Arts & Entertainment Pro Bono Cases
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 27, 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.
CONTRACT
Fashion
10494 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a fashion designer, seeks assistance with drafting an idea submission agreement and writing the final communication to a clothing brand that allegedly used designs she had prepared for a job interview.
Film/TV
10492 – On Review
Client, a screenwriter, seeks assistance with drafting an option agreement to adapt a book into a television series.
COPYRIGHT
Music
8785
Client, a songwriter, seeks assistance with registering a parody song with the Copyright Office.
DISPUTES
Design
10298 – On Review
Client, an architectural designer, seeks assistance with obtaining credit and compensation for illustrations that were used without authorization.
Fashion
9701 – On Review
Client, a fashion industry professional, seeks assistance with recovering a venue deposit in Small Claims Court.
9482 – NEW CASE
Client, a costume tailor, seeks assistance with recovering payment for a freelance job that was canceled.
Film/TV
10912 – On Review
Client, the founder of a documentary film production company, seeks representation in a breach of contract case pending in New York City Small Claims Court. An appearance is scheduled for December 13, 2023. Client also seeks assistance with resolving a dispute over ownership of a series pilot.
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 – On Review
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.
Literary
1501 – NEW CASE
Client, an author, seeks assistance with responding to a copyright infringement demand letter.
Music
10285 – On Review
Client, an opera singer who practices in her apartment, seeks assistance with drafting a letter to her landlord in response to noise complaints.
7586
Client, a musician, seeks assistance with pursuing damages for a recording label’s termination of an exclusive recording agreement.
Performance
9545 – On Review
Client, a former radio show host, seeks assistance with recovering original tapes from a New York-based media organization.
Photography
10363
Client, the spouse of a deceased photographer, seeks assistance with the removal of images from an online archive.
Theater
10411 – On Review
Client, the former artistic director of a theater, seeks assistance with responding to a cease and desist letter.
9572
Client, the casting director for an off-Broadway play, seeks assistance with resolving a breach of contract dispute with a producer.
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, along with the artists engaged to create the musical from her original work.
1344
Client, a musician involved in a musical theatre production, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to respond to a cease and desist letter from a producer.
Visual Arts
10476 – On Review
Client, a visual artist, seeks a volunteer attorney to draft a demand letter to recover artwork loaned to an auto body shop.
10412
Client, an art educator, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to resolve a dispute related to a grant that was not approved.
10389
Client, a visual artist, seeks assistance regaining possession of his paintings and disputing charges a framing company has imposed for repairing damage to the frames that they made prior to the initial delivery.
9741
Client, a sculptor, seeks assistance with recovering out-of-pocket costs from an agency that commissioned a public work.
9647
Client, a comic book illustrator, seeks assistance with recovering unpaid royalties from two former employers.
9272 – 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.
1479
Client, a visual artist who submitted a proposal for a public art project, seeks assistance with pursuing a copyright infringement claim.
1368 – On Review
Client, a photographer, seeks assistance with a copyright infringement claim for the unauthorized use of his photograph in a television documentary.
IMMIGRATION
MEDIATION
Literary
10717 – On Review
Client, a professional association of writers, seeks a volunteer attorney to represent them in a mediation with the organization’s management company.
Film/TV
10547
Client, a film director and editor, seeks a volunteer attorney to represent her at a mediation related to a dispute over film rights and monetary compensation.
NON-PROFIT
PATENT
9643
Client seeks assistance with applying for a patent related to a nursing product for new mothers.
7943
Client seeks assistance with filing a non-provisional patent application for a software platform.
1282
Client seeks assistance with filing a patent application for an architectural invention.
1182
Client seeks assistance with filing a patent application for a medical device.
TRADEMARK
Dance
10783 – NEW CASE – On Review
Client, a well-known figure from 1970s underground ballroom culture in New York City, seeks assistance with applying for a trademark for their performer name.
1449 – On Review
Client, a social dance organizer, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to resolve a dispute over the use of a business name and logo.
WILLS, TRUSTS, AND ESTATES
Literary
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.
10774 – NEW CASE
Client seeks a trust and estates attorney to assist with the administration of the estate of an author who died intestate in Rockland County.
Music
10782 – On Review
Client, the sister and sole heir of a deceased songwriter with two hits in the 1950s, seeks the assistance of a volunteer attorney to apply for letters of administration.
Visual Arts
10945 – On Review
Client, a seasoned visual artist, seeks assistance with drafting a will, living will, healthcare proxy, and power of attorney.
10511
Client, a digital artist, and his wife, a comedian, are seeking assistance revising their wills, health care proxies, and other relevant documents.
9846
Client, an interdisciplinary visual artist, seeks assistance with creating a trust for the disposition of his real and personal property.
1513 – NEW CASE
Client, a mixed media artist with a focus on photography, seeks assistance with creating a trust and drafting a will, living will, power of attorney, healthcare proxy, and other relevant documents.
1236 – NEW CASE
Client and her husband, both visual artists, seek the assistance of a volunteer attorney to draft their wills, living wills, healthcare proxies, powers of attorney, and if advisable, to form trusts for their artwork.
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