Music Industry Law 101: Legal Issues You and Your Client Should Recognize

Matthew H. Giger, co-founder of the firm, is an experienced attorney who represents clients in all facets of litigation, dispute resolution and counseling. Mr. Giger's practice extends to copyright and trademark matters, entertainment-industry litigation and general commercial, real estate and partnership disputes. His past work includes an impressive record of trial victories, favorable court decisions and advantageous settlements.

Mr. Giger received his A.B., magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1996. He graduated with a J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law in 1999.

Following his graduation, Mr. Giger served as a law clerk to the Honorable John S. Rhoades of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. At the conclusion of his clerkship, Mr. Giger became an associate at the New York law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, working in that firm's litigation department on a number of high-profile commercial disputes for some of the world's most successful companies. At Sullivan & Worcester LLP, where Mr. Giger litigated before leaving with Mr. Rosenberg to start Rosenberg, Giger and Perala, Mr. Giger's work included all aspects of civil litigation and dispute resolution for entertainment industry clients, large public companies, financial institutions, technology companies and real estate developers.

Amy E. Mitchell is a transactional lawyer based in Austin, Texas, who practices entertainment law with a focus on music, television, and film law issues. She has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 2004 and represents emerging artists and entrepreneurs as well as established professionals. Amy was selected to the 2017 Texas Rising Stars list, a distinction given to no more than 2% of young attorneys in Texas determined through peer nominations and research.

Amy earned her B.A. in Spanish and Economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999 and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2004. Prior to attending law school, Amy served as Office Manager of the Texas Music Office, a state agency within the Texas Governor’s Office. During law school, she attended the University College London in London, England, to study international and comparative law. Amy served as a staff editor of both the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal and the Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law; President of Women’s Law Caucus; Vice President of the Intellectual Property Law Society; and a Teaching Quizmaster. She also arranged for and directed UT Law’s a cappella group that performed during the annual law school production Assault & Flattery.

A musician herself, Amy began her legal career focusing on music. Since 2007, Amy has worked closely with Christian L. Castle, Attorneys on music industry talent representation, digital distribution, content licensing, and public policy matters. In 2011, thanks to an “of counsel” arrangement with Deena Kalai, PLLC, Amy branched out into independent film and television production work and has now served as production and/or distribution legal on more than two dozen independent feature-length films. In addition, she frequently speaks and writes on entertainment law topics and maintains the educational site AskaMusicLawyer.com,which receives thousands of visitors each month.

Amy is very active in the professional entertainment law community. In 2009, Amy was elected to serve on the Council of the State Bar of Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Section, holding many leadership positions during her nine-year tenure including the role of Chair from 2016-2017. In 2013, Amy successfully spearheaded efforts to charter an entertainment law section for the Austin Bar Association and was recently elected to return as Chair for the 2019-2020 bar year. In 2017, the State Bar of Texas tapped Amy to serve as Course Director for their inaugural Entertainment Law 101 program, which focuses on the fundamental legal issues to address when representing creative types. The 101 program is returning for its third year with Amy at the helm.

When she is not practicing law, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and three small children. She also performs as a vocalist and/or keyboardist in several Austin ensembles, including The Pennybackers, Panoramic Voices and The Bar & Grill Singers. She has also performed, written, and/or recorded with numerous musical groups including Will Taylor’s Strings Attached, Til We’re Blue or Destroy, Dave Madden, framing strangers, Spain Coloured Orange, Golden Bear, The Unbearables, Youngmond Grand, Radar Radar, All Hail, Brothers & Sisters, Carpe Sono, Conspirare, Lila Lies (Simon & Garfunkel cover band), and her beloved collegiate a cappella group, UT’s The Ransom Notes.

Stephanie K. Hay is the owner and principal attorney of The Hay Law Group, P.L.L.C. She opened her doors in 2014 on a mission to provide exceptional and professional service to clients in need of legal representation. Believing that the practice of law isn’t simply a transactional relationship between the attorney and client Stephanie prides herself on fostering relationships with her clients, making them more than just a case number. In addition to the practice of law, she is an Adjunct Professor in the Commercial Music Business Program at Houston Community College, where she teaches Music Publishing, Survey of the Music Business and Legal Aspects of Entertainment Law.

Ms. Hay has professional experience working with the United States District Court—Southern District of Texas, Office of the Harris County Attorney, Thurgood Marshall Legal Clinic and, immediately following law school, The O’Quinn Law Firm.

In addition to her professional work, Stephanie’s focus on community collaboration has led to a number of volunteer opportunities and community leadership roles. She is currently a council member on the Houston Bar Association—Entertainment and Sports Law Council, a volunteer attorney with Texas Accountant and Lawyers for the Arts, member of the Houston Chapter of Women in Film and Television and a contributing Sponsor to the Texas Motion Picture Alliance.

Stephanie earned her J.D., Cum Laude, in 2012 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, where she served as a Senior Law Review Editor, and her B.A. in 2009 from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is was admitted to practice by the State Bar of Texas in 2012 and by the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, in 2015.Ms. Hay has professional experience working with the United States District Court—Southern District of Texas, Office of the Harris County Attorney, Thurgood Marshall Legal Clinic and, immediately following law school, The O’Quinn Law Firm. In addition to her professional work, Stephanie’s focus on community collaboration has led to a number of volunteer opportunities and community leadership roles. She is currently a council member on the Houston Bar Association—Entertainment and Sports Law Council, a volunteer attorney with Texas Accountant and Lawyers for the Arts, member of the Houston Chapter of Women in Film and Television and a contributing Sponsor to the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. Stephanie earned her J.D., Cum Laude, in 2012 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, where she served as a Senior Law Review Editor, and her B.A. in 2009 from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is was admitted to practice by the State Bar of Texas in 2012 and by the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, in 2015.

Music has been the centerpiece of Neiloo’s life for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a family of musicians, her love of music blossomed at an early age. She is passionate about all aspects of the music industry and assisting music professionals with their legal needs.

Neiloo earned a B.A. (cum laude) in Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz and a J.D. from UC Hastings. In her free time, Neiloo loves attending concerts and long-distance running.

Alonzo McAlpine Alston, Esq. was born in Savannah, GA, is a loving and dedicated husband and father of two as well as results driven, service oriented, and client-focused attorney. Attorney Alston was born to entrepreneurial parents who were heavily involved in the civil rights movement, and is a product of their strong influence and guidance to purpose his life and endeavors on social equality, cause-driven activism, and self-reliance with a focus on empowerment through community building. These values have also influenced his desire to continually exhibit integrity, maintain ownership of his work-product, and develop clear goal-oriented communications. Attorney Alston said, “[O]ne of the primary reasons I became an attorney was to make sure that people knew what I didn’t know when I started out in business. I wanted people to know the value of strong agreements and be able to speak to an attorney that had been on the wrong end of a bad deal. Someone’s got to fight for the little guy in business.”

Entrepreneurship has been a driving force in his life, and began at an early age. Since his first lemonade stand and video game exchange, Attorney Alston has sought to maximize value for his clients. In 2001, Attorney Alston founded Movement Productions (now, Movement Productions, LLC) to provide quality event oriented entertainment, information services, and resources. Similarly, Attorney Alston established McAlpine PLLC to provide client focused and dedicated customer service yielding high-quality legal counsel in a variety of practice areas.

Attorney Alston is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Communications Studies and minor in African-American Studies, is a graduate of the inaugural class of Charlotte School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in the state of North Carolina.