
23rd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative® Event & Scholarship Presentation
The 23rd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Event & Scholarship Presentation Announces Winners Of Writing Competition
The 23rd annual Entertainment Law Initiative Event & Scholarship Presentation has announced the winner and runners-up of its Writing Competition:
Winner |
Paper Title "It's My [Recapture Right], And It's Now or Never…" |
Runner-Up Evan Biegel St. John's University Queens, N.Y. |
Paper Title "Tuning the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Musical Work Infringement" |
Runner-Up Alberto Vargas University of Chicago Chicago, Ill. |
Paper Title "Bare Possibility or Reasonable Opportunity? In Defense of a Defendant- Conscious View of 'Access' in a Digital Age" |
The 23rd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Event & Scholarship Presentation will take place Friday, March 12, at 11 a.m. PST during GRAMMY Week 2021 in a new virtual format and will gather the nation's most prominent entertainment attorneys to promote discussion and debate about the most compelling legal issues facing the music industry today. The event will honor the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association — a nationally recognized leader in legal education and professional development within the United States for lawyers and professionals in the entertainment, sports and related industries—with the 2021 Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award. This honor is awarded to an attorney or organization that has demonstrated a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service.
Sophia Sofferman, the winner of this year's Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Competition, along with runners-up Evan Biegel and Alberto Vargas, will be recognized during the virtual event. The annual Entertainment Law Initiative's Writing Competition invites law students to write a 3,000-word paper on a compelling legal topic facing the music industry today. The contest is open to Juris Doctor (JD) or Master of Laws (LLM) candidates currently enrolled at any U.S. law school.
Sofferman will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship; Biegel and Vargas will each be awarded a $2,500 scholarship. All three will be recognized during the 23rd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Event & Scholarship Presentation to provide a forum for interaction with successful attorneys in the field.
Earlier this month, the Entertainment Law Initiative hosted an Info Session for students interested in submitting for this year's Writing Competition to learn from previous student winners, in addition to gaining career advice from top entertainment lawyers.
Other program participants at this year's Entertainment Law Initiative event include Recording Academy Chair and interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr., Entertainment Law Initiative Executive Committee Chair Laurie Soriano, Entertainment Law Initiative Executive Committee member Ken Abdo, and Recording Academy Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Valeisha Butterfield-Jones, the latter of whom will lead a roundtable discussion that will explore the current state of diversity in the music industry.
The Entertainment Law Initiative event is the nation's preeminent gathering for entertainment attorneys and the music business community, and it provides a forum for the industry to honor its legal practitioners, hear from thought leaders, and support promising law students interested in entertainment law. This year's event is invite-only.
Read the complete Entertainment Law Initiative writing contest rules. For further questions, email eli@recordingacademy.com.