NSEAL to honor Tim Kappel at July 16 Comedy Store ceremony

The National Society of Entertainment and Arts Lawyers will hold its third annual David A. Pierce Award Ceremony at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood on July 16, 2026, honoring music-industry attorney Tim Kappel. The event spotlights artists’ rights advocacy, legal wins for creators, and fundraising for NSEAL’s ongoing litigation, education, and policy work.

Why it matters: - The David A. Pierce Award Ceremony is designed to recognize legal work that protects creators’ rights. - The event also helps fund NSEAL’s advocacy, litigation support, education, policy work and community outreach. - The ceremony brings together entertainment lawyers, creators, students and industry professionals in one room.

What happened: - The National Society of Entertainment and Arts Lawyers will host the Third Annual David A. Pierce Award Ceremony on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at The Original Room at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood. - The event is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with an exclusive after-party on the front patio. - NSEAL will honor Tim Kappel, a music-industry attorney and artists’ rights advocate. - The ceremony will include remarks from NSEAL Chairman Steven T. Lowe and East Coast Director Scott Alan Burroughs. - Comedian Bob Wheeler will host the evening. - The lineup includes Argus Hamilton, Karen Haber, Char Ramtin, Eric Rocha, Faith Ladzinski, Atlas Novack, Ben Brandfon and Jeffrey Reyes Jr.

The details: - Ticket prices are set at $50 for early bird admission, $30 for students with code STUDENT and $60 after July 10, 2026. - The event page is here. - Kappel is a founding partner of Wells & Kappel LLP. - Kappel served as lead counsel in Vetter v. Resnik, a Fifth Circuit case that granted creators worldwide copyright termination rights. - NSEAL says the award continues the legacy of David A. Pierce, whose advocacy focused on creative professionals. - NSEAL was founded in 2013 as the California Society of Entertainment Lawyers and later became a national organization. - The group’s members include attorneys, law professors, law students and artists who work across entertainment and arts fields. - NSEAL says its members have litigated thousands of entertainment and art cases and advised creative professionals on litigation, licensing and intellectual property strategy. - NSEAL has filed amicus briefs in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Unicolors v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith and Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy. - In Vetter v. Resnik, the Fifth Circuit cited NSEAL’s amicus brief in its published opinion on copyright infringement and substantial similarity.

Between the lines: - The ceremony pairs a legal awards program with comedy and networking, a format that reflects how entertainment-law circles often build community around shared advocacy. - Honoring Kappel underscores the growing importance of copyright termination rights and other creator-friendly legal wins. - The emphasis on fundraising suggests NSEAL is using the event to support future litigation and policy efforts, not just celebrate past cases.

What's next: - NSEAL will present the award on July 16 at The Comedy Store. - Proceeds from the event will support future amicus advocacy, litigation support, educational programming, policy initiatives and outreach. - The organization will continue using events, publications and legal education programs to advance artists’ rights.