Is entertainment law the career of your dreams?
From a rise in applications to the allure of entertainment law—let’s take a look at the top stories on the law school admissions landscape.
A career in entertainment law
What you can do with a JD is almost limitless. There are so many areas of legal practice, not all of which involve real estate, corporate, or public interests. For instance, if you are an aspiring lawyer who also loves pop culture, there’s always entertainment law. It’s not all parties and openings, though. Entertainment law is also serious business. UCLA and USC’s law schools, for example, offer a variety of courses on things like copyright law. In 2015, leading entertainment lawyer Ken Ziffren donated $5 million to UCLA to found the Ziffren Center for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law. “I update my course book either once a year, or sometimes twice a year, because rapid development in various areas calls out for updating the students as much as possible in real time,” he said. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Applications on the rise
According to several law school admissions experts, law schools may see something this year that they have not seen since 2010: a rise in applications. The potential uptick wouldn’t just be cosmetic. Jerry Organ, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, predicts 57,500 aspiring lawyers will apply this year, a jump of 5.5% over last year. Another key finding: LSAT scores are also on the rise, with more test takers scoring a 165 or higher. “The good news is that the [applicant] pool is larger and stronger.” As you may recall, Kaplan Test prep’s 2015 law school admissions officers survey found an upward trend in applications to be a strong possibility, with nearly 90% gatekeepers predicting it. (The ABA Journal)
Six and done for some students
Marquette University Law School and St. Norbert College, both located in Milwaukee, have entered into a partnership that will allow students to earn their JD in only six years. This would shave a year off of the traditional process and save participating students tens of thousands of dollars in the process. “We are delighted and honored to be able to work with Marquette Law School on this innovative partnership. Our schools have many shared values and much common history—including lots of ‘dual’ graduates,” said St. Norbert president Thomas Kunkel about the “3+3” program, as it is being called. (Milwaukee Business Journal)
Law school admissions rankings: outcomes
Scoring well on the LSAT and getting into a top law school are means to an end: becoming a successful, practicing attorney. Some law schools do a much better job than others at producing graduates who not only pass the bar exam, but also secure a job in the legal field within a reasonable amount of time. The following list can loosely be described as a top 10 list of law schools for people who actually want to become lawyers. As you might guess, it’s dominated by schools that place among the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings—though interestingly, top-ranked Yale Law School does not make the top 10 on the list. Still, yes, it’s a fantastic school. (MarketWatch)
Payback?
Here’s an update on a story we shared with you in July. John LaTorre, former CFO at Barry University School of Law, was arrested last year for grand theft, being accused of stealing $50,000 in school funds to spend on personal items like utility bills and trips to Hooters. LaTorre recently pleaded guilty but will get no jail time. Instead, he’ll be on probation for 10 years and will pay back nearly $25,000 in restitution. (The Orlando Sentinel)
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