Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

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New York

Established in 1969, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation, is the pioneer in arts-related legal aid and educational programming about the legal and business issues that affect artist and arts organizations. VLA believes that individual artists and arts organizations deserve access to dedicated legal representation and advocacy to ensure that their voices are heard and that their interests are protected. VLA also believes that the arts community should understand certain legal and business matters to protect themselves and their work. To achieve these goals, VLA provides pro bono legal representation to low-income artists and nonprofit arts and cultural organizations as well as a range of other services (legal counseling, educational programs, an art & law residency, advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution services) to the entire arts community, and assists in the training of lawyers. As the first arts-related legal aid organization, VLA is the model for similar organizations around the world.

VLA serves artists and arts and cultural organizations in every discipline including: acting, animation, architectural design, bookmaking, choreography, composition, computer design, costume design, craft and folk arts, dance, directing, fashion, film, graphic design, installation art, literary arts, modeling, multimedia, music, performance art, photography, playwriting, poetry, printmaking, screenwriting, songwriting, theater, three-dimensional design, video arts, video game design, visual arts, and web design.