The Amusement World

Law schools are strange places. As a general proposition, they attract people who've settled on plan C, people who've decided that they're too uncreative to follow their dreams, and people--it would seem from this post--who hate themselves for the choices they've made. Alright, I exaggerate a bit. It's not that bad, and I don't hate myself. I'm still deluded enough to think I'm going to finish my novel one day--despite the fact that I was pre-plagiarized. But that's really a subject for another post.

What I want to draw your attention to now is the email below. In the pantheon of of WTF lunch-time talks this has to take the cake. I mean, I respect people's different interests, and the members of EMALSA--insofar as they aspire to be fictional Michigan Law School alum Ari Gold--are fine by me, but representing amusement parks? Really? There are people who want to spend an hour talking about "special risk management concerns in the amusement world?" What the hell is going on? I thought this group was about how you can learn to negotiate 5% on the back-end for Tobey Maguire when Spiderman 3 comes out. Anyway, try to make sense of what's below (which I redacted because I'm not a dumbass):

Entertainment, Media, and Arts Law Students Association

presents

Representing Amusement Parks:
A Legal Rollercoaster Ride

by

xxxxxx xxxxxx

Partner, xxxx xxxx & xxxxx LLP

Monday, February 12, 2007

12:20 - 1:20 p.m.

Hutchins 150

Lunch will be served beginning at 12:15 p.m.

Likely Discussion Topics:

* How the role of "outside" counsel is different when representing a client such as Cedar Fair (the owners of Cedar Point amusement park) which has no in-house legal department.
* Trademark and copyright issues in the amusement park context
* Special risk management concerns in the amusement world
* An M & A case study

xxxxx xxxxx is a partner at the Cleveland office of xxxx xxxx & xxxx LLP, and was named a Rising Star in the 2005 edition of "Ohio Super Lawyers." He is a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington Law School, where he was the associate editor of the Federal Communications Law Journal. Mr. xxxxx acts as outside legal counsel to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. In 2006, he represented Cedar Fair in its US$1.2 billion acquisition of the Paramount Parks from CBS Corporation. Mr. xxxxx also has significant involvement in xxxxx xxxxx & xxxxx's sports and entertainment practice, advising clients on endorsement and performance contracts and license agreements.