Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts explained

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) is both a generic term for legal service organizations located throughout the United States and the proper name of the organization in New York City. Founded in 1969, that organization is the oldest VLA in the country.

Organizations

The first VLA organization, named simply Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, was founded in 1969 and serves the New York area out of its Manhattan office. Chicago-based lawyers for the Creative Arts was founded in 1972. Bay Area Lawyers for the Arts (BALA) was founded two years later. When BALA expanded to Southern California, joining with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts-Los Angeles, the organization was renamed California Lawyers for the Arts. Denver-based Colorado Lawyers for the Arts began operations in 1974, incorporated in 1979 and continues to serve that state's arts community.

Among the newer Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations are New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Inc. and Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, both founded in 2004. More recently still, Tennessee Lawyers for the Arts, opened in Nashville in 2005.

There are more than 30 VLA programs throughout the United States. Not a single organization, but rather a network united by similar missions, the organizations provide a broad range of free and low-cost legal services and educational programs addressing the needs of artists and arts organizations of all artistic disciplines.

Each VLA organization operates independently. Most are nonprofit organizations, while others are housed with arts councils, arts services organizations, bar associations or business for the arts programs.

Services

Some of the programs provided include:

Legal services through referrals and, in some cases, on-site consultations; legal clinics; alternative dispute resolution services, including mediation and arbitration; accounting services; law student internships; advocacy; educational programs on such topics as contracts, copyright, estate planning, taxes and nonprofit incorporation; and publications on a broad range of topics.

Without these services provided by these organizations, many arts-related legal problems would go unresolved and many artists would be denied an opportunity to develop their creative abilities fully.

Organizations

Arizona

Volunteer Legal Assistance for Artists, Arizona[1]

California

Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers Committee for the Arts300 S. Beverly Dr., Ste. 201Beverly Hills, CA 90212(310) 601-2422[2]

California Lawyers for the Arts (Sacramento)2015 J Street, Set. 204,Sacramento, CA 95811(916) 441-7979[3]

California Lawyers for the Arts (San Francisco)Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., Building C, Rm 265San Francisco, CA 94123(415) 775-7200[3]

California Lawyers for the Arts (Los Angeles)12304 Santa Monica, Blvd, Ste. 304.Los Angeles, CA 90025(310) 207-0001[3]

California Lawyers for the Arts (Berkeley)Wells Fargo Building, 2140 Shattuck Ave., Suite 309, Berkeley, CA 94704(888) 775-8995

California Lawyers for the Arts (San Diego)2869 Historic Decatur Rd., San Diego, CA 92106(888) 775-8995

San Diego Performing Arts League110 West C St. #1414San Diego, CA 92101(619) 238-0700 x. 16[4]

Colorado

Colorado Lawyers for the Arts720-272-0961[5]

District of Columbia

Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts1629 K Street, NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20006(202) 289-4440[6]

Florida

Legal Art924 Lincoln Rd. #205Miami Beach, FL 33139(305) 674-8278[7]

Florida Lawyers for the Arts, Inc.PO Box 2091St. Petersburg, FL 33731(727) 823-5809[8]

Georgia

Georgia Lawyers for the Arts887 West Marietta St. NW, Suite J-101Atlanta, GA 30318(404) 873-3911[9]

Illinois

Lawyers for the Creative Arts161 N. Clark St.,Suite 4300Chicago, IL 60601(312) 649-4111[10]

Indiana

Creative Arts Legal League20 N. Meridian St. #500Indianapolis, IN 46204[11]

Iowa

Iowa Volunteer Lawyers for the Artsc/o David J. Bright122 South Linn St.Iowa City, IA 522240[12]

Louisiana

Louisiana Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts818 Howard St.New Orleans, LA 70113(504) 523-2430[13]

Maine

Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the ArtsP.O. Box 17911511 Congress St.Portland, ME 04112-17911(207) 699-4600[14]

Maryland

Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts1500 Union Ave., Suite 1330Baltimore, MD 21211(410) 752-1633[15]

Massachusetts

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts15 Channel Center StreetSuite 103Boston, MA 02210(617) 350-7600[16]

Michigan

Creative Many Michigan440 Burroughs Street, Suite 365Detroit, Michigan 48202(313) 483-5705[17]

Minnesota

Springboard for the Arts308 Prince St.St. Paul, MN 55101(651) 292-4381[18]

Missouri

KC Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts115 W. 18th St.Kansas City, MO 64108(816) 472-3535[19]

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts6128 DelmarSt. Louis, MO 63112(314) 863-6930[20]

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Business Committee for the ArtsOne Granite Pl.Concord, NH 03301(603) 224-8300[21]

New Jersey

New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the ArtsP.O. Box 2265Flemington, NJ 08822(856) 963-6300[22]

New York

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts729 Seventh AvenueNew York, NY 10019(212) 319-2787[23]

North Carolina

North Carolina Volunteer Lawyers for the ArtsPO Box 26513Raleigh, NC 26513(919) 699-6285[24]

Ohio

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts ProgramCleveland Bar Association1301 E 9th St.Cleveland, OH 44114(216) 696-3525[25]

Oregon

Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts[26] Portland, OR

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts(Arts and Business Council)200 S. Broad St.Philadelphia, PA 19102(215) 790-3836 x1[27]

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council707 Penn Ave. #2Pittsburgh, PA 15222(412) 391-2060[28]

Rhode Island

Ocean State Lawyers for the ArtsPO Box 19Saunderstown, RI 02874(401) 789-5686[29]

Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts1900 Belmont Blvd.Nashville, TN 37212(615) 460-8274[30]

Texas

Texas Accountants & Lawyers for the ArtsPO Box 144722Austin, TX 78714(800) 526-8252[31]

Washington

Washington Lawyers for the Arts6512 23rd St. NW #320Seattle, WA 98117(206) 328-7053[32]

Wisconsin

Arts WisconsinPO Box 1054Madison, WI 53701(608) 255-8316[33]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: VLAA Arizona. vlaaarizona.tumblr.com. 3 October 2017.
  2. Web site: Beverly Hills Bar Association. www.bhba.org. 3 October 2017.
  3. Web site: California Lawyers for the Arts. California Lawyers for the Arts. 3 October 2017.
  4. Web site: 満腹サポートのキャットフードとは. www.sandiegoperforms.com. 3 October 2017.
  5. Web site: Home . coloradolawyersforthearts.org.
  6. Web site: WALA - Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts. www.waladc.org. 3 October 2017.
  7. Web site: Legal Art Miami - Home. www.legalartmiami.org. 3 October 2017.
  8. Web site: Florida Lawyers for the Arts. www.artslawfl.org. 3 October 2017.
  9. Web site: Georgia Lawyers for the Arts – Serving the Arts since 1975. www.glarts.org. 3 October 2017.
  10. Web site: Lawyers for the Creative Arts. Lawyers for the Creative Arts. 3 October 2017.
  11. Web site: Creative Arts Legal League . 2009-01-05 . 2009-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090104224409/http://www.indycall.org/ . dead .
  12. Web site: Iavla - Trending Law Facts and Criminal Misdeeds. www.iavla.com. 3 October 2017.
  13. Web site: Arts Council New Orleans. www.artscouncilofneworleans.org. 3 October 2017.
  14. Web site: Home . mainevla.org.
  15. Web site: Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. mdvla.org. 3 October 2017.
  16. Web site: Arts & Business Council of Boston. www.vlama.org. 3 October 2017.
  17. Web site: Creative Many.org - Michigan's Creative Sector Advocacy Org!. www.artservemichigan.org. 3 October 2017.
  18. Web site: Springboard for the Arts - Thrive as an artist, connect to artists. Springboard for the Arts. 3 October 2017.
  19. Web site: KCVLAA Home. www.kcvlaa.org. 3 October 2017.
  20. Web site: VLAA – Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts. www.vlaa.org. 3 October 2017.
  21. Web site: New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts. www.nhbca.com. 3 October 2017.
  22. Web site: Home . njvla.org.
  23. Web site: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts - VLANY. VLA. 3 October 2017.
  24. Web site: 外付けハードディスクを復旧させよう|修理業者で設備を直す方法. www.ncvla.org. 3 October 2017.
  25. Web site: Home . clemetrobar.org.
  26. Web site: Home. Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. 3 October 2017.
  27. Web site: Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia - Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts . 2010-02-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100503144505/http://www.artsandbusinessphila.org/pvla/ . 2010-05-03 . dead .
  28. Web site: Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. www.pittsburghartscouncil.org. 3 October 2017.
  29. Web site: OSLA ARTS & LAWS. www.artslaw.org. 3 October 2017.
  30. Web site: Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville Volunteer Legal Help for the Creative Community. www.abcnashville.org. 3 October 2017.
  31. Web site: TALA - Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts. www.talarts.org. 3 October 2017.
  32. Web site: Washington Lawyers for the Arts – Legal Resources for Artists and Arts Organizations. thewla.org. 3 October 2017.
  33. Web site: Arts Wisconsin - growing Wisconsin creatively since 1992. www.artswisconsin.org. 3 October 2017.