Greetings!
We are looking forward to our upcoming Fall Benefit celebrating VLA's 40th Anniversary and honoring Peter R. Stern, Esq., VLA's Chairman Emeritus and musician Jimmy Webb. The benefit will take place on November 17th at Sotheby's Auction House. Sotheby's has generously provided VLA with a space during their Latin American sale which is not to be missed. If you have not ordered tickets and would like to attend, click our Fall Benefit click here. Last month VLA participated in NADA's (New Art Dealers Alliance) Annual County Affair on October 18th. The fair occupied several unused storefronts along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, and consisted of interactive art installations, penny cleaning, tea leaf reading, mask making, and VLA's information booth.
On October 20th VLA's Young Associate Members (YAM) visited the corporate collection within Tischman Speyer's Rockefeller Center Office. YAM's were treated to a wine and cheese reception as well as the freedom to walk around the art covored hallways which included works by such artists as Fernand Leger, Takashi Murakami and Su-en Wong. For more information on becoming a YAM, click here.
Davis Polk hosted VLA's Legal Clinic this month. Consistent with our attendees' past experiences with Davis Polk, every attendee reported that they received "Very Good" or "Excellent" service in their consultations. In just three hours, the team at Davis Polk assisted seven VLA clients with a diverse range of matters. VLA greatly appreciates Davis Polk's support and we look forward to continuing a great working relationship.
This was another busy month for our Education Department. VLA attorney's spoke at multiple institutions, such as Dia:Beacon, Columbia University's School of Art, Fordham Law School, NYU, SVA, and a panel on law and public art co-sponsored by Art in Odd Places and Pratt Institute. In addition to our monthly For-Profit and Nonprofit Workshops, VLA is proud to be offering another Legal Issues in Contemporary Art: Copyright workshop on November 12th. We will also be offering Tax and Financial Planning for Artists on December 2nd and CLE Legal Issues in Film on January 21, 2010. For more details on these workshops and others offered by VLA, scroll down or click here. We hope to see you at the Fall Benefit! Very truly yours, Elena M. Paul, Esq. Executive Director
Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento, Esq.
Associate Director |
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Fall Benefit 2009
VLA's 40th Anniversary |
Presenting
The Arts Visionary Awards
Honoring
Peter R. Stern, Esq.
VLA's Chairman Emeritus
Jimmy Webb
Songwriter
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Sotheby's
1334 York Avenue (at 72nd Street)
New York, NY 10021
To order tickets for this event, please click here. If you have any questions, please email kkocinski@vlany.org, or contact her via phone at 212.319.2787 x18. |
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New Volunteer Attorney Orientation Upcoming Dates |
To volunteer at our clinics or take a case from our case list, VLA requires that attorneys attend a short orientation. At the orientation, important information about VLA's programs, requirements for volunteers and our administrative procedures will be covered.
All Attorneys must register for and attend a New Attorney Orientation before participating in VLA Clinics or taking on a VLA matter. Orientations are held at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium in the lobby of 1 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. For additional information or to register for a New Attorney Orientation please fill out and return this New Attorney Orientation Form. You will only be contacted if that orientation is already full. |
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Legal Issues in Contemporary Art:
Copyright |
*2.5 CLE Credits Available, 1 Professional Practice , 1 Skills and .5Ethics (transitional)
This workshop is held on Thursday, November 12, 2009, 5:30pm-8:00pm
Now more than ever, visual and performing artists need to be more aware than ever of copyright laws and the legal issues that may affect their practice and the presentation of their work. This class will focus on copyright law, with a primer on some of the more pressing legal concerns for artists today, such as the use of appropriated logos and images, fair use, as well as moral rights. This class will give an overview of a few cases that clearly illustrate the recent explosion of copyright lawsuits: Associated Press v.Shepard Fairey; Patrick Cariou v. Richard Prince; Gaylord v. United States. We will also discuss the legal issues related to blogs, websites, and website aggregators.
For more information on this class and for registration form, please click here, or you may contact Joni Todd at 212.319.2787 x10, or e-mail her at jtodd@vlany.org. |
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Forming Your For-Profit Arts Business |
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This workshop provides valuable information about starting an arts-related business. Covered issues also include: For vs. Non-Profit incorporation, fiscal sponsorship, selecting and protecting business names; the legal and tax characteristics of LLCs an publication requirements, partnerships, and type C and S corporations; choice of jurisdiction; financing your business; employees and independent contracts; and insurance.
Classes will be held on the following dates and times:
November 19, 4-6pm
December 17, 4-6pm
For more information on this class, please click here, or you may contact Joni Todd at 212.319.2787 x10, or e-mail her at jtodd@vlany.org
To register for this class, please click here. |
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Nonprofit Incorporation and Tax-Exemption Workshop |
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This workshop provides valuable information about starting a nonprofit organization. State issues to be covered include articles of incorporation, bylaws, and the first organization meeting. Federal issues include the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) and corresponding regulations, application for employer identification number, IRS disclosure rules, unrelated business taxable income, charitable contributions, and restrictions on lobbying. VLA requires all applicants seeking Nonprofit Incorporation and Tax Exempt Status services through VLA to attend one of these workshops before a volunteer attorney can be assigned to them.
Upcoming classes will be held on:
Monday, November 16, 1-4pm*
Tuesday, December 8, 1-4pm
*3.0 CLE credit (2 Professional Practice and 1 Skills, traditional format, transitional and non-transitional) is available for eligible attorneys on dates indexed with an asterisk.
For more information on this class, please click here, or you may contact Joni Todd at 212.319.2787 x10, or e-mail her at jtodd@vlany.org |
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Tax and Financial Planning for Artists |
The purpose of this workshop will be to provide freelance artists with basic financial and tax information which will allow them to take advantage of their self-employed status and to meet the challenges inherent in freelancing. Too many freelancers feel they are on a perpetual treadmill from which they can't escape. One reason is that they have their eye on their unpaid bills rather than on their cash flow and their ongoing financial picture. This class will focus on ways freelance artists can better track their income and keep track of their deductible expenses. Advice and other tax tips will be customized by freelance profession whether you are a visual artist, editor, designer or musician. This class will be taught by Susan Lee, EA, CFP® a tax and financial consultant who specializes in taxation for artists in New York City. She has a weekly personal finance show on WBAI-FM. Her website is www.freelancetaxation.com. When: December 2, 6-8 pm Where: VLA, 1 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022 (Auditorium)
Fees:
Artist (VLA member): $25
Artist (non-member): $35
To register, please complete this registration form. All registration fees are non-refundable. You will receive a confirmation email one week before the scheduled date of the class. Info or questions? Please call Caroline Gabrielli at: at 212.319.2787 x12 or cgabrielli@vlany.org. |
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Legal Issues in Film |
*2.5 CLE Credits Available, 1 Professional Practice , 1 Skills and .5Ethics (transitional)
This workshop is held on Thursday, January 21, 2010, 5 - 7:30pm
This class will provide an overview of the legal issues and common business arrangements used in film and television projects. In addition, option agreements for the acquisition of literary properties; distribution agreements and a comprehensive release for reality based television program will be discussed. We will also take a look at legal issues surrounding recent films such as Borat. Reading materials for the class will be emailed two weeks prior the class so please register before January 8th, 2010.
For more information on this class and for registration form, please click here. | |
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New VLA Member Services |
Law Firm and Corporate Members:
VLA has just developed two new opportunities for attorneys and other legal professionals, and are now available à la carte or as part of the benefits of a Corporate/Law Firm Membership at the Patron Level.
Artist, Arts Organization, and Legal Professional Members:
VLA has also just developed an additional training opportunity for attorneys and arts professionals looking to make a career transition (from legal practice to nonprofit careers).
For more information on these new programs and on becoming a law firm or corporate member, please click here (pdf version). |
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About Us
Since 1969, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts has been the leading provider of pro bono legal services and mediation, as well as educational programs, publications, and advocacy to the arts community in the New York area and beyond. As the first arts-related legal aid organization, VLA is the model for similar organizations around the world.
VLA is supported in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and through generous gifts from law firms, corporations, foundations and individuals.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
1 East 53rd Street, 6th floor
New York, New York 10022
212.319.ARTS (2787)
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Our Supporters
VLA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal service organization supported in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and through generous gifts from corporations, foundations and individuals. View a full list of foundation and government supporters here; to view a full list of law firm and corporate supporters, click here. | |
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VLA Pro-Bono Attorney of the Month
Hazel Malcolmson, Esq.
This month VLA would like to highlight Hazel Malcolmson, an associate in the corporate department at Proskauer Rose LLP. Hazel received her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 2006. Based on her prior career as a musician and love for the arts, Hazel has focused all of her pro bono work on organizations dedicated to the development and encouragement of the arts.
Two organizations Hazel has assisted through VLA are Opera Singers Initiative, Ltd. and Under the Spell Productions, Inc. Opera Singers Initiative, Ltd. is an organization formed to help support young opera singers by providing career development, performance opportunities and financial support. Hazel assisted this organization in obtaining its tax-exempt status and establishing its corporate governance structure. Hazel is a member of the Advisory Board of Opera Singers Initiative, Ltd.
Hazel is currently assisting Under the Spell Productions, Inc. in obtaining its tax-exempt status. Under the Spell Productions, Inc., is an organization dedicated to pursuing positive social change through theater which captures the common thread in our shared humanity, emphasizes the plight of women today and throughout history, and engages and educates non-traditional audiences, including women, ethnic minorities, youth under the age of approximately 25 years, and the non-theatre-going public, through dialogue on relevant social issues.
As a young attorney, the opportunity to assist pro bono clients has provided Hazel with an incredibly satisfying experience of being able to meet with clients, absorb and understand their needs and take responsibility for an entire transaction.
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VLA's New Legal Fellow
VLA welcomes our new Legal Fellow, Brittany M. Bacon, who began working with VLA this September. Brittany is a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis Law School and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame.
Prior to joining VLA, Brittany has worked as a Corporate summer associate at Fish and Richardson, P.C., a policy fellow for Senator Menendez (NJ) in Washington, D.C., and a law journalist for ABCNews.com. She is an original member and has served as the U.S. Teen Director of Teenangels, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children about the safe, legal and ethical issues surrounding use of the Internet and new social media.
When not at VLA, Brittany enjoys travelling, writing, going to the theater, and playing with her three-year-old Yorkie, Ruby. |
| Quick Links to Class Registration Forms |
With the exception of the "For-Profit Arts Business" and "Tax and Financial Planning for Artists" class, all of the classes above are available for CLE credit. |
| Financial Hardship Policy |
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Full and partial scholarships to attend VLA's Continuing Legal Education programs are available to persons with demonstrated financial hardship. To apply, applicants must submit a request, on letterhead if possible, stating the reason for their interest, proof of income or an explanation of their financial hardship, and a completed course registration form. Scholarships will be awarded on a space-available basis, with preference given to applicants in order of date submitted. For more information please view http://www.vlany.org/education/clecredit.php. |
| Ways to Get Involved and Training for Attorneys |
If you're an attorney and would like to get involved with VLA, please click here for more information on our legal services, CLE classes, mediation training, and new attorney orientation programming. |
| Legal Services |
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VLA's Legal Services program is the central focus of our activities and resources. The program includes a wide range of services including: the Art Law Line, a legal hotline; the VLA Legal Clinic for VLA members; in-house appointments with VLA staff attorneys; and pro bono placements for low-income artists and nonprofit arts organizations with one of over 1,200 volunteer attorneys.
If you are a practicing attorney, you may view the current cases available for pro bono placement by clicking here.
For more information on any of our programs please call or Ben Brandow at 212·319·ARTS (2787), ext.14
You may also call our Art Law Line at 212.319.2787 x1, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Education |
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Our Department of Education offers a wide variety of discipline-specific and general educational programs, both at its office and privately on location for law firms and art, cultural and service organizations. VLA is also certified by the New York State Bar Continuing Legal Education Board as an accredited provider of Continuing Legal Education courses and programs. Accordingly, VLA provides CLE classes at its office, and privately for law firms at their offices. VLA also custom designs courses, including CLE classes, upon request.
For more information on any of our programs please call Sérgio Muñoz Sarmiento at 212·319·ARTS (2787), ext.13. |
| VLA Library and Bookstore |
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VLA has a small but in-depth book library containing a wealth of materials and resources for artists, arts organizations, and legal professionals. Our books and materials cover diverse areas such as nonprofits, fiscal sponsorships, visual art, music, theater, dance, writing, film, internet, and digital media, all in relation to intellectual property, contracts, licensing, legal entities, free speech, employment law, and grantwriting. Access to VLA's library is free and is open to the public Monday through Friday, 12 to 6pm.
Along with providing individuals and organizations with access to the VLA's Library, VLA makes available a wide variety of books for all arts disciplines and organizations. For a list of our publications and books available for sale, please visit our list. For book prices and shipping fees, please contact VLA at our ArtLawLine at 212.319.2787, x1. |
| VLA Calendar |
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Keep up with our events, classes, workshops, and legal clinics through our calendar. | |
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