Entertainment Law students play legal role in award-winning film

Roll out the red carpet for Kathy Z. Heller, assistant clinical professor of entertainment law, Chapman University School of Law, and her students for their legal eagle contributions to “Below the Beltway,” the only film to win the Audience Award for best U.S. Feature at the recent Newport Beach Film Festival.

The students provided legal counsel for the feature-length film through the Entertainment Contracts Law Clinic, a Chapman program directed by Heller. Under Heller’s supervision, students manage all the legal work for low-budget films, from location permits to contracts for walk-on actors.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our Entertainment Law Center at Chapman and a testament to the unique real-world experience that we are able to offer our students. I’m not aware of any other law school in the country that has a transactional entertainment law clinic where students have the opportunity to handle legal work on feature-length motion pictures,” said John Tehranian, professor of law and director of the Entertainment Law Program.

Check back for announcements about a possible screening of the award-winning film.