About Us
Established in 1969, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts is the pioneer in arts-related legal aid and educational programs 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 serves the arts community through 3 program areas: Legal Services with MediateArt; Education; and Advocacy.
Our largest program, the VLA Legal Services Department, offers counseling and assistance to the entire arts community as well as our signature service of pro bono legal representation to low-income artists and nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. All of VLA’s other programs are open to the entire creative community as well as the lawyers and law students VLA trains to serve the arts community. As the first arts-related legal aid organization, VLA is the model for similar organizations around the world.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
1 East 53rd Street, Sixth Floor
New York, NY 10022
T: 212.319.ARTS (2787) ext. 1
F: 212·752·6575
Legal Services
VLA delivers legal services and legal information to over 10,000 members of the arts community each year. For more information please click here or call
MediateArt
pairs artists with mediators to mediate or resolve arts-related disputes outside the traditional legal framework. Through MediateArt, qualifying clients may elect to use this service for negotiation counseling as well as contract negotiations. For more information click here
Education
VLA plays an important role in educating individual artists, arts professionals within arts and cultural institutions, attorneys, students and the general public about legal and business issues that affect artistic and creative endeavors. For more information on our classes, workshops, and panels, please click here, or call the Art Law Line: 212.319.ARTS (2787) x1.
Advocacy
From its inception, VLA has played an important role as an advocate on behalf of the arts community in different ways, ranging from participation in litigation, making public statements about matters of interest to the arts community, and making recommendations about pending legislation. For more information, click here.
New York Department of
Cultural Affairs
New York State Council
on the Arts
National Endowment
for the Arts
For a list of supporters
click here
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Have questions or would like
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Visit our office!
See map here!