Arts & Entertainment Pro Bono Cases
Last Updated: Thursday, March 16, 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.
Music
17872 – On Review
Client, a composer whose song has been used in a feature film without approval, seeks assistance with negotiating the payment of royalties.
Music
17920 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a composer and songwriter, seeks assistance with investigating and recovering her deceased partner’s rights in a popular song they co-wrote in 1969.
17700 – On Review
Client, the heir of her father’s music, seeks help settling a copyright issue with one of her father’s old collaborators who has re-released some of his music.
Dance
17756 – On Review
Client, a dancer, educator, and advocate for equitable practices within the dance industry, seeks assistance with recovering compensation from a dance publication company for the unauthorized use of his teaching materials on a subscription-based service.
Film/TV
17743 – On Review
Client, a filmmaker, is seeking advice regarding her legal rights to stop another filmmaker from using footage of her in his film.
17729 – On Review
Client, an actor who appeared in a 2019 commercial for a meal delivery service, seeks assistance in requesting additional compensation for the continued airing of the commercial.
17725 – On Review
Client, a graffiti artist whose work was used without permission in a film released on a streaming service, seeks assistance evaluating his legal rights and potential remedies against the filmmakers.
Literary
17878 – On Review
Client, the co-author of a cookbook, seeks representation in a breach of contract claim commenced in Civil Court (Kings County) by her former collaborator.
17795 – On Review
Client, an author, seeks assistance with removing her books from several websites, and collecting payment for any past sales.
17662
Client, an author who had ended her relationship with an online publisher in 2012, seeks assistance with preventing her former publisher from continuing to sell her book and receive outstanding royalty payments.
Music
17883
Client, a musical theater composer, seeks an attorney to resolve a dispute with former collaborators and, possibly, a theater company that produced the musical.
17700 – On Review
Client, the heir of her father’s music, seeks help settling a copyright issue with one of her father’s old collaborators who has re-released some of his music.
Photography
17936 – NEW CASE
Client, the owner of a media company, seeks an attorney to represent her in a copyright infringement lawsuit pending against her in the Southern District of New York for use of an image without the permission of the original photographer.
Visual Arts
17894 – On Review
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.
17882 – On Review
Client, a visual artist, seeks assistance with recovering payment for the unauthorized sales of reproductions of her artwork.
17856
Client, a conceptual artist, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to resolve a dispute with a public entity that is requesting the return of funds related to a public art commission.
17815
Client, a visual artist and muralist, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to pursue legal action against organizers of a joint project who are allegedly selling copies of the project without permission of the artists.
17750
Client, a visual artist, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to help him obtain a copy of video files featuring both him and his artwork.
17730 – On Review
Client, a sculptor, seeks assistance with pursuing claims against a performance company for their failure to attribute the creation of an artwork to Client, and with pursuing a world-renowned artist for wrongfully claiming copyright in the work.
Visual Arts
17747
Client, a visual artist and curator, seeks assistance with filing an application for an O-1 visa.
17947 – NEW CASE
Client seeks assistance with filing a utility patent, and possibly a design patent, for a fashion accessory. Due to a prior disclosure, a patent application must be filed before May 31, 2023.
17944 – NEW CASE
Client, the creator of an invention for dog walkers, seeks assistance with filing a nonprovisional utility patent application before April 28, 2023. Client also seeks assistance with determining whether Client should file a design patent application.
17899 – On Review
Client, the inventor of a novel appliance, seeks assistance with applying for a design patent and utility patent. Client must file a non-provisional application by July 29, 2023.
Visual
17927 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a visual artist, seeks assistance with renewing a trademark.
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