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The
mission of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) is to serve
as a primary resource about law in support of the arts. Since 1969,
in the greater New York Metropolitan Area, VLA has been the exclusive
provider of pro bono and low cost legal services, legal representation,
mediation services, educational programs and publications, and advocacy
to the arts community.
VLA makes these essential services accessible and affordable for low-income artists and non-profit arts and cultural organizations, and serves as a public information resource center about the legal issues that affect artists and arts organizations. Directed
by Elena Paul Esq., VLA operates a variety of programs including
MediateArt; Educational Programs; Art Law Line, a legal hotline
staffed by VLA attorneys; and Legal Services, its core and largest
program. Legal Services provides free and/or affordable legal |
Volunteer
Lawyers for the Arts
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the
traditional legal framework.
Other VLA projects include: The Artist Legacy Project, offering free estate planning services and outreach to artists with HIV/AIDS and others; The Collaboration Project, addressing the issues that arise when artists work together; and Art Law Day, conducting legal clinics and classes once a year, off-site, in cooperation with other arts organizations. VLA is planning many program enhancements in the coming months; most significant is the addition of the VLA Walk-In Clinic, a regular forum for members to meet privately with an attorney to discuss arts-related legal issues. VLA also plans to broaden its base and reach out to those individuals and organizations that historically have been underserved. Call VLA at: 212 319-2787, & press 1 Contact: jtominar@vlany.org |
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representation and information to over 5,000 clients each year. In addition, their volunteer attorneys donate in excess of two million dollars in legal services to artists and arts organizations annually; in FY2000 donating nearly 10,000 hours of pro bono work. The Art Law Line hotline provides both general and specific legal information to thousands of callers annually, and VLA's Department of Education serves hundreds each year with Art Law Workshops for the arts community and attorneys, internships, publications, a public arts law resource library, and a Speakers Bureau for organizations seeking experienced legal speakers for their own events. MediateArt pairs artists with mediators to mediate or resolve arts-related disputes outside |