Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to protecting artists’ legal rights through pro bono legal services. MDVLA hosts workshops, one-on-one consults, and disseminates and publishes information for creative professionals on issues of copyright, small business ownership, and more.
Founded in 1985, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MdVLA) is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to protecting Maryland artists’ and arts organizations’ legal rights through pro bono legal referrals and education. Through seminars, professional development, and individual representation, MdVLA lawyers educate artists and arts organizations regarding the laws that affect them and empower them to take necessary steps to protect and profit from their work.
MdVLA’s dedication to the arts is not limited to the fine arts and clients run the gamut from rappers to opera singers, ballet dancers to puppeteers. They include individuals and non-profit organizations devoted to a wide range of creative disciplines, including musicians, sculptors, filmmakers, multi-media artists, animators, photographers, painters, actors, makers, writers, and more.
Attorneys assist artists and arts organizations in a wide variety of legal matters ranging from drafting and reviewing an assortment of contracts to copyright and trademark registration to forming 501(c)(3) non-profits. Their services foster community and economic development throughout Maryland that is firmly grounded in the promotion and support of arts and culture.
“The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation took MdVLA to the next level. Without their crucial support, we would have never been able to bring my Executive Director position to full-time status. This change, instituting the organization’s first full-time employee, enhances MdVLA's capacity to the greatest that it has ever been. That means helping more artists with their business and legal issues so that the artists can focus on what they do best, making art.” - Adam Holofcener, Esq., Executive Director, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Find out more at their website.
Links:
YouTube: An Introduction to Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Baltimore Sun: OC Boardwalk Lawsuit
MSAC Arts: Elevator Chat with Adam Holofcener
Fractured Atlas Blog: Eliminating Legal Barriers to Artistic Expression