Art Law

[ligiam1412]

Hello all, 

 

I have been very interested in studying art law recently. I have a BA in Art History and I don't know how to proceed. I have found some programs that offer Art Law JD/MA but very few are located in the US. I don't know if taking a general JD and a later specialization is the way to go instead. Anyone know how to go about this? 

[happy little pill]

My friend did her BFA in Art History and then did her JD with an emphasis in IP and copyright law and now works for a firm that deals with artists' rights.

[brown_eyed_girl]

I agree that you want to go to the best law school you can get into rather than look for a specialized one at this stage; people specialize in all kinds of things, and a good law school will help show you different avenues you can use the degree for through elective courses and intern opportunities, while providing the broad general foundation that will allow you to pass the bar exam and offering networking possibilities. Most law schools should have IP courses, but you can look around for ones that may have stronger faculty than others, and think about cities where you could do your summer internships at places that do specialize in art law/intellectual property, etc. Everything I know about law school comes second hand through lawyer friends, though, so you may want to post this question on a board that deals specifically with law.  

[terralily]

As a someone who has done the law school thing, school ranking are everything.  You have to go to the best school you absolutely can.  No wiggling for "specialty" or anything.  

 

The. absolute. highest. ranked. school. possible. 

 

Additionally, IP law is fairly difficult to gain a foothold into, but internship can be found.  

 

Last point.  Law school with suck your soul.  It is like high school with drinking and everyone is crazy super motivated and good students.  Intelligence does not matter as much as knowing how to take a law school test.  

 

It is an expensive proposition and the job market is better than it was when I graduated ('09), but it is still not (nor ever was) the gold mine everyone assumes it will be.  

 

Sorry, to be Debbie Downer. 

[magpin]

I graduated from college with a degree in History (but had focused all of my research, including my thesis, more on art history). Long story short, I could have gone to graduate school to continue down the academic path, but chose to go to law school instead, exactly because I thought that art law would be an ideal amalgam of my skills and interests. I had all the right internships and currently work at a firm that deals with IP, but I have to say that I have never felt further from art/art history. Law is, above all, about business. I don't feel intellectually stimulated and I don't feel that many lawyers value culture and well-roundedness.

I am in the middle of trying to figure out my next steps because my current situation is unlivable from a mental health standpoint (all tips appreciated!). I always hated when people tried to talk me out of law school, so let me just say this: if there is a way to get to where you want to go without putting yourself through the experience, I would do that instead. Law and law school is a very unpredictable journey that is pretty heartless. Everyone I knew who had a passion for something got it beaten out of them pretty fast, and now they're robots at big firms. I don't know if I would go so far as to say that I regret it, but, like I said, I have never felt further from the arts.