UCLA School of Law has been named the No. 1 entertainment law school in America for a sixth straight year by The Hollywood Reporter.
In total, 20 alumni of UCLA Law appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2019 lists of Power Lawyers and legends in entertainment law.
Five alumni ranked as legal legends: John Branca ’75, Melanie Cook ’78 and Kenneth Ziffren ’65 of Ziffren Brittenham; Kenneth Kleinberg ’67 of Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo; and Schuyler Moore ’81 of Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger.
Several members of the UCLA School of Law Class of 2013 returned to campus on April 10 to share with current students their perspectives on working in entertainment law, in the second annual Five Years Out program sponsored by the Ziffren Center on Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law.
As the number of documentary films has exploded on streaming services and in theaters, the medium's blend of journalism and entertainment has caused increased reverberations in the law and culture, according to an all-star panel of entertainment attorneys, scholars and filmmakers who spoke at UCLA School of Law on June 4.
From Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley to the heart of Hollywood, UCLA School of Law alums from across the entertainment, sports and technology sectors returned to the campus in 2018-19, offering insights and career guidance in small group settings to students of the Ziffren Center for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law.
Dynamic movie studio leader Stacey Snider ’85 returned to UCLA School of Law on Sept. 12 to deliver a Distinguished Alumni Lecture, sharing with more than 50 students the wisdom and war stories from her three-decade career at the pinnacle of the entertainment business. Snider offered a glimpse into what motivated her to become an executive at the head of the 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks and Universal movie studios and how current students might similarly pursue their passions after law school.
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."
Two recent alumni returned to UCLA Law on October 2 to give students an overview of a typical media and entertainment private M&A deal from start to finish. Roey Gilberg '14 and Cat Zhang '17, associates at Sidley Austin, made their presentation as part of the Supplemental Practical Legal Education (SPLE) program offered by the Ziffren Center.
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.
The Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law was thrilled to welcome Cliff Gilbert-Lurie, a senior partner at Ziffren Brittenham, to the law school as part of the Ziffren Institute's Lunch with the Corner Office program. Lunch with the Corner Office provides select students the invaluable opportunity to discuss the entertainment industry with leading innovators in a small, intimate setting.
Press freedom is at risk worldwide, with life-threatening consequences for journalists, according to an all-star roster of experts who spoke at UCLA School of Law.
The panel "Cross-Border Legal Threats to Press Freedom" drew more than 150 law students, practitioners and media professionals to a Sept. 19 discussion moderated by Dale Cohen, director of UCLA Law's Documentary Film Legal Clinic.