General Information

Mission

Founded in 1976, Washington Lawyers for the Arts (WLA) is a nonprofit service organization dedicated to supporting the arts in Washington state by creating alliances and making legal resources accessible to artists and arts organizations of all disciplines. ::top

Philosophy

Washington Lawyers for the Arts supports the work of artists, whose work enriches the quality of life in the state and strengthens the arts community. The philosophy of this service organization is to establish a bridge between the arts and legal communities so that artists and arts organizations are better able to handle the legal and business aspects of their careers. As the legal profession focuses attention on the unique challenges affecting the arts community, the law will become more responsive to the needs of the artists. The organization is committed to providing preventive education and advocates in the arts community. ::top

Programs

Washington Lawyers for the Arts' clients are individual artists and arts organizations working in all disciplines including the performing, literary, media, visual, and interdisciplinary arts. In most cases, artists and arts organizations seek our services because they are operating on a very limited budget and cannot afford to secure the services of an attorney. In addition, artists and arts organizations seek specialized legal expertise on topics, which are not available through the neighborhood legal clinics offered by other organizations such as the King County Bar Association, or Columbia Legal Services. Washington Lawyers for the Arts offers three programs, the Arts Legal Clinic, Speakers Bureau and Legal Arts Workshops; each is available at a very low cost throughout the year. ::top

Resources: Volunteers

Attorneys specializing in intellectual property, tax, corporate and arts and entertainment law donate their time and expertise to the Arts Legal Clinic. For these attorneys, volunteering for WLA is a meaningful opportunity to directly support the artists' investments of time and money. Many of these lawyers nurture their own artistic passions, and are eager to offer services that would not be easily accessible or affordable to artists. ::top

Audience

Washington Lawyers for the Arts services and programs are unique in Washington state and respond to a great need identified by the arts agencies and organizations. The primary audiences are individual artists and arts organizations of all disciplines. Approximately two-thirds of all WLA's clients fall below the federal poverty guidelines as established by the Legal Services Corporation. Artists and writers often require special legal expertise unavailable in the neighborhood legal clinics offered by other organizations such as the King County Bar Association, or the Columbia Legal Services. ::top

Legal needs

The legal issues surrounding the livelihood of artists requires the specialized knowledge of intellectual property law, the entertainment industries and related contracts. Artists seek legal assistance on available remedies in many contexts, such as an infringement case, preventing conflicts which arise when contract and copyright issues are overlooked, and negotiating a fair contract for a movie, music or book which will one day become part of our culture, school curriculum or computer databases. In addition, the creation of art works often relies on a collaborative relationship - one that is unlikely to survive an antagonistic battle caused by an imprecise or incomplete contract; an imbalance of power and/or financial resources between parties; or any other source of conflict. ::top