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Fashion law is an emerging legal practice area, which can
mean one of two things for lawyers hoping to break into the field. First, there
is a lot of growth potential, and the field is expanding; but second, the demand
from lawyers still in many cases outweighs the number of jobs available. There
is no sure way to become a fashion lawyer, but choosing the right education,
making industry connections, and getting work experience in the fashion industry
will certainly help. It goes without saying that a fashion lawyer must have a
legal education before embarking on a career in fashion law. Obtaining a legal
education requires attending law school, traditionally a three year
post-graduate program culminating in the passage of a bar or legal licensing
exam. For many traditional legal practice areas, where you went to school does
not usually matter as much as the grades you received, the classes you took, and
your overall ranking. The same is not necessarily true for fashion law. As an
emerging practice area, the field of fashion law is nuanced and specific. It
involves several broad areas of law, but is focused entirely on a small sector
of society. A very few number of law schools offer specifically fashion law
classes and electives, and most fashion attorneys are busy building their
practices, not teaching classes. If you know that you want to become a fashion
lawyer before entering law school, it would be a good idea to look for schools
that offer fashion law classes or support fashion law centers in order to get
experience in the field while in school. While fashion may be flash bulbs and
runways on the outside, on the inside it is a complex web of rights protections,
proprietary interests, and image ownership. To become a fashion attorney, you
must be conversant in the many areas of law touching clothing designers and
couture firms in order to be successful. In addition to any fashion law classes
that are offered, up-and-coming fashion lawyers should take plenty of classes on
intellectual property, including copyright and trademark rights. Students should
also strive to understand business law, particularly import and export laws and
rules of incorporation. Classes alone will not always enable one to become a
fashion lawyer, however. One of the best ways to become a fashion lawyer is
through experience and connections. During law school, look for opportunities to
meet practicing fashion attorneys. Shadowing someone who does what you want to
do can be a very valuable way to gain insight into the practice area, as well as
to make a contact who may keep an eye out for open positions or internships.
Where possible, look for work in the fashion design industry. Experience working
in fashion, even if it is not strictly legal, may strengthen an application to
become a fashion lawyer later on. Fashion experience will also likely lend
insights into the many dimensions of the fashion world, which can help make a
fashion-centered legal career all the more robust. Of course, jobs in the
fashion industry are not available everywhere. Fashion meccas like New York,
Milan, and Los Angeles have a lot of opportunities for lawyers and law students
to evaluate the intersection of law and fashion, but those experiences can be
hard to emulate elsewhere. Looking for work, contacts, or internships in
fashion-rich environments is usually easier to come by — and often
better-respected by employers — than experience gained only in the classroom, on
paper, or in smaller markets. |
