Arts & Entertainment Pro Bono Cases
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with VLA by taking on a pro bono case! If you have not yet attended a New Attorney Orientation, please click here for more information about volunteering with VLA.
Some cases may be on review with another attorney. As one case can only be on review with one attorney at a time, cases marked as “On Review” are not currently available. However, these cases may return to the list if not accepted by the reviewing attorney, so please indicate your interest so that your name may be added to the queue in the event the case becomes available.
To request a case, please email Emma Frean at probono@vlany.org. Please indicate the case number in the email subject line.
Receive CLE credit for pro bono work
VLA is approved to provide CLE credit to attorneys who provide pro bono legal services through our organization. Eligible pro bono activity is limited to legal services performed within New York State to clients unable to afford counsel, and is not available to attorneys volunteering at a clinic.
Credit for pro bono legal services shall be awarded in the following ratio: one (1) CLE credit for every 120 minutes of eligible pro bono legal service. A maximum of ten (10) pro bono CLE credits may be earned during any biennial reporting cycle.
Newly admitted New York attorneys may earn pro bono CLE credit only for the purpose of carrying over those credits to the following biennial reporting cycle, in partial fulfillment of the pro bono requirement for experienced attorneys.
Film/TV
10213
Client, a student filmmaker, seeks assistance with drafting an option agreement for a collection of short stories.
1161
Client, a company running an online actors workshop, seeks assistance with drafting terms of use, a code of conduct, and a release for its acting students.
Literary
1434 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a student author, seeks assistance with drafting a contract with an illustrator.
Photography
10290 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a wedding photographer, seeks a volunteer attorney to redraft a services agreement.
Literary
10170
Client, the illustrator of an out-of-print sticker book, needs the assistance of a volunteer attorney to review and redraft a letter of reversion of rights.
Music
8081 – NEW CASE
Client, the author of a multimedia presentation, seeks advice on whether he will need to license music and images.
Film
10011
Client, an independent film and television production company, seeks assistance with claiming credit and compensation for the development and pitch of a television project.
7565
Client, a documentary filmmaker, seeks the assistance of a litigator to resolve a dispute arising in the termination of a business relationship with two other filmmakers.
1296 – On Review
Client, a former student filmmaker, seeks advice regarding how to respond to a letter from his alma mater/former employer accusing him of the unauthorized use of film footage he shot when he was a student freelancer and later employee at his college.
1091
Client, a student filmmaker, seeks assistance with resolving a dispute with an actor who is trying to claim ownership in the film.
Literary
9719
Client, a consultant who ended her relationship with an online publisher in 2012, seeks assistance with recovering outstanding royalty payments, and with preventing her former publisher from continuing to sell her book.
1384
Client, the author of a young adult novel, seeks an attorney to represent her in a dispute over an option agreement with a theater producer.
Music
9471
Client, a musician who created foundational hip hop hits in the 1980s seeks assistance with pursuing copyright infringement claims for ongoing use of Client’s music by a music producer.
7586
Client, a musician, seeks assistance with pursuing damages for a recording label’s termination of an exclusive recording agreement.
9020
Client, a musician and singer-songwriter, seeks the assistance of a volunteer litigator to enforce a judgment for damages awarded in a fee-related dispute.
Performance
9545
Client, a former radio show host, seeks assistance with recovering original tapes from a New York-based media organization.
1414 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a model, seeks assistance with recovering payment for the use of his image beyond the term of the agreement.
Theater
10233 – On Review
Client, a musical theater composer, seeks an attorney to resolve a dispute with former collaborators and, possibly, a theater company that produced the musical.
9717 – NEW CASE
Client, a consultant who was hired to work on an immersive art project, seeks assistance with recovering payment for services.
1384
Client, the author of a young adult novel, seeks an attorney to represent her in a dispute over an option agreement with a theater producer.
Visual Arts
10192
Client, a photographer, seeks assistance with commencing a copyright infringement claim in federal court against a New York artist who replicated her photograph as a painting. A claim was filed with the Copyright Claims Board and the defendant opted out.
10012
Client, a visual artist whose artwork was damaged by a flood at a museum, seeks assistance with obtaining compensation for the damage. [Note: a Spanish-speaking attorney is preferred.]
9647 – On Review
Client, a comic book illustrator, seeks assistance with recovering unpaid royalties from two former employers.
9741 – On Review
Client, a sculptor, seeks assistance with recovering out-of-pocket costs from an agency that commissioned a public work.
9272
Client, a visual artist who designed and painted a Black Lives Matter mural, seeks the assistance of a litigator to resolve a claim for breach of contract and violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act.
1479
Client, a visual artist who submitted a proposal for a public art project, seeks assistance with pursuing a copyright infringement claim.
1101 – NEW CASE
Client, a sculptor, seeks the assistance of a volunteer litigator to represent him in a breach of contract matter pending in the Civil Court of the City of New York. Client has a hearing on October 12, 2023.
Visual Arts
6886
Client, a visual artist and curator, seeks assistance with filing an application for an O-1 visa. Client’s current visa expires on November 27, 2023.
Theater
1064 – NEW CASE
Client, a not-for-profit theater company, seeks assistance with dissolving the organization. Client will need an American Sign Language interpreter.
17260 – NEW CASE
Client, a Queens-based organization that is dedicated to creating intimate theatrical experiences, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to form a not-for-profit entity, apply for tax-exempt status, and draft foundational documents.
10362 – NEW CASE
Client, a theatrical organization, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to form a not-for-profit entity, apply for tax-exempt status, and draft foundational documents.
7943 – NEW CASE
Client seeks assistance with filing a non-provisional patent application for a software platform.
1182 – NEW CASE
Client seeks assistance with filing a patent application for a medical device. A non-provisional patent application must be filed before July 27, 2023.
Music
1112 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a musician, seeks assistance with filing a trademark renewal application.
Visual Arts
1289 – NEW CASE – On Review
Clients, visual artists who are publishing art books, seek assistance with registering a trademark for the name and logo for their company.
Film/TV
1502
Client, the widow of a writer and actor, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to help probate her late husband’s will and obtain rights in his literary works.
Visual Arts
9846 – On Review
Client, an interdisciplinary visual artist, seeks assistance with creating a trust for the disposition of his real and personal property.
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