Thomas Jefferson School of Law announced today that Lisa M. Field, a third year, part-time law student, was awarded an Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) Scholarship from the GRAMMY Foundation.
Lisa was one of five finalists of the GRAMMY Foundation ELI Writing Competition for her paper entitled, “Beginning With The End In Mind: A Proposal For A Jury Instruction For The ‘Substantial Similarity’ Analysis for Music Copyright.”
“I chose to write about music and the law because music has always played a large role in my life and it felt like a natural fit,” said Lisa Field. “I was inspired by the challenge to use the research and writing skills I have developed as a law student to solve problems facing the music industry.”
Lisa wrote about the recent ‘Blurred Lines’ case, which she noted shook up the music industry when the jury handed down one of the largest verdicts seen in years. Her solution focused on creating a uniform jury instruction for the Ninth Circuit that is specific to music infringement.
The GRAMMY Foundation, in partnership with some of the nation's most prominent entertainment attorneys, established ELI to promote such discussion and debate about compelling legal issues facing the music industry today.
The organization also strives to support future careers in entertainment law by seeking out the nation’s top law students and giving them invaluable networking and educational opportunities.
In addition to the scholarship, Lisa and the four other finalists received complimentary airfare, hotel accommodations, and a ticket to the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards, which was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
“It was such an honor to be chosen as a finalist and it was the experience of a lifetime. The whole weekend really opened my eyes to how the rapidly changing legal landscape in the music industry is presenting new opportunities to positively shape the future,” said Field.