VLA acts as a powerful advocate on behalf of the arts community. Our team monitors active court cases for matters that may affect artists and arts organizations. When appropriate, we submit amicus briefs in court proceedings. VLA also makes recommendations and provides expert opinions on pending legislation that is relevant to artists and ACOs.

VLA advocated for the creation of a small claims tribunal for copyright matters as an alternative to pursuing costly copyright infringement lawsuits in federal court for more than a decade. In December 2019, the CASE Act (Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019) creating such a tribunal became law, and the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) launched in May 2022. VLA now offers classes on the CASE Act to help artists defend their copyrighted works and save money. VLA also works with our longstanding partners at Columbia Law School to supervise law students representing clients before the CCB, providing increased access to our services to artists in need while simultaneously facilitating important career development opportunities for emerging legal professionals.