Leaders in Media and Entertainment Law
Recognized across the media and entertainment industry, Ziffren is a training ground for top attorneys and executives. A robust curriculum, cutting-edge clinics, and access to experienced alumni open the door to careers in TV, movies, sports, and tech.
The Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sports Law is a gateway to a meaningful, lifelong career in the technology, intellectual property, entertainment and sports communities. The institute oversees the Media, Entertainment and Technology Law and Policy Specialization and our experienced faculty, including leading practitioners, offer one-of-a-kind training, and Ziffren clinics give students the opportunities to make an impact while still in school.
In their first year, students are invited to a wide array of talks, lunches and alumni events with executives from leading enterprises such as Disney, Netflix, Lionsgate, CAA, WME. In the second year, students take specialized classes in subjects including entertainment law, motion picture distribution, intellectual property, esports, entertainment guilds, and music law, and participate in externships with Los Angeles’s best technology firms, talent agencies, unions and production companies. The third year provides greater networking opportunities and on-campus experiences including the school’s Documentary Film Legal Clinic, Sports Law Simulation, and new Name, Image, and Likeness Clinic in collaboration with UCLA Athletics. Student journals and organizations offer great extra-curricular opportunities and the various Ziffren programs, including its In-series, bring leading lawyers and executives to campus to share their inside perspectives on the industry.
Read more in the Ziffren Institute Newsletter.
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49th Annual UCLA Entertainment Symposium
Hollywood ’25: Survive or Thrive
June 27, 2025 | 9:30AM - 4:30PM | Schoenberg Hall, UCLA School of Music
The Annual Entertainment Symposium is a flagship event for the entertainment industry, bringing leading lawyers, executives, agents, managers and producers, together with students for candid discussions on subjects at the forefront of the industry. Conversations during this conference have ranged from lively debate over the changing landscape of the entertainment business, to shared insights on planning for the success of original content in a vast digital landscape, and perspectives on filmmaking in newly developing markets. Panelists regularly include top entertainment lawyers and key executives from studios and production companies, along with leaders from digital and independent companies.
Digital Media and Video Game Conference
Thank you to everyone who attended on November 8, 2024!
48th Annual UCLA Entertainment Symposium
Thank you to everyone who attended on June 21, 2024!
Industry Pros Guiding Students
A flagship event in the entertainment industry bringing together hundreds of professionals to the UCLA campus each spring to focus on trends and topics affecting the industry.
A candid look at the day to day work lives of UCLA Law alumni one year and five years into their professional careers.
Insights from the dealmakers at the center of the sports and media landscape.
High-level industry practitioners tap into the Ziffren Institute’s vast well of insights on the top issues of the day.
Who We Are
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Ziffren Institute Team
Cindy X. Lin
Executive Director, Ziffren InstituteKristen Wong O'Malley
Program Coordinator, Ziffren Institute -
Faculty
Jonathan Anschell
Lecturer in LawSteven A. Bank
Paul Hastings Professor of Business LawEugene K. Chong
Partner, Chong IP Law Group
Lecturer in LawDale Cohen
Special Counsel, "Frontline"
Director of Documentary Film Legal ClinicSteven K. Derian
Lecturer in LawSusan C. Genco
Co-President, The Azoff Company
Lecturer in LawMark F. Grady
Distinguished Professor of Law EmeritusJerry Kang
Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Distinguished Professor of Law
Distinguished Professor of Asian American Studies (by courtesy)
Inaugural Korea Times – Hankook Ilbo Endowed Chair (2010-20)
Founding Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (2015-20)Douglas Lichtman
Professor of Law
Faculty Director, Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports LawMark McKenna
Vice Dean of Faculty & Intellectual Life
Professor of Law
Faculty Co-Director, UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & PolicyNeil W. Netanel
Pete Kameron Professor of LawDavid Nimmer
Of Counsel, Irell & Manella LLP
Adjunct FacultyKal Raustiala
Promise Institute Distinguished Professor of Comparative and International Law
Professor at the UCLA International Institute
Director, UCLA Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations
Director, International and Comparative Law ProgramSeana Shiffrin
Professor of Philosophy
Pete Kameron Professor of Law and Social JusticeSandra Stern
Lecturer in LawXiyin Tang
Professor of LawEugene Volokh
Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law EmeritusSteven Thomas
Partner, Irell & Manella LLP; Adjunct FacultyMichael A. Woronoff
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP; Adjunct FacultyKenneth Ziffren
Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP; Adjunct Faculty -
Student Workers
Eden Yeh
Advisory Board
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Members
Valerie "Val" Ackerman '85 J.D.
Big East ConferenceHeather Anderson ’97 J.D.
ESPNHoward L. Berman '62 B.A., '65 J.D.
Covington & Burling LLPHal Biagas ’90 J.D.
Seven1 Sports & Entertainment GroupGabriel Brakin, '01 B.A., '05 J.D.
Participant MediaJohn Branca '75 J.D.
Ziffren Brittenham LLPBernardine Brandis '75 B.A., '78 J.D.
Walt Disney CompanyA. Barry Cappello '62 B.A., '65 J.D.
Cappello & Noël LLPMelanie Cook '74 B.A., '78 J.D.
Ziffren Brittenham LLPRobert "Bob" DeBitetto '81
John D. Diemer '76 B.A., '80 J.D.
Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher LLPAlan J. Epstein '87 J.D.
Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLPMatthew Erramouspe '96 J.D.
Legendary EntertainmentStephen Espinoza '96 J.D.
Showtime SportsChad R. Fitzgerald '01 J.D.
Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLPJeffrey H. Frankel J.D. ‘91
McKuin Frankel Whitehead LLPJeffrey M. Freedman '93 J.D.
Creative Artists AgencyCarlos K. Goodman '88 J.D.
Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher LLPMarc Graboff ’77
ConsultantStephen "Steve" D. Greenberg '77 J.D.
Allen & CompanyJoshua Grode ’88
Legendary EntertainmentYakub Hazzard '90 J.D.
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLPWendy A. Heller '95 B.A., '98 J.D.
Law Offices of Wendy HellerIra L. Kurgan '78 J.D.
Kurgan MediaDan Limerick '97 J.D.
William Morris Endeavor Entertainment LLCJoseph A. Lopez '09 J.D.
Rothy'sRobert "Bob" Marshall '73 J.D.
Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLPKevin S. Masuda
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPThomas "Tom" McGuire '76 B.A.
NetflixCatrice Monson '97 J.D.
Groupfully, CEORobert "Bob" D. Offer '92 J.D.
Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern LLPDaniel "Danny" Passman '05 J.D.
Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown Inc.Peter Paterno '76 J.D.
King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano LLPLouis "Lou" Petrich '62 B.A., '65 J.D.
Ballard Spahr LLPRobyn Polashuk '94 J.D.
Covington & Burling LLPNancy Newhouse Porter '78 J.D.
Newhouse Porter HubbardAmy Siegel
O'Melveny & Myers, LLPJason C. Sloane '88 J.D.
Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern LLPSandra Stern '79 J.D.
LionsgateAdam Sullins ’99 J.D.
Latham & Watkins LLPJoseph "Joe" R. Taylor '87 J.D.
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PCMatthew C. Thompson
Sidley Austin LLPBarry Tyerman '67 B.S. '71 J.D.
Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & KleinKenneth Ziffren '65
Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP
Adjunct Faculty
For Students
The Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sports Law offers students an immersive, cutting-edge experience. Classes are taught by leading academics and accomplished professionals in the field. A wide array of externships and internships offer students real-world experience and vital connections in the industry. Student-led organizations and publications explore industry trends and current issues in the law while forging strong bonds among students, and UCLA School of Law’s annual Entertainment Symposium is a one-of-a kind event where students learn from the leaders who are shaping the industry.
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Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sports Law Specialization
Students in the Media, Entertainment, Technology & Sports Law Specialization gain training in fundamental principles and specialized knowledge to practice law related to film, television, music and other creative industries.
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Internships / Externships
EXTERNSHIPS
UCLA Law has a well-established program to offer credit for appropriate school-year placements, including externships with movie and television studios, networks, Silicon Beach digital media companies, production companies, talent agencies and others.
Full-time, semester-long externships give J.D. students in their second and third years the opportunity to develop legal skills outside the classroom context, gain practical experience in supervised settings, and acquire perspectives about the lawyering process.
Both J.D. and LL.M. candidate students also may seek part-time corporate-venue externships, so long as they comply with school requirements. Students are encouraged to check with the UCLA Law Externship Director about venues, credit, and applicable requirements.
PAID INTERNSHIPS
Students also have robust opportunities to pursue paid, year-round internships with media and entertainment industry organizations. Past placements have included Activision, CBS, FOX, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, SAG-AFTRA, Warner Bros. and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, among others.
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Programs and Speakers
The Ziffren Institute brings a wide variety of industry professionals - including executives, agents, journalists, lawyers and others - to the law school for informal discussions of their areas of expertise, their views of the present and future of their sector of the business, and how they got to their present positions.
One example is the "Lunch with the Corner Office" which allows students to enjoy an intimate conversation with entertainment notables such as Bernardine Brandis '78, Executive Vice President, Business Affairs at the Walt Disney Company, and Bruce Rosenblum '82, Former President of Warner Bros. Television.
The Ziffren Institute's Supplemental Practical Legal Education Program offers lunchtime presentations by mid-level law firm associates and in-house lawyers on matters impacting lawyers in their early years of practice. Presentations have included associates from O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, as well as entertainment boutique firms Sloane Offer Weber and Dern LLP and, Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham LLP.
The institute also supports participation in opportunities generated by industry institutions, such as the GRAMMY Foundation Entertainment Law Initiative national writing competition for law students.
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Student Organizations
Art Law Society
Intellectual Property Law Association
Fashion & Beauty Law Association
Society for Interactive Entertainment and Gaming Law
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Entertainment Law Review / JOLT
The Entertainment Law Review is a scholarly journal devoted to legal issues affecting film, television, radio, computer and print media. Topics addressed in professional and student work include copyright and patent issues, the regulation of the entertainment industry, and labor, constitutional, administrative and antitrust law as they relate to entertainment and media law. The Entertainment Law Review is organized by UCLA students, who manage all aspects of the publication.
The UCLA Journal of Law and Technology (JOLT) is a student-run publication dedicated to producing the best literature on the web concerning intellectual property at the forefront of academia, society and innovation. These materials include traditional scholarly articles and comments, practical advice, and notes on emerging trends and activities from attorneys broaching the cutting edge.
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Entertainment Symposium
The UCLA Law Entertainment Symposium, which celebrates its 49th year in 2025, brings hundreds of entertainment professionals to the UCLA campus for a weekend each spring to focus on trends and topics affecting the industry. Volunteer opportunities for students abound. Interested students should contact the Ziffren Institute executive director for more information (lin@law.ucla.edu).
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Online Information Sessions
Liveguide - View recorded sessions with students on entertainment, intellectual property and sports law opportunities at UCLA Law.
Resources
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Ziffren Institute Linktree
Follow the Ziffren Institute Linktree to stay up to date with news and events or to book an appointment.