The Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology, and Sports Law hosted its fourth annual “Five Years Out” panel on Feb. 11, offering students and other young alumni fresh perspectives on career goals and pathways five years after graduating from law school.

The virtual event included young alumni from the Class of 2015 who took many different routes to their current jobs: Rose Kautz from Cooley LLP; Drew Jackson from Sony Pictures; Benneth Sheeley from Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein; and Danielle Weiss from Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher. The institute was also delighted to welcome back 2019 alumna Paige Kaplan, currently an associate working in the media and entertainment practice at Greenberg Traurig, to moderate the panel.

The panelists spent the hour-long session speaking candidly about their time in law school and thereafter. Topics ranged from the best courses that helped them prepare for practice to practical advice on how they landed their jobs, plus other lessons they learned along the way. They also emphasized the importance of networking with fellow students while in law school, highlighting the practical benefits that networking can have in legal careers.

The evening concluded with a brief Q&A session, offering tips on best practices for networking, insights into some of the interesting things they have worked on in their young careers, and opinions on what direction the media and entertainment industries might be headed toward after the pandemic ends.