April 17, 2018

Southwestern ranked among top entertainment law schools in The Hollywood Reporter

For the seventh consecutive year, Southwestern has been recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the top schools for entertainment law in the country. Boasting an impressive showing of 5 rockstar alums on the publication’s yearly list of Power Lawyers, Southwestern earned the 6th place on THR’s list of top entertainment law programs, tied with Stanford and Georgetown Law.

This year’s Power Lawyers list highlighted a diverse array of Southwestern alums, all dominating within the entertainment space. THR lauded John Burke ‘76 for his involvement in one most talked-about deals of the moment: He's representing Lantern Capital in its bid to buy The Weinstein Co. amid the distributor's bankruptcy.

Lisa Callif ’01 was recognized for her crucial involvement in the Clive Davis documentary The Soundtrack of Our Lives, not only securing song rights but also negotiating talent releases for the icons interviewed in the film, including Bruce Springsteen and Aretha Franklin.

Warren Dern ’91 earned a place on the list for negotiating Amy Poehler's debut directing project, Wine Country, which stars Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, and Tina Fey, while client Paul Feig scored a first-look deal with Lionsgate TV.

Neville Johnson ‘75 has earned a reputation for confronting Hollywood studios over accounting practices, as he's doing on behalf of Sylvester Stallone and the creators of the iconic TV drama Columbo. He is also trading blows with the National Enquirer on behalf of client Richard Simmons over a false sex-change story.

Daniel Petrocelli ‘80 is in the midst of a lengthy trial that could define the entertainment landscape for decades to come: He's taking on the U.S. Department of Justice, which is attempting to block the $85 billion merger between AT&T and Time Warner.

"Through its well-known Entertainment and the Arts Legal Clinic, [Southwestern] offers students real-world entertainment law experience by offering business affairs and production legal services to industry clients such as emerging and indie filmmakers, musicians and digital content producers. In addition to a London summer program focusing on international media law, the school offers all of its students a peer mentor and dean fellows programs." - The Hollywood Reporter

Congrats to our accomplished alums featured on the list!

Watch Power Lawyers Neville Johnson and John Burke return to Southwestern to engage in a panel discussion and reflect on their storied careers.