The VLA serves Massachusetts- and Connecticut-based individual artists, arts nonprofits, and other arts and cultural organizations in civil, non-criminal legal matters. The VLA serves artists of all disciplines, including visual artists, musicians, writers, and performance artists.
Additionally, through the Patent Pro Bono Program of New England, the VLA serves low-income, independent inventors in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Based on the information in your application, the VLA will determine if your legal issue can be addressed by the A&BC office directly or whether it is more appropriate to refer you to a VLA panel attorney. Emails are sent every two weeks to the panel of attorneys, and cases are typically placed within 2-3 weeks. While the VLA will do its best to place urgent matters, we may not be able to provide urgent assistance due to the volunteer nature of our panel. Please note that we cannot guarantee an attorney will be located for your matter.
If you are eligible for free legal services, the VLA will attempt to refer you to a volunteer attorney. If it is determined that you are not eligible for free legal services, the VLA will refer you to a VLA Member Attorney. Our Member Attorneys are lawyers dedicated to assisting artists and arts organizations, and thus are often willing to negotiate their fees.
Though we try to refer every case, we cannot guarantee that we will find a lawyer to take your case. Depending upon the nature of your question/problem, you should expect to hear from us within approximately two weeks from the date your application is submitted.
Boston Art Review Reports on Artist Live-Work Space in Boston
The spring/summer 2022 edition of the Boston Art Review is out, and it includes a fantastic feature by Anita Morson-Matra, “Real Talk," that focuses on the state of live-work spaces for artists in Boston. Anita…
Preserving 350 Artist Spaces in Lowell
The Arts & Business Council is delighted to announce the preservation of Western Avenue | Studio & Lofts, a vibrant artist community in Lowell, Massachusetts, through purchase of the property as the next phase of…
Available Grants from Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation
Our partners at Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation have two new grant programs available to help small businesses continue to recover from the pandemic. While not all of the artists and arts organizations we work with…
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