About the Competition

CINEMA simulates intellectual property and entertainment law negotiations in which law students, acting as lawyers, manage a series of legal problems relating to real-life scenarios. The simulations consist of a common set of facts known by all participants and confidential information known only to the participants representing a particular side. All of the simulations deal with the same general topic, but the negotiation situation varies with each round and level of the competition. Teams of two competitors will represent each party. Competitors are scored exclusively on their oral argument performance. In addition to honing their negotiation skills, competitors will also have the opportunity to hear from leading lawyers and professionals spanning the breadth of the entertainment industry through a series of panels meant to stoke dialogue surrounding the industry’s most pertinent legal challenges.

Team Registration

Registration will be capped at 40 teams, on a first come, first serve basis. We will communicate if this maximum has been reached via email. If there is additional interest after we have hit our 40 team maximum, you can join our waitlist. Registration will close and all payments will be due on Friday, October 16 by 11:59 PM. Any team that has not submitted both the registration form and paid the registration fee by then will forfeit its spot in the competition.

Team registration for CINEMA 2026 is now closed. Waitlist requests can be sent via email.

Judge Time Commitment

Judges can expect to commit a 3-hour window of time or more. We have preliminary rounds occurring in the morning and afternoon of Sunday, November 8, 2026, as well as a final round in the afternoon of the same day.

CLE Credit

We are in coordination with Cardozo administration for judges who wish to gain CLE credit for their time and effort. Please indicate your interest in gaining CLE credit in the judge registration form above.

When & Where

CINEMA 2026 will be held fully in-person on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law located at 55 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10003.

Leadership

Faculty Advisors – Professor Andrea K. Schneider & Professor Robyn Weinstein

Student Chairs – Josh Oh & Jared Peraglia

Chief of Staff – Ariana Augello

Communications Chair – Gabby Hunter

Recruitment Chairs – Camryn Hohneker & Rebecca Reyes

Past Winners

4th Annual CINEMA, held on Sunday, November 9th and Monday, November 10th, 2025 

Organized by Internal Managing Editor, Perry Santos and Editor-In-Chief, Claire Miller

First Place: William & Mary Law School

Second Place: Stetson University College of Law

Third Place: Stetson University College of Law

Best Advocate: Yosef Haddabah, St. John's University School of Law

Spirit Award: University of Colorado Law School

3rd Annual CINEMA, held on Sunday, November 10, 2024

Organized by former Internal Managing Editor, Becca Hine and former Editor-In-Chief, Sam Harberg

First Place: Brooklyn Law School

Second Place: St. Mary's University School of Law

Third Place: University of Houston Law Center

Best Advocate: Joanna Ong, Berkeley Law

Spirit Award: Loyola Law School

2nd Annual CINEMA, held on Sunday, November 12, 2023

Organized by former Editor-In-Chief, Diana Miller

Hosted 31 teams (nearly tripling enrollment since the first competition)

1st Place: University of Maryland Carey School of Law

2nd Place: University of Georgia School of Law

Best Advocate: Ayllin Vishnevetski - New York Law School

First Inaugural CINEMA, held on Sunday, March 26, 2023

Organized by former Editor-In-Chief, Ilona Erlich and former Managing Editor, Alec Neimand