London Summer Program

2023 Summer-Abroad Program, Study Law in London June 18-July 19, 2023, Choose from Entertainment or Refugee and Humanitarian Law

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If  a COVID-19 surge occurs in the U.K. or U.S. near the program start date, we reserve the right to convert the program to an online format. As always, our first priority is protecting the health and safety of the Southwestern community. 

For law students looking for a deeper global perspective, Southwestern offers a study abroad program in London.

  • 2023 Brochure (PDF)
  • 2023 Application (PDF)
  • 2023 Consortium Agreement (PDF)

Southwestern Law School, under the auspices of the Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute, will host a four-week Summer Program in International Entertainment and Media Law and International Humanitarian and Refugee Law at The University of London SOAS, Brunei Gallery from June 18 to July 19, 2023.  

This unique and exciting program offers a variety of academic, cultural, and social experiences through:

  • Courses on international entertainment, art, music, and negotiating and drafting international entertainment contracts
  • Courses on international refugee and asylum law and the law of, in, and about war
  • Instruction provided by U.S. and British faculty with extensive international experience
  • Guest lecturers on course-related topics
  • Field excursions to the Royal Courts of Justice and other legal, entertainment, media, and cultural institutions in London

Program Details:

Sunday, June 18 through Wednesday, July 19, 2023.


Calendar 

Saturday, June 17 

  • Students check into dorm rooms at College Hall

Sunday, June 18 

  • Mandatory Orientation followed by Thames River Cruise

Monday, June 19 

  • Juneteenth Holiday - No Classes

Tuesday, June 20 

  • Classes Begin (Weeks 1–2)

Thursday, June 29 

  • Last Day of Classes for Int’l Music Law

Monday, July 3 

  • Last Day of Classes for Int’l Entertainment Law and Law Of, In, and About War

Wednesday, July 5 

  • Classes Begin (Weeks 3–4)

Monday, July 17 

  • Last Day of Classes for Int’l Art Law

Tuesday, July 18 

  • Last Day of Classes for Neg. and Drafting Int’l Entertainment Contracts | Int’l Refugee and Asylum Law & Policy

Wednesday, July 19 

  • Final Exams for Weeks 3–4 for two-unit courses
  • Farewell Dinner Party

Friday, July 21 

  • Last day to vacate College Hall

Weeks 1–2

Monday –Thursday

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

International Entertainment Law (2 units)

Monday –Thursday

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

International Music Law (1 unit)

Weeks 3–4

Monday –Thursday

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Neg. and Drafting

Int’l Entertainment Contracts (2 units)

Monday –Thursday

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

International Art Law (1 unit)

All students must take at least four units and may take up to six units.  


Course Descriptions

International Art Law (1 credit)

Artworks reflect the cultures of their creators, but artworks themselves know no boundaries. Perhaps for this reason, the most interesting and newsworthy issues in art law today are international law issues. This course will address international legal issues related to art as a creative endeavor, art as an article of commerce, and art as a significant cultural artifact. Issues to be examined include international jurisdictions and choice of law conflicts; legal aspects of international sales and resales; legal duties of international dealers and auctioneers; international sales and import taxes required on cross-border shipment of artworks; international recovery of artworks plundered during wartime; and international copyright (and other) protections for artists and their work.


International Entertainment Law (2 credits)

This course explores select international legal issues that arise when representing clients in the entertainment industry – especially those in music, publishing, and film. Major topics include but are not limited to: The creative personality and the creative process; cross-border acquisition of rights to literature, drama, music, and art; the recognition and exploitation of celebrity interests in name and likeness; the interest of fans in celebrities and the implications of rights of privacy; reputational interests of celebrities; trademarks and the use of trade symbols and principles in entertainment; the protection of artistic expression through copyright; principles of entertainment contracts and recording agreements; barriers created by copyright and international trade laws to cross-border exploitation of entertainment products; censorship, and international piracy; the cross-border collection of entertainment royalties; and matters related to professional responsibility. Cases and other legal materials to be studied include those from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Japan, China, and South Korea, as well as the countries of the European Union.


International Music Law (1 credit) 

This class will introduce students to some of the key differences in the business and legal issues between the recorded music industry of the United States and the recorded music industries of other countries.  These will include some of the key business and legal issues that arise in record deals, producer agreements, and other agreements that govern various creative relationships in the United States and other countries.  The class will also touch on some of the differences in royalties and their collections (including different rules, collection societies, and sources of royalties) in the United States and other countries.  Finally, there will be discussion as to how custom and practice have evolved in the different territories and how those changes currently impact common agreements for artists, producers, and songwriters.


Negotiating and Drafting International Entertainment Contracts (2 credits)

Students receive a foundational understanding of the entertainment industry in a global marketplace, key players, and various negotiation styles. It will be a foundational overview of some commonly used agreements in entertainment transactions. The course will include a brief examination of the intersection of various bodies of law such as copyright (including, for example, a few relevant differences between US and EU and UK copyright law), labor & employment, tort, contract law, collective bargaining agreements, and their impact on entertainment contracts and industry practices. Students will draft contract provisions and whole contracts and be given professor feedback.

Weeks 1–2

Monday –Thursday

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The Law Of, In, and About War (2 units)

Weeks 3–4

Monday –Thursday

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

International Refugee and Asylum Law & Policy
(2 units)

Track 2 students may select one or two one-unit courses from Track 1.

All students must take at least four units and may take up to six units. 


Course Descriptions

International Refugee and Asylum Law and Policy (2 credits)

This course will explore the fundamentals of refugee and asylum law, refugee protections, the policies underlying the laws, and the practice of refugee and asylum law in the United States.  The course will provide an introduction to how the international community has responded to the migration of refugees and discuss related ethical or moral obligations.  The class will review international law, including the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 U.N. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.  The class will also review resources such as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status. This course will introduce students to the elements of an asylum case, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture.  The course will also review asylum adjudications and how claims are processed in the United States, with a focus on women and children escaping gang violence and gender-based harm. It will also include a discussion of factors that lead people to flee dangerous situations in their home countries and the response of countries to those who seek refuge. 


The Law Of, In, and About War (2 credits)

This course will foster recognition that contrary to Cicero’s belief, law is not silent during war. It will introduce students to the fundamental principles of the laws governing battlefield conduct of hostilities (the Hague tradition) and the treatment of those caught in war’s crosshairs (the Geneva tradition). This body of international law of the jus in bello (also referred to as the law of war, the law of armed conflict, and international humanitarian law) will be examined through a practical lens. This course’s blended approach will require students to apply their learning from assigned reading to actual scenarios gleaned from contemporary conflicts, ranging from ongoing wars in Yemen, Ukraine, and Syria to recent armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Such application to discrete scenarios will organize the discussion of each class gathering, with students expected to have read the assigned material and applied it to real-world problems, as assigned, prior to class. Related to an understanding of the law of war principles, students will develop an appreciation of the concept of “war crimes” as well as recognition of the primary mechanisms for accountability for addressing such violations.

Professors Kevin Greene and Orly Ravid with students in front of the Royal Courts of Justice
Professors Kevin Greene and Orly Ravid with students in front of the Royal Courts of Justice

 

Faculty

  1. Gary Fine

    Professor Gary Fine will teach the International Music Law course.

    Professor Gary Fine played music professionally for 10 years before going to law school.  The experience inspired him to go to law school so that he could help protect artists, songwriters, producers, and other creative talent.  For more than two decades, he has done just that with a career focused solely on music and entertainment-related transactions on behalf of talent at the pinnacle of the industry (including a BMI songwriter of the year, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and platinum recording artists) as well as providing new talent with legal advice at a time when it’s often the most important.  Label and publisher clients have remained clients for years based on practical business and legal advice that balances protection with getting the deal done. 

    As an adjunct law professor, Gary loves sharing his experience so that students get the important technical skills they need as well as helping students understand how things work in the real world. 

  2. Kevin J. Greene

    Professor Kevin J. Greene will teach the International Entertainment Law course.

    Professor Greene joined Southwestern’s faculty in 2020. Professor Greene is a nationally recognized entertainment and intellectual property law scholar and an expert witness consultant for copyright, trademark, publicity rights, and entertainment contract disputes. He is a highly committed, outstanding teacher, as well as a passionate leader and an IP law influencer. He teaches Contracts and Copyright Law.

    Professor Greene was most recently a tenured Professor of Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. In addition to Contracts and Copyright, he has also taught IP, Entertainment Law, Music Law, Publicity Rights, International Entertainment Law, and IP in the Cannabis Industry.

    Before becoming a law professor, Professor Greene practiced law in New York at the premier law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he represented high-profile companies such as Time Warner and HBO in litigation matters. He later joined New York’s top entertainment law boutique firm, representing clients such as film production companies, including Director Spike Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule film company, iconic music artists including Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Brown, and the seminal rap group Public Enemy. Professor Greene was the first law professor voted a Top Ten attorney by the San Diego Bar in the field of IP in 2005.

     

  3. Henry Lydiate 

    Professor Henry Lydiate will teach the International Art Law course

    Professor Lydiate is an international art lawyer who has specialized in the law relating to visual art and design for over 35 years. A scholar-practitioner who has been a visiting tutor at leading UK art schools and colleges; former Visiting Professor in Art Law at the University of the Arts London; current educational portfolio includes designing and delivering international legal and art business modules for Sotheby’s Institute of Art and Southwestern Law School.

    Commissioned in 1976 by the Arts Council of Great Britain and The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to conduct research into the legal needs of visual artists in the UK, which led to his establishing Artlaw Services, a non-profit national legal advice, and professional practice training service: Chairman and pro bono legal adviser and trainer until 1984. Founding partner of The Henry Lydiate Partnership LLP, the international art business consultancy whose current clients include artists, artists’ estates, collectors, agents & dealers, art fairs, auction houses, foundations, and public-facing art institutions. Henry has published numerous articles and publications and currently writes a regular Artlaw column published by Art Monthly since its first issue in 1976.

    Henry received a Bachelor of Laws, LLB, from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K. Former practicing Barrister and Pupil-master, Inns of Court, U.K.

     

  4. Andrea Ramos

    Professor Andrea Ramos will teach the International Refugee and Asylum Law & Policy course. 

    Professor Ramos brings many years of experience as a public interest attorney and law professor to Southwestern, where she established and directs the Immigration Law Clinic. The clinic, which began operation during the 2008-09 academic year, offers valuable services to the community while giving students hands-on experience helping indigent and otherwise underrepresented clients. 

    She began her career with the law firm of Tuttle & Taylor as a litigation associate and Public Counsel volunteer. She went on to serve on the staff of Public Counsel for ten years, originally leading the School-Based Legal Assistance Program, then directing the Children's Rights Project, which involves more than 700 volunteers assisting over 6,000 children and youth annually. As Directing Attorney of the Project, Professor Ramos represented children in Special Immigrant Juvenile cases, the Violence Against Women Act, and U-Visa cases and provided training and workshops to lawyers and social service providers.

    She also served on the adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California Law Center for four years as a co-teacher of the Children and the Law course.

  5. Orly Ravid

    Professor Orly Ravid will teach the Negotiating and Drafting International Entertainment Contracts course

    Professor Ravid is the Associate Dean of the Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute and Associate Professor of Law at Southwestern, where she teaches Copyright in the SCALE program and the Entertainment & The Arts Legal Clinic. 

    She is also the founder of the film non-profit The Film Collaborative (TFC). Professor Ravid advised and contributed to Sundance’s Artist Services / Transparency Project and has spoken about distribution on panels and conferences at film schools and festivals around the world, including Cannes, Berlinale, Sundance, UCLA, USC, Columbia University, IDFA, SXSW, DOC NYC, and LAFF/Film Independent. She has written numerous articles on distribution and co-authored the book How Not to Sign a Film Contract and Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul.

    Professor Ravid earned her B.A. in English Literature from Columbia University, Barnard College, and her J.D. on a full scholarship from Southwestern Law School (Scale Program).

     

  6. Rachel VanLandingham

    Professor Rachel VanLandingham will teach the Law Of, In, and About War course.

    Professor VanLandingham, Lt Col. (ret.), is the Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School.  She is a national security law expert and former judge advocate for the U.S. Air Force (USAF).

    During Professor VanLandingham's military career, she served as a senior legal advisor on the international law of armed conflict, military prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, appellate defense attorney, and nuclear surety inspector stationed in the United States, South Korea, and Italy with deployments to the Middle East. She was the legal advisor for international law at Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. She also served as the Command's Chief Liaison to the International Committee of the Red Cross. She traveled throughout those countries in efforts to improve procedural safeguards and humane treatment standards for detainees in U.S. custody, as well as providing advice to the Department of Justice regarding habeas cases brought on behalf of detainees in Afghanistan. 

    Professor VanLandingham teaches constitutional law, constitutional criminal procedure, and national security law. She is a frequent commentator in the national media, particularly regarding military justice and law of war issues; she has also provided expert advice to policymakers on issues related to sexual assault in the military as well as regarding international humanitarian law.

Additional Details

  1. Admissions, Fees, and Deadlines

    Admission and Course Credit

    Southwestern is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The ABA has approved the International Summer Law Program in London. Most applicants must be students in good standing at an American or Canadian law school. Applicants with sufficient English proficiency from law schools in European Union and other countries will also be considered for admission. Before starting the summer program, each student must have completed the first year of law study and submit a transcript and a letter of good standing from his/her home institution. If applications are received from more students than the program can accommodate, applicants' academic performance (as shown by their transcripts) may be considered in deciding which applications will be accepted.  

    Students may register for four courses for a maximum total of six-semester units of credit.  Any requests for class change must be made in writing to the Biederman Institute. Each professor will administer a written final exam and assign grades. Grades will conform to Southwestern's grading policies. Southwestern utilizes an alpha grading system in which the actual grade earned is represented by an alphabetical letter. Grades range from A+ (4.33) to F (0.00).  No unit credit will be granted if the grade received is an F.  For courses offering one credit, a credit/no credit grade will be given, and student performance will be determined by class participation and an in-class or take-home writing assignment that relates to the material covered in class.  Additional information can be found in Southwestern's Institutional Policies. Students are advised to consult their home institution's policies concerning the transfer of credit for coursework.  There are no prerequisite courses for any of the courses offered in this program.

    Southwestern will send a transcript to the student's home institution following completion of the program and final payment of all tuition and fees. Acceptance of transfer credit is subject to determination by the student's home institution. Students should be aware that participation in a summer program is unlikely to accelerate their graduation date; students interested in acceleration should consult their home institution.

    NOTE: Acceptances to the program will be offered to applicants on a rolling basis, beginning in February

    1. Applications will be accepted until maximum enrollment is reached. Enrollment in each course is limited due to classroom size, so early application is strongly encouraged. 

    A reservation fee of $750 will be due immediately after acceptance. Until the reservation fee is received, the student's spot in the program will not be reserved and may be offered to another applicant.

    Fees

    Application Fee
    (non-refundable, applied toward tuition)

    $250

    Reservation Fee
    (non-refundable, applied toward tuition)

    $750*

    Tuition
    (for four to six units)

    $6,000

    Housing and Materials
     

    $3,850

    Total

    $9,850

    Tuition and fees paid to Southwestern Law School ($9,850) will cover:

    • Tuition and fees for four to six units
    • Private “en suite” dorm room (e.g., private shower, toilet, and complimentary wifi)
    • Breakfast in the dorm dining room
    • Assigned books and reading materials
    • Global travel insurance
    • Opening-day London lunch and excursion,
    • Farewell Dinner Party and several other program excursions

    Deadlines

    Confirmation notice and enrollment agreement

    Mid-April

    Payment in full or financial aid confirmation

    May 1

     

  2. Travel and Living Accommodations

    Students will be responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from London. 

    State Department Travel Information

    Visit the United States Department of State website for information about traveling to and within the United Kingdom. If prior to the commencement of the program, a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Alert is issued for the country(ies) in which the program will be conducted, all registrants will be notified promptly of the warning and be given an opportunity to withdraw from the program. If during the program, a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Alert is issued for the country(ies) in which the program is being conducted, students will be notified promptly of the warning and given an opportunity to withdraw from the program. If students withdraw from the program as permitted in these criteria during the course of the program, or if the program is terminated, students will be refunded fees paid except for housing and materials payments utilized prior to the date of withdrawal or termination.      

    Living Accommodations and Classroom Facilities

    Housing has been arranged at the University of London’s College Hall and will be provided for program participants from Saturday afternoon, June 18, through Friday morning, July 21.  All rooms are single occupancy and have private toilets and showers.  Housing includes breakfast. There are no cooking facilities available to students in College Hall, but College Hall is in the University of London/Russell Square/Bloomsbury District of London, where a wide variety of eating establishments are located.   Brunei Gallery SOAS, the classroom facility, is located in Russell Square and can accommodate up to 40 students in their classrooms. College Hall and Brunei Gallery are committed to making the necessary adjustments (including physical layouts) to support persons with disabilities wherever possible.      

     

  3. Liability and Insurance

    Southwestern will not be responsible for personal injuries to students, medical conditions, or for loss or damage to personal property within or in transit to London. Southwestern requires students to obtain health insurance that covers or reimburses for health care abroad.  Students participating in Southwestern’s summer program are covered under ON Call International global travel insurance, which includes medical evacuation, repatriation, and quarantine coverage and is included with tuition.

  4. Cancellation and Refund Policy

    Cancellation Policy

    Southwestern reserves the right to change or cancel the London Summer Program at any time prior to May 1. Southwestern also reserves the right to cancel any course due to insufficient enrollment. Cancellation of the program or any course after May 1 will occur only if necessary for reasons beyond Southwestern’s control. For cancellation that occurs after a deposit has been paid, the program director will use their best efforts to make arrangements for each student enrolled to attend a similar program, if the student so desires, and all money advanced by the student shall be refunded within twenty days after the date of cancellation. Students who have paid a deposit or registered for the program also have the opportunity to withdraw from the program if there are changes in the course offerings or other significant aspects of the program and receive a refund of fees paid except for housing and materials payments utilized prior to the date of withdrawal. In the event of cancellation, students will immediately be notified by email, phone, and U.S. mail.  This program was canceled in London in 2020 and 2021 due to the global pandemic, however, courses were offered online.

    Tuition Refund Policy

    Students who withdraw from the program or request a class change must notify Southwestern in writing as early as possible. Students who withdraw before the first day of the summer program may receive a 100% credit of charged tuition, with the exception of the application fee, the reservation fee, and the housing and materials fee. Thereafter, a refund for tuition is pro-rated on a daily basis. After 60% of the program is completed, students will not be entitled to any refund.

    Students who withdraw from the program before the program commences due to a course cancellation, significant change, or the cancellation of the program, including cancellation because of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert, will be refunded all monies advanced within twenty days after the cancellation or withdrawal.

    Students who withdraw after the first day of classes due to a course cancellation, significant change, or termination of the program, including termination because of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert, will be refunded fees paid except for the housing and materials payments utilized before the date of termination or withdrawal.

Image - London Program 2022