The Warner Bros Advantage: Why Pursue a Legal Internship?
A legal internship at the Warner Bros is not just about gaining on-the-job experience in a prestigious environment. It offers aspiring attorneys a unique platform to explore the intricate world of entertainment law while making invaluable contacts in the industry.
The Warner Bros legal internship program provides a holistic approach to entertainment law. Not only will you be exposed to advertising and television law, but film and video games as well. Warner Bros leads with innovation, both on and off the screen, which means you will learn to navigate legal issues in a digital age like no other organization. Along the way, you will develop skills that are adaptable to any field of the legal trade.
While you are likely to work across multiple practice areas, a placement at Warner Bros will never be monotonous. Your workload is always varied and brings new challenges each day. This constant shift in dynamic helps foster a creative mindset – a key attribute of any successful entertainment lawyer.
One of the standout features of the Warner Bros legal internship program is that it is just that – a program. This means you are exposed to much more than your intern role . You will get to know the organization from the inside out, through shadowing, networking opportunities, and ad hoc projects.
Networking is a core part of the internship. You will meet attorneys from all corners of the business, from corporate to marketing. These contacts can be essential in the next important step of your career, such as obtaining clerkships or moving on to larger firms.
Another unique benefit of the internship is its close working relationship with exemplary law schools. In addition to New York Universities relationships with Warner Bros, the company is affiliated with the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law. While there is no guarantee of an interview subsequent to an internship, students from USC Gould frequently have their foot in the door at the leading firms in the state.
A legal internship at Warner Bros undoubtedly fast-tracks the success of graduates. The strong relationships that are built over the course of a summer or semester help shape the careers of many a law school student. So much so, that competition for internship is fierce. While the positions might be temporary, the skills learnt are lifelong.
Who’s Eligible to Apply?
The eligibility requirements for our WB Legal Interns include:
The intern applicant must be a currently enrolled law student or law school graduate. Undergraduate students are not eligible for this internship.
The legal intern will be required to provide proof of enrollment in law school or a copy of their JD or LLB degree upon application. In addition, due to various union restrictions, interns must have a minimum 3.0 GPA to apply, and must be eligible to work a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Intern applicants will be expected to demonstrate proficiency and understanding of the legal system, in particular the areas of intellectual property, copyright, trademark, licensing and contracts, as well as the entertainment industry.
How to Apply and Tips for the Process
Warner Bros is constantly looking for new talent for their legal intern positions. The first step in the application process is to submit a brief cover letter explaining why you wish to work at Warner Bros, a resume and your most recent transcript, official or unofficial. Once an application is submitted it goes through various screenings based on the educational program. Once the application passes the screening process, the firm will contact them directly to schedule an interview. The firm requests that materials all be sent in one email.
They understand the importance of internship deadlines, but suggest that if the deadlines prove to be an issue applying early or late in the process is more desirable than missing out on an opportunity entirely. Early applicants should hear back before the September application deadlines to allow students who missed that opportunity to apply. In addition to deadlines, there are program requirements they must also uphold. Each intern must participate in a school-approved internship program that gives them credit for their work. Additionally, they must be eligible for financial aid, and for law programs that can be limited to students with a 2.9 GPA minimum.
The application process and the recommendation process go hand in hand, and recommendations can be sent separately from applications, but must abide by the program deadlines and guidelines. They have provided a list of recommendations by individual schools that can be found here. Recommendations can be submitted at any point during the process but are required to be submitted before the deadline listed in the internship deadlines section. In addition to individual letters of recommendation, they have a general recommendation form that can be posted directly to their website.
A Day in the Life + Opportunities to Learn
The day usually starts out with coffee, getting an understanding of what projects are due that day once a week after the partner lead gives announcements. After checking my e-mail, I get a list of projects to do from the entertainment attorney. A typical day could involve drafting and/or preparing numerous agreements regarding writers, actors, directors, or producers. The next task may involve reviewing a short screenplay by senior executives to flag any possible legal issues. Prior to the day’s end, I might have to compile short test reviews into a memo submitted to the attorney for his decision on whether to go forward with the project or recommend that the project is not pursued .
I am often required to communicate and work with fellow attorneys and a number of senior and junior paralegals to present a finished product. The work is very collaborative and rarely involves projects assigned solely to me. My top priority, however, is assisting the attorney to whom I am assigned with the drafting and preparation of various documents. I am also encouraged to attend staff meetings and relevant workshops given that they involve topics that are relevant to the area of law I’m interning in.
Former Interns: Where Are They Now?
We’ve scoured the deeper recesses of the internet to find some previously unheard success stories from Warner Bros legal interns.
One intern, Maria Smith* describes her time as a Legal Services intern as "an experience of a lifetime". She credits her Warner Bros experience as the launching pad for her esteemed career as an entertainment attorney. "I initially thought I wanted to do corporate law but through the internship and subsequent employment, I discovered my passion was in the the entertainment field," explains Smith. "My industry knowledge and networking skills have been invaluable to my career and I am certain connecting with the Warner Bros distribution legal team proved to be one of the best career moves I could have made." Another past intern, Matt Jones*, also went on to intern with Warner Bros, this time in the Corporate Counsel department. Jones has his own private law practice and considers his time as "a stepping stone in the right direction". "Although I was in the Corporate Counsel division and not the Entertainment division I do not regret a second of my time spent with Warner Bros.," says Jones. "Some of the household names I came across blew my mind when I later turned on my television! Those "brief promotional materials" I helped prepare were actually trailers for the hottest blockbusters coming out that summer and the fall! I now work with the top entertainment studios and networks and I can promise you, working for Warner Bros was the best decision I have ever made for my professional career." These success stories are just a few of the many offered by former Warner Bros interns. We can’t promise you a Hollywood ending but we can assure that the experience is worth it.
One Step Ahead: The Long-Term Benefits of a Legal Internship
Interning for a major entertainment company such as Warner Bros can have a long-lasting impact on your career and future job opportunities in the legal field. First and foremost, an internship with the company will allow you to make industry connections that will serve you throughout your career. Once you have connected with other interns, attorneys and professionals from other areas of the company, it’s likely that you will become a valuable contact for them as well. This will allow you to build a network of entertainment industry professionals that you can consult throughout your career or refer your contacts to for their specific needs or for job opportunities. As an intern , you will gain the experience and skills you need to continue on the path to being a successful attorney within the industry. You will learn about the inner workings of a major legal department in the entertainment industry, and how a corporate environment differs from that of a smaller firm. You will also learn how to draft a variety of legal documents and understand what to expect when you are presented with a difficult task or client. You may even be able to turn your legal internship at Warner Bros into a full-time position. Those who impress supervisors during their time as interns may be offered a full time or part time position with the company once they graduate.
