On Fri, Feb. 3, 2023, the Recording Academy® Entertainment Law Initiative® will return to Los Angeles to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its annual GRAMMY® Week Event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The event will honor Peter T. Paterno, Partner at King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP, with the 2023 Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award, presented each year to an attorney who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service.
"We're thrilled to return to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for the 25th anniversary ELI GRAMMY Week Event to salute the impact of entertainment law on the music industry," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "The creative community is grateful for Peter's advocacy on behalf of music makers, and I look forward to celebrating ELI's mission to inspire dialogue between industry professionals and to cultivate an inclusive future generation of entertainment law practitioners."
"Peter's longtime commitment to the music business and his ability to confidently navigate the intricacies of our industry make him an outstanding recipient of the ELI Service Award for this year's 25th anniversary event," said Neil Crilly, Managing Director of Industry Leader Engagement & Chapter Operations at the Recording Academy. "I applaud ELI's Executive Committee for recognizing a leader whose expertise has helped countless artists succeed in their careers and who has supported the music industry through eras of change."
The Service Award winner is determined by ELI's Executive Committee, which works to uplift ELI by recognizing leaders in the entertainment law community and mentoring young professionals in the industry. The 2022-23 Executive Committee represents a diverse group of industry powerhouses working across the breadth of the entertainment law landscape. It is chaired by Laurie Soriano, and its members include Kris Ahrend, Sandy Crawshaw-Sparks, Susan Genco, Renee Karalian, Michael Kushner, Dina LaPolt, Wade Leak, Angie Martinez, Tanya Perara, Julian Petty, Leron Rogers, Henry Root, Bobby Rosenbloum, Julie Swidler, Jeff Walker, Robert Windom, and Stephanie Yu.
The ELI GRAMMY Week Event will also celebrate the winner and two runners-up of the Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association, which challenges students in Juris Doctorate and Master of Laws programs at U.S. law schools to research a pressing legal issue facing the modern music industry and outline a proposed solution in a 3,000-word essay. A $10,000 scholarship is awarded to the author of the winning paper, and a $2,500 scholarship is awarded to two runners-up, and the winning paper will be published in the ABA's journal Entertainment & Sports Lawyer.
