Attorney speaks on Entertainment Law at Cooley

 WMU-Cooley Law School Sports and Entertainment Law Society hosted a discussion with featured speaker John Mashni, business and entertainment attorney for Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, on Tuesday, March 28.

 Mashni spoke to WMU Cooley faculty, staff and students about his experiences in entertainment law and active career steps that can help attorneys break into the industry. During the discussion, Mashni stressed the importance of dissecting one’s own career aspirations. 

“I think, for entertainment, there’s value in thinking about who do I want to spend time with, who’s my client, who do I want to represent, and start from there,” Mashni said.

The attorney also suggested that those interested in entertainment law make sure they know the “lingo” and the process that goes into film, music and literary projects.

 “You’re going to have to know the law, but more importantly, you’re going to have to know the industry,” Mashni said.

 Prior to earning his law degree from WMU-Cooley, Mashni worked as the manager of a media department for a large leadership development company. He also performed freelance work on numerous film and video projects and completed coursework at the New York Film Academy.