Choosing the best law school for fashion law is critical for students aiming to pursue careers in this competitive legal specialty. The Fashion Law’s editorial team – composed of lawyers and legal analysts – has identified the top U.S. law schools offering fashion law programs, courses, certificates, and other pathways into fashion and retail law careers.
Not a single discipline, fashion law is a multidisciplinary practice area that spans intellectual property, commercial and corporate law, employment law, international trade, finance, technology and data privacy, and ESG, and encompasses critical legal issues, such as brand protection, licensing, advertising, privacy, and labor rights. As the fashion industry continues to evolve amid globalization, digital commerce, and shifting consumer expectations, demand for lawyers specialized in these intersecting areas has only intensified.
When considering a program, prospective students should assess factors like experiential learning opportunities, geographic proximity to fashion hubs, faculty expertise, alumni career paths, and access to externships or industry-facing initiatives. It is also crucial to evaluate which subfields of the broad arena of “fashion law” – whether intellectual property, labor and employment, ESG compliance, mergers and acquisitions, international trade, etc. – align most closely with one’s interests and career ambitions.
New York City continues to anchor fashion law education in the United States. But the presence of programs in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Dallas reflects a broader shift in where fashion’s legal, regulatory, and commercial issues are being shaped.
Each of the institutions highlighted below offers dedicated academic programming or a student-led fashion law society, underscoring institutional commitment and a growing student demand for legal careers at the intersection of creativity and commerce.
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School integrates fashion law into its broader strengths in business, intellectual property, and commercial law. Located in Downtown Brooklyn, the school features a dedicated Fashion Law course that examines the core legal issues and commercial challenges facing the U.S. fashion and retail industries, and how those dynamics shape legal practice. Complementing the academic curriculum, Brooklyn Law’s student-run Fashion Law Society hosts an annual Fashion Law Symposium, bringing together industry experts to address topics such as intellectual property, sustainability, and brand protection.
Cardozo School of Law
Cardozo School of Law is home to the FAME Center (Fashion, Arts, Media & Entertainment), a program purpose-built to prepare students for legal careers across the fashion, arts, media, and entertainment industries. Based in New York City, Cardozo pairs a nationally recognized intellectual property program with hands-on learning, placing students in externships with leading brands and institutions such as Estée Lauder, the Brooklyn Nets, Burberry, Chanel, David Yurman, SoulCycle, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Through fashion-law-focused coursework, its 11-year-old FAME program – led by fashion law pioneer Barbara Kolsun – and an active, student-run Fashion Law Society, Cardozo emphasizes the cross-disciplinary training required to navigate today’s increasingly complex fashion ecosystem.
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School supports fashion law through a robust intellectual property curriculum and the Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts. Located in New York, Columbia is also home to the Visual Arts Infringement Database, a widely used resource that highlights infringement issues and case law in the visual arts for students, artists, and practitioners. Complementing these academic resources, Columbia’s Fashion Law Society connects students pursuing fashion-focused legal careers through professional, educational, and social programming addressing topics ranging from intellectual property and labor to sustainability and the global fashion business.
Fordham University School of Law
Fordham University School of Law is a pioneer in the field of fashion law. In 2010, it launched the Fashion Law Institute, the first academic center dedicated exclusively to fashion law. The Institute offers more than 15 specialized fashion law courses covering topics from licensing and retail law to sustainability, international trade, and in-house counsel roles. Located in Manhattan, Fordham Law offers the world’s first M.S.L. and LL.M. degrees in Fashion Law, as well as the annual Fashion Law Bootcamp led by Professor Susan Scafidi. Students can gain exposure to the fashion industry and opportunities to connect with leading fashion companies.
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School supports the study of fashion law through a combination of specialized coursework and active student-led organizations. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard offers the Fashion Law Lab, developed by Nana Sarian and run with Rebecca Harris. The Lab is structured as a series of interactive, case-study-driven workshops that examine fashion law through a problem-based lens, drawing on litigation, corporate, and intellectual property frameworks, and welcoming key speakers from across the retail industry. The Harvard Fashion Law Association and the Harvard Art Law Organization also serve as focal points for students interested in the fashion and art industries, convening practitioners, academics, and students through programming, discussion, and professional networking.
Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law offers a policy- and practice-oriented foundation well suited to students interested in fashion law at the intersection of intellectual property, business, and regulation. Located in Washington, D.C., Howard’s strong emphasis on civil rights, labor and employment law, and international and comparative law provides a relevant framework for addressing issues central to the fashion industry, including supply-chain labor practices, consumer protection, and brand governance. In addition to relevant coursework, Howard boasts a student-led Fashion Law Society, which facilitates programming and discussion around fashion-related legal issues.
New York Law School
New York Law School provides formal training in fashion law through specialized coursework, practice-based instruction, and student-led organizations. Located in New York City, the school’s Fashion Law Initiative integrates classroom instruction with exposure to real-world legal practice, offering students opportunities for focused study, research, and direct engagement with in-house and external counsel for leading fashion brands. Central to this framework is the Fashion Law Practicum, a practice-oriented course that examines the core dimensions of fashion law, including litigation strategy and transactional counseling, and is designed to prepare students for legal roles within fashion companies. Outside the classroom, students can further engage with the field through the Media, Entertainment, and Fashion Law Association, which provides professional development and industry networking.
New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law’s strengths in corporate, intellectual property, and transactional law provide a strong foundation for fashion-focused legal careers. Based in Manhattan, NYU offers elective coursework addressing fashion law and business, hosts industry-facing events, and draws on a faculty with deep expertise in fashion law, intellectual property, and retail regulation, many of whom regularly publish on key developments in the field. The school also supports student engagement through its student-led Fashion Law Society, which complements the academic program with professional programming and networking opportunities.
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law has emerged as an up-and-coming institution in fashion law education, particularly at the intersection of intellectual property, retail, and consumer goods law. Based in Dallas, Texas, the school offers dedicated coursework in fashion law and sneaker law. Student interest in the field is further supported by its Intellectual Property Organization, along with brand protection and IP practice-focused speaker events. A key component of SMU’s fashion law education is its corporate externship program, which places students in in-house legal roles at companies such as JCPenney, LTK, and Neiman Marcus.
University of Miami School of Law
The University of Miami School of Law situates fashion law within its broader focus on entertainment, arts, and sports law, reflecting the school’s proximity to creative and consumer-driven industries. Located in Coral Gables, Florida, the law school offers specialized coursework in fashion law and sneaker law and hosts the Counseling Creators Conference, which brings together participants from across the fashion and creative sectors for negotiation competitions and practice-oriented legal workshops. Students can further engage with the field through the school’s student-led Fashion Law Society, which supports professional development and industry-focused programming.
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School offers a business- and policy-oriented foundation relevant to students interested in fashion law at the intersection of intellectual property, corporate governance, antitrust, and consumer protection. Located in Philadelphia, Penn’s close integration with the Wharton School enables interdisciplinary exposure to retail, branding, and global supply-chain dynamics, while its strengths in IP and competition law provide a framework for addressing issues central to the fashion industry, including brand strategy, market power, and commercialization. Penn also has a student-led Fashion Law Society, which facilitates content around fashion- and retail-related legal issues.
Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
Villanova’s John F. Scarpa Center for Entrepreneurship and Law offers students a unique curriculum combining legal theory with commercial practice, focusing on the intersection of business and law. The school, which is based in Villanova, Pennsylvania, hosts an annual Fashion Law Symposium sponsored by the Fashion Law Society and the Scarpa Center, featuring in-house counsel from leading fashion companies. Villanova Law offers a course in fashion law, which examines the legal and business issues facing fashion and apparel companies, including IP, licensing, employment, retail, and global commercial challenges. The Fashion Law Society provides students with networking opportunities, events with industry experts, and runs a blog, The Fashion Verdict, focused on fashion law topics.
As fashion law continues to evolve into a widely recognized and increasingly consequential legal discipline, these institutions are playing a central role in training the attorneys who will help define the legal landscape of the global fashion industry.