The University of Miami School of Law’s Graduate Program in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law (EASL) is unique in its intersectional curriculum designed to prepare students for the multifaceted legal landscapes of today’s creative industries. Whether a student is interested in art law, sports law, or entertainment law, the program provides a wide range of courses for students to tailor their studies.
One such area is music law—a field in which Miami Law has consistently been recognized as one of the top schools for years by Billboard Magazine. The School of Law not only has students work in internships in top music companies, but it also offers the courses Music Law I and II and Negotiating and Drafting for the Business of Entertainment: Music M and A taught by distinguished practitioners Henry Root and Michael Olsen. Root has over 40 years of legal and business affairs experience in the music, television, and media industries and Olsen is an expert in music mergers & acquisitions and recording and publishing catalog sales and agreements. Additional courses include Music Festival and Live Performance, Entertainment Law Transactions, Negotiating and Drafting Venue Agreements, Chat ENT: AIs Impact on Entertainment, Arts and Sports, and Blank Space: IP Law through the Lens of Taylor Swift.
Pedagogical Rigor and Practical Application
For students in the EASL program with an interest in music law, Music Law I and II, Negotiating and Drafting for the Business of Entertainment, and the other 30+ specialized offerings, provide unparalleled exposure. Music Law I focuses on the essential frameworks of the industry, including the negotiation of band partnership agreements, the material terms of recording and publishing contracts, and the determination of income streams for songwriters and recording artists.
Music Law II offers an advanced examination of financial provisions, including royalty structures, U.S. copyright considerations, and the valuation of musical assets during acquisitions and sales. Notably, the curriculum has evolved to address the legal implications of Artificial Intelligence on intellectual property.
"This course bridges the gap between what we learn in theory and what we are likely to encounter in professional practice," notes recent graduate Maricel Rodriguez who took Music Law II this past spring. "Professors Root and Olsen make complex issues feel manageable and focus on what actually matters with clients. It has given me a much clearer understanding of how to approach real work in the field.”
Direct Industry Engagement
Miami Law prioritizes experiential learning by facilitating direct engagement between students and industry leaders. This past spring, the program hosted legendary rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Wyclef Jean for an exclusive seminar within the Music Law II course. Arranged by Root, Jean sat down with the class to discuss his career as an artist and producer, his relationship with legal counsel, the importance of protecting creative rights, the dynamics between artist, attorney, and manager throughout his career, and the role of AI in shaping the future of the music industry.
Greg Levy, director of the EASL Program brings talent like Jean to campus, so students can learn from the client perspective and have their fingers on the pulse of the industry. “His perspective, and his engagement with our class on how he approaches the key legal and business issues shaping the music industry, offered a rare backstage pass that you don’t often get in a classroom setting,” Levy said.
In addition to talent coming to campus, the program further broadens student perspectives through site visits to major music companies, some of which have included TikTok in New York and Sony Music offices in New York, Miami, and Madrid.
Strategic Internships and Career Integration
A hallmark of the EASL program is its robust internship pipeline, which offers supervised, hands-on training at leading entertainment entities. In the music law space, students have secured prestigious placements at record companies such as Universal Music Group, Warner Music, Sony Music, Rimas Music, and other leading companies including Estefan Enterprises, RodFel Law, Schwartz and Schrieber, and NTSS Law. Live entertainment placements have also been part of the student experience. Students have interned at Rolling Loud and Ultra Music Festival in Miami and in 2024, Linda Luaces spent time in Santiago, working with Lotus Producciones, which managed the legal side of the music festival Lollapalooza Chile. This spring, Alejandro Otero and Amanda Carball, both recent J.D./LL.M. grads, spent time in Chile as legal interns.
The program’s strong network is evidenced by its career placement record. For example, BeatStars, under the leadership of General Counsel Kyle Brown, has consistently recruited interns from the program, recently hiring graduates Connor Runnals and Marian Rich as permanent counsel.
A Legacy of Leadership
The enduring strength of the program is reflected in its vast alumni network. Graduates now work at the highest levels of the music industry, and just a few include: Gerardo Cintron, Ivan Amador and Ninibeth Crespo Flores (Rimas Music); Sam Finkel (Universal Music Group, New York); Julian Mejia Gomez (Estefan Enterprises); Alejandro Jimenez, (Latin Iberia, Sony Music); David Arola Kaminski (Ultra Music Festival) ; Sophia Sofferman (NTSS Law); Cate Adams (Schwartz & Schrieber), Carlos Rodriguez-Felix (RodFel Law) and Alexis Masciarella (Sony Music).
This tradition of excellence traces back to Fred Goldring, J.D. ’82, a visionary entertainment attorney who established the Entertainment and Sports Law Society (ESLS) student organization. It is also thanks to supportive alumni like music mogul, entrepreneur, and lawyer Joseph Weinberger, J.D. ’82 who established an endowed scholarship in 2012 to support students in the joint J.D./LL.M. program.
Today, the ESLS remains a catalyst for staying on top of the latest issues, hosting the annual Global Entertainment & Sports Law + Industry conference with panels that address critical shifts in the industry, such as “Backstage Pass: The Legal World of Live Entertainment.” Through this blend of scholarly depth and professional immersion, the University of Miami School of Law continues to define the standard for legal education in the music industry.
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