen, Director, "Behind the Stripes"

"Thank you all so much for your tremendous labor in developing this updated contract for [our songwriter]. Thank you for receiving all our feedback and for massaging it into this new draft."

— Set Hernandez Rongkilyo, Director/Producer, "Unseen"

"My documentary team and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful for the partnership we have with the Entertainment and the Arts Legal Clinic at Southwestern Law School. This collective of courteous, super-smart law students, taught and overseen by experienced entertainment lawyer, Orly Ravid, has made the legal costs and requirements of preparing our documentary "Stranger at Home" for successful distribution a truly manageable experience. Their thorough Fair Use Analysis to help qualify our film for E&O insurance, their review of our music and visual licenses, and their willingness to review and advise on contracts — all gratis — have been such a godsend and a gift. They also happen to be really lovely people!"

— Beth Dolan/Producer/Co-Director, "Stranger at Home"