Back
Situated in the home and the heart of the entertainment industry, UCLA is poised perfectly to prepare the industry professionals of the future. UCLA School of Law has the distinction of being number one in the country in entertainment law, according to the most recent rankings by The Hollywood Reporter. The school is home to the Ziffren Center on Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law.
Industry Experience
A recent $100,000 bequest from the estate of Vicki Lynn Shapiro, late wife of UCLA Law alumnus Bernard Shapiro, JD ’59, will further distinguish the school’s entertainment law programs. The gift, which establishes the Vicki Lynn Shapiro Endowment, will support students pursuing work in entertainment law by funding summer fellowships for UCLA law students at the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). SAG-AFTRA is a labor union that represents approximately 160,000 media professionals, from writers to recording artists. Shapiro began working at SAG-AFTRA in 1978 and served its members for many years, eventually becoming legal affairs director and a member of the SAG Foundation board of trustees. A committed advocate, she was particularly passionate about the rights of young performers.
Fellows Rehearse for the Future
Thanks to the Shapiro gift, one or two Vicki Lynn Shapiro Scholars from UCLA Law will work at SAG-AFTRA each summer, gaining experience — a dress rehearsal of sorts — in legal practice at one of the pivotal organizations within the entertainment field.
Published December 2016
Bernard Shapiro, JD ’59 and Vicki Lynn Shapiro
