Free Legal Resources for Artists
While The Lit Esquire PLLC strives to provide affordable legal services to artists, we also acknowledge that sometimes even “affordable” is not in your budget. That’s why we put together this list of organizations offering pro-bono or low-cost legal services to artists. We will update this list as we learn of more options and if you know of any free options we can list here, please email us at info@thelitesquirepllc.com
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Located in New York City, VLA offers free and low-cost legal services to New York aritsts and cultural organizations. You can request legal services directly on their website and they also offer various workshops and classes to help further your education.
Lawyers for the Creative Arts. Located in Chicago, Illinois, LCA is a pro-bono legal organization that is expert in all areas of the arts. They serve mostly Illinois based artists but any one can apply.
The Dramatists Guild. The trade organization for playwrights, composers, librettists and lyricists. While I am biased in that I serve as the Guild’s Director of Business Affairs, they offer incredible legal and business services for their members, including access to the BA helpdesk where you can submit questions and receive general business and legal advice from licensed attorneys. The BA team also reviews any unsigned contracts.
The Author’s Guild. The USA’s largest and oldest professional organization of writers. The Author’s Guild primarily focuses on freelance writers and novelists (as opposed to dramatists that the Dramatists Guild was formed to help) and provides free legal services, including contract review and advice on legal principles and standard business practices.
The Filmmakers Legal Clinic at Cardozo School of Law. Again, I am biased in that this is a clinic I did while at Cardozo, the services it provides are incredible for independent filmmakers. Focusing on filmmakers creating films that move the social justice needle forward, the clinic offers free legal services to its clients via law students working under the supervision of a licensed attorney. You can apply via the link below.
Arts, Sports & Entertainment Law Clinic at Penn State Law. Speaking of legal clinics in law schools. Penn State Law offers legal advice and services to clients in the arts, entertainment or sports industries free of charge via law students working under supervision of a licensed attorney.
The Transactional Law Clinics (TLC) at Harvard Law School. To round out the list of legal clinics for artists provided by law school, let me introduce you to the Transactional Law Clinics at Harvard Law, which include the Entertainment Law Clinic, offering legal assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs on various matters including business formation to contract review to intellectual property matters.
The City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project. Sponsored by the NYC Bar Association, NELP offers free legal support to small entrepreneurs with limited economic means. The focus is on communities that have been traditionally disenfranchised.
Lawyers Alliance for New York. Provides pro-bono and low-cost legal services for non-profit organizations that are improving the quality of life in NYC neighborhoods, including non-profit arts organizations.
