USC Law taps former WB exec to launch Entertainment Law Program

John Schulman joins law school this fall

—By Gilien Silsby

Long-time Warner Bros. Entertainment executive John Schulman has been recruited by the USC Gould School of Law to head its new Entertainment Law Program.

Schulman, who retired from Warner Bros. last year after serving as executive vice president and general counsel for 25 years, joins USC Law on Aug. 1.

“I’ve always been interested in education and have lectured at USC, Southwestern, Berkeley and UCLA. This seemed like a great fit for me,” said Schulman.

As executive director, Schulman will launch the program in fall 2010 for J.D. students interested in specializing in entertainment law. Courses will include entertainment law, plus classes taken from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Marshall School of Business.

“There is no more accomplished lawyer in the entertainment industry than John Schulman,” said Dean Robert K. Rasmussen. “USC Law is fortunate to have John take the leadership in developing and enhancing our entertainment law program. I am confident that with John's vision, we will have a program that is second to none."

Describing the Entertainment Law program, Schulman said: “This is part of my next adventure. I am very excited about joining USC Law and creating one of the nation’s best entertainment law programs.”

Schulman is the ideal director of the Entertainment Law Program, said Stanley Gold, who serves on USC Law’s Board of Councilors and is a USC trustee. “He is experienced with respect to everything that is going on in the industry. USC is very lucky to have him.”

USC Law has a long history of attracting top entertainment executives to teach courses in entertainment law. Michael Grizzi of Paramount Pictures, Jeff Schneider of Lifetime Television, Jonathan Stern of Red Bull and Larry Stein of Liner Grode Stein Yankelevitz Sunshine Regenstreif & Taylor currently teach courses at USC Law, including Legal Issues in the Music Industry, Legal Issues in Television, and Entertainment Law.

Schulman is familiar with creating highly successful programs in the entertainment industry. When he joined Warner Bros. in 1981, Schulman was tasked with launching, staffing and building Warner Bros.’ legal department. When he left, Warner’s legal department was considered among the best in the industry.

At Warner Bros., Schulman oversaw 150 attorneys and was involved with several high-profile cases, including a breach-of-contract case against Francis Ford Coppola over the production of "Pinocchio," and a suit claiming Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" was responsible for a copycat killing spree.

Bruce Ramer, an entertainment attorney at Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, has worked with Schulman in his private practice and at Warner Bros.

“We have struggled through many difficult negotiations, and I have the highest respect for his abilities, his experience, his knowledge, his determination and his integrity. I can say USC Law School and its students are blessed to have him. Besides, I really like the guy,” said Ramer, a member of USC Law’s Board of Councilors.