Volunteer Lawyers For The Arts Inc

Programs: Legal services:vla's department of legal services provides the arts community with access to services through legal clinics and in-house consultations, where artists and acos can seek advice on arts-related legal issues from vla staff and volunteer attorneys; and pro bono placements for low-income artists and acos with one of approximately 1,600 volunteer attorneys. In fy17, vla provided more than 40,000 hours of pro bono legal work to the new york arts community. More than 1,600 volunteer attorneys, 6 staff attorneys, and 63 law student interns and legal fellows provided vital information and legal counseling to thousands of artists and arts and cultural organizations on issues affecting their art. For example, vla attorneys review a wide range of contracts including gallery consignment agreements, talent release agreements, licensing agreements for musicians and fashion designers, and collaboration agreements for choreographers. Vla also assists arts organizations such as dance and theatre companies with incorporating as nonprofits and receiving 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. And, vla attorneys represent its artists and acos in copyright and contractual disputes before courts and mediators.

education:vla educates individual artists, arts professionals within acos, attorneys, students, and the general public about legal and business issues that affect artists and their creative endeavors. Classes are often an artist's first exposure to vla, and play a fundamental role in helping artists and acos identify the important legal and business issues they face, and in teaching them how to protect themselves and their artistic endeavors. Vla's education programs are also a vital resource for the arts community and the lawyers who serve it. In fy17, vla served more than 1,400 individual artists, arts organizations, attorneys, and law students through classes, seminars, panel discussions, and workshops for the arts and legal communities. Vla's education programming also includes internships for law school students, participation in preparing materials for legal publications, volunteer attorney training programs, and a public art law resource library. Vla's highly successful core classes include copyright for artists, contract essentials for artists, for profit incorporation, and nonprofit incorporation and tax-exempt status. Vla also offers classes that address specific legal issues faced by different creative disciplines such as photography, contemporary art, choreography, dance, filmmaking, music, and theater. Vla's class offerings continue to evolve as new legal issues emerge, and in response to demand from the arts community.