Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Members and Friends of VLA:
This year, VLA celebrates 37 years of excellent service to the New York arts community through its four major program areas: legal services, educational programs, mediation and advocacy. VLA arrives at this milestone having completed another successful and productive year. Significantly, thanks to the generosity of law firms, foundations, corporations and individuals, VLA has expanded its services and received the support necessary to execute this increased level of activity.
Between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006, VLA delivered services to more than 10,000 individual artists and arts organizations who often received assistance with multiple legal and business issues. During the same period, a special VLA task force worked to improve legal services, including successfully decreasing the waiting period for pro bono placements and increasing the number of active volunteers. In addition, we developed and inaugurated new projects, including, the VLA Legal and Business Boot Camp for Arts Professionals™; a new arts and entertainment practice area on probono.net; and the VLA Holiday Card Program.
VLA depends on the commitment and contributions of our volunteers and supporters to complete our work. We would like to thank those who have contributed to VLA’s successes this year, including our Board of Directors, Corporate and Law Firm Members, Foundation Supporters, individual donors and VLA’s staff. We are also extremely grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts, and our partners, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs for their advice and support.
Finally, VLA owes a special thank you to our volunteer attorneys and law students for donating their services through VLA, and, without whom our programs would not be possible. Notably, our list of contributors continues to grow. This is particularly meaningful, for it expresses our donors’ belief in the importance of VLA and commitment to ensuring that our work will continue into the future. We deeply appreciate this vital support, and continue to rely on such vital support as we both maintain and expand our vision.
As Executive Director, I am extremely proud of our achievements this past year. We look forward to the upcoming year and continuing our record of achievements.
Very truly yours,
Elena M. Paul, Esq.
Elena M. Paul is the Executive Director of VLA. In addition, Ms. Paul advises and represents artists and arts organizations at VLA, specializing in corporate and contractual matters. She also creates many of its original programs. Prior to VLA, Ms. Paul was the Executive Director of Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts. Before WALA, Ms. Paul acted as University Counsel in the Office of the President at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ms. Paul previously served as an attorney at two major national law firms, Patton Boggs and Bryan Cave.
Ms. Paul serves on a number of boards of nonprofit arts organizations and advises many others, including other VLA-type organizations. She also serves as development consultant for various cultural and arts projects in addition to television, film and theatrical productions.
Ms Paul lectures nationally on a variety of arts and entertainment topics, including contracts for arts professionals, intellectual property, fundraising and institutional development, and creating nonprofit, tax-exempt corporations. Ms. Paul is an Adjunct Professor at the Brooklyn Law School for a program she created, the VLA Transaction Law Clinic and Seminar.
Ms. Paul received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Davidson College, phi beta kappa, and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. In 2000, Ms. Paul was a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School. She is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.