Sports and Entertainment Law

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The entertainment and sports fields hold many opportunities for attorneys in Miami and across the country. We have a unique blend of both subject-specific and broader courses that prepare our students for employment in these fields. Some of these courses/seminars/workshops include:

• Art and Entertainment Law
• Copyright Law
• Law and the Media
• Sports Law
• Sports and the Law
• Trademark Law
• Gaming Law
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Civil Rights, Economic Justice and Independent Media
• Internet Software & Intellectual Property
• Representing the Professional Athlete
• The Olympic Games and the Law
• Entertainment Law: Theater and Venue Contracts

We have also had visiting professors teach unique courses in the areas of Entertainment Law and The Art of the Deal: Acquiring a Music Publishing Catalog taught by Harold Flegelman in addition to adjunct Professor Steven Kozlowski teaches Cutting Edge Issues in Art and Entertainment Law.

Other top adjunct professors include: David Samson - President of the Miami Marlins; Jil Pilgrim - a prominent sports and entertainment lawyer; Louis Tertocha - General Counsel for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; Peter Carfagna - Senior Counsel for Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, in Cleveland, one of the preeminent Sports Law firms in the country; and Derek Jackson - Vice President and General Counsel for the Miami Marlins.

We also offers a unique joint degree – the J.D./M.M. in Music Business and Entertainment Industries – the first of its kind in the country.

In addition, the Entertainment & Sports Law Society is an active student organization at UM which hosts a popular annual symposium covering topics ranging from lawyer ethics and the media to the art of making the deal to and negotiating sponsorship contracts.

Sports Law Symposium

The 2013 16th annual Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium was held at Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami. Some top-name panelists included attorney Paul Anderson, who litigates on behalf of former National Football League players; Billy Corben, a filmmaker who produced "The U" and "Broke;" Serona Elton, an Associate Professor at the University of Miami Frost School of Music; Sandy York, General Counsel for the Ultra Music Festival.

In 2012, the Entertainment and Sports Law Society co-hosted its 15th annual symposium, along with the Miami Marlins, at the new Marlins Park. 31 panelists and more than 130 students and professionals spoke on a host of matters in the field of sports and entertainment law, including protecting a client's image, leveraging social media, and the changing landscape of copyright law.

Baseball Arbitration Experts

In 2013, a team comprised of second-year Miami Law students Ryan Appel and Mitchell Retelny came in fourth place, out of 40 teams from around the country, in the 6th Annual National Baseball Arbitration Competition at Tulane University in New Orleans.

And in 2011, a team from Miami Law won the National Baseball Arbitration Competition, beating out 33 other teams from law schools including Harvard, Fordham, University of Notre Dame, Duke, and Tulane. And in 2012, Miami Law students came in fourth place, out of 40 teams from around the country, in the competition. Read more.