Entertainment and media law have long been strengths at UCLA School of Law, and the school's leadership in the field was enhanced with the establishment four years ago of the Ziffren Center for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law. Now, the program is taking another giant step forward.
Gift funds will:
- Create the John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Achievement Fellowship — an endowed full-tuition award for academically qualified students who are interested in pursuing a career in entertainment law and who have overcome significant obstacles on their path to law school. This is part of UCLA Law's broader Achievement Fellowships program.
- Create the separate John H. Mitchell and Patricia W. Mitchell Endowed Law School Scholarship for additional Ziffren Institute students, who will be known as UCLA Law Mitchell Scholars.
- Launch the John H. Mitchell Visiting Scholars initiative to deepen the interaction between current students and accomplished alumni. The initiative builds on the success of the existing "Lunch with the Corner Office" program, which brings corporate executives and attorneys from entertainment companies to the school to talk with current students.
- Support new curriculum in the areas of ethics and the future of the entertainment business. Starting in 2020, the school will offer the John H. Mitchell Signature Course on Ethics and Entertainment and the John H. Mitchell Future of Entertainment Initiative.
- Support professional training for attorneys already working in the field. The UCLA Entertainment Symposium — the annual two-day gathering of leading lawyers and executives in the field that has taken place at UCLA for 43 years — will add the John H. Mitchell Panel on Ethics and Entertainment, a new Minimum Continuing Legal Education training program for practitioners.
A pioneering television studio executive, John Mitchell joined Screen Gems productions in 1952 as one of its original employees, went on to become its president and founded Screen Gems' successor, Columbia Pictures Television. During his tenure as president of Columbia, from 1968 to 1977, the studio produced more than 100 television series and 50 TV movies, including "Brian's Song," which won five Emmy Awards, "Bewitched," "Route 66" and "Police Story." Mitchell later served three terms as president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Patricia Mitchell, formerly known as Pat Windsor, was a singer and performer who appeared at venues across the country before shifting her focus to family, community service and philanthropy.
Bill Allen, who serves as the trustee of the Mitchell Trusts and whose parents, Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows, were friends with John and Patricia Mitchell, said the new programs and student support align precisely with the Mitchells' goals.
"The entertainment industry is experiencing unprecedented change, from the fast pace of technological innovation and consumer habits to the growth of global competition," said Allen, who is also CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. "UCLA's commitment to public service and the law school's well-earned reputation as offering the top entertainment law program in the country make it the perfect place to invest in a strong and diverse talent pool, training in ethics and a robust educational program that prepares the workforce of the future."
The Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law brought together leaders from film, television and government for a Ziffren In-DC conference titled "The Future of Content Protection" in October 2019. Top executives, producers and attorneys addressed the challenges and opportunities arising as piracy continues to erode bottom lines and new content platforms change the economics of the industry.
Kicking off a year of events centered on the theme of “defending democracy,” UCLA School of Law’s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy welcomed ACLU Voting Rights Project Director Dale Ho for a three-day residency during the week of Sept. 23.
Nathan Cox’s time at UCLA School of Law included the launch of a technology company, work with leading professors in tax law and honors as part of UCLA Law’s moot court and mock trial programs. In recognition of his efforts, Cox ’19, who is now working in the San Diego office of Cooley, received the 2019 Bruce I. Hochman Award for Excellence in the Study of Tax Law.
Bolstering UCLA School of Law’s instruction in corporate governance, business ethics and related subjects, alumnus William Kahane ’74 and his wife, Elizabeth Kahane, have committed $1million to launch a new corporate governance course and programming at UCLA Law’s Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy.
The rapidly evolving world of amateur athletics was the focus of the Ziffren Institute's IN-Sports panel "State of Play: College Sports Today," on Nov. 15. A standing-room-only crowd heard from NCAA Chief Legal Officer and Chief Operations Officer Donald Remy and former NCAA Division I athlete Cody McDavis '19. Doug Greenburg, partner at Latham & Watkins, served as moderator for the lively discussion.
UCLA School of Law honored prominent alumni and friends who excel in business, the judiciary, corporate litigation and public service at the 2019 UCLA Law Awards ceremony on Dec. 4.
The Hon. Jacqueline Nguyen ’91, William Anderson ’88, Cheryl Lott ’04 and Chuck Williams were recognized for their commitment to excellence in the law and dedication to UCLA Law. The evening celebration was held at the London West Hollywood and was sponsored by Buchalter, Topa Equities, Fenwick & West and the UCLA Alumni Association.
UCLA School of Law graduates who go into public interest law will receive greater financial assistance as the school enhances its Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), starting in January. Through LRAP, UCLA Law has in the past decade covered roughly $4.5 million in student loan payments for J.D. graduates who work in public interest jobs, government positions or judicial clerkships.
Who owns the copyright in this movie? That song? A book upon which a movie is based? In today’s entertainment marketplace, content is king, and the answers to these questions may have million-dollar implications. On February 26, two lawyers from O’Melveny & Myers’ Century City office gave students an introduction on how to trace copyright ownership across transactions, or what those in the entertainment industry refer to as the “chain of title.”
Recent UCLA School of Law graduate Dellara Gorjian ’20 has received the UC President’s Award for Outstanding Student Leadership for her advocacy on behalf of DACA recipients. The award was announced by President Janet Napolitano at the July 30 UC Regents meeting.