Our Media, Entertainment and Technology Law areas of concentration offer you an exceptional opportunity to acquire the diverse skills and knowledge required to practice law in media and technology markets. The curriculum follows a distinctive practice-oriented approach that exposes you to the legal problem-solving skills and business concepts that lawyers apply every day to achieve client objectives.
We give equal weight to transactional and litigation practice areas and we emphasize active learning through skills workshops. Our courses are taught by prominent research faculty and experienced practitioners who have held some of the highest positions in law and business. For instance, our business planning courses are taught by a former CEO of a major Hollywood studio, our Intellectual Property Litigation Workshop is taught by the head of the intellectual property department at a major international law firm, and our Technology Transactions Workshop is taught by a former partner at a Silicon Valley law firm.
We prepare our students for practice through simulation and skills courses that require you to apply legal and business concepts to tackle deal-making and dispute-resolution scenarios in content and technology markets.
Both JD and LLM students in the Media, Entertainment and Technology Law areas of focus have the opportunity to enroll in courses at the renowned USC School of Cinematic Arts and/or the USC Marshall School of Business. In addition, JD students may pursue a dual MBA degree. Other dual JD degrees available include communications management, economics, business taxation and pharmacy.
By completing 21 or more units of specified coursework each, you may complement your JD degree with a Media and Entertainment Law certificate and/or a Technology and Entrepreneurship Law certificate. Along with your JD, you may also earn a Business Law certificate with 24 or more units, a Public Interest Law certificate with 20 or more units, and/or an Alternative Dispute Resolution certificate with 12 units. Some courses count toward multiple certificates.
By completing 12 or more units of coursework each, you may complement your LLM degree with a Media and Entertainment Law certificate, a Technology and Entrepreneurship Law certificate, a Business Law certificate and/or an Alternative Dispute Resolution certificate. Some courses count toward multiple certificates.
Our Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic and Small Business Clinic give JD students the opportunity to handle real-life cases, working directly with clients. You might represent an online music business, a budding filmmaker, a 3D printing designer or a game designer.
In addition, USC Gould JD students may enroll in externships at some of the world's leading film studios, networks and other firms in the Southern California innovation ecosystem. For student testimonials on their externship experiences, see Students and Alumni.
Our student-run USC Entertainment Law Spotlight gives JD students the opportunity to gain exposure by publishing practice-oriented pieces on cutting-edge legal issues while earning course credit.
The Media, Entertainment and Technology Law areas of focus offer a series of speakers and events throughout the year, including hosting leading judges, business executives and legal practitioners through the USC Entertainment Law and Business Institute and the USC Intellectual Property Institute. On February 22, 2018, the Media, Entertainment and Technology Law Program co-hosted, together with the USC Center for Transnational Law and Business, a symposium on "Reforming Patent Reform" that included presentations from IP policy specialists in academia, government and industry. Our keynote speaker was Mr. Andrei Iancu, Director of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. See Past Conferences
Active student organizations in art law, entertainment law, entrepreneurship and venture capital law, music law, and intellectual property and technology law provide students with opportunities to interface with prominent practitioners. For instance, the Entertainment Law Society travels to the Sundance Film Festival to meet with filmmakers and observe the inner workings of one of the most influential outlets for new entertainment deals.
