Serving the Creative Arts Community Since 1974

Bayview Urban Arts Festival

Amongst the backdrop of Art, Music, & Food our Urban Arts Festivals vital mission is to end all forms of slavery, especially involuntary servitude and increasing voting registration within minority communities.

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Become a member and start enjoying CLA's Member benefits

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Designing Creative Futures

Paid Internships

Accepting Applications for Spring 2024

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CLA's Video on Demand

Featuring 4-part Legal Fundamentals Video Series - FREE for Members

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California Lawyers for the Arts empowers the creative community

by providing:

EDUCATION

CLA's Educational Program offers workshops, seminars and special events throughout the state on a variety of legal and business topics that affect the creative community.

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LAWYER REFERRAL & INFORMATION SERVICES

If you are a creative artist, an arts organization, an inventor — or anyone with an arts or innovation-related legal question — California Lawyers for the Arts would like to help you find qualified legal counsel to assist with your legal matter.

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ARTS ARBITRATION & MEDIATION SERVICES

Need help resolving a dispute?
AAMS, a program of California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA), has provided alternative dispute resolution to artists and entertainers since 1980.

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Upcoming Workshops & Events

Contracts, Clearance, and Copyright for Film

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

@ ZOOM-Virtual Event

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Protect Your Artistic Creations: Legal 101 with California Lawyers for the Arts (FREE)

Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM @ ZOOM-Virtual Event

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The CLA YouTube Channel features educational workshops, seminars and events!

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CLA NEWS

During one of its last sessions for the year on September 13, the California Assembly voted to approve ACA-8, the "End Slavery in California Act," a resolution that is intended to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude from the state constitution. This measure would prohibit slavery in any form, defined to include “forced labor compelled by the use or threat of physical or legal coercion.” The resolution, which needs to be passed by 2/3rds of the members of both houses of the legislature and the voters, was introduced by AssemblyMember Lori Wilson of Solano County and announced at a press conference in February. If it is approved by the Senate in 2024, it will move to the voters for consideration as a constitutional amendment on the November, 2024 state ballot.
Since 2018, several states, including Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Vermont, Colorado, Utah and Nebraska, have led a growing movement to remove language in state constitutions that abolished slavery "except for" persons convicted of a crime. Updates are available at the website of the Abolish Slavery National Network.
With funding from the San Francisco Foundation's grant from the California Arts Council for the Bay Area Creative Corps, CLA will be presenting three Urban Arts Festivals, beginning November 11 in San Francisco, to raise awareness of this issue and encourage voter registration.
We've recently uploaded a video about our 14th annual Artistic License Awards event and an interview with our founding director, Hamish Sandison on YouTube. It was a great treat to have Hamish with us to document our origins as we continue to move forward to new horizons. Thanks to all of you for your support of our 14th annual Artistic License Awards!

Congratulations to arts education advocates who led successful efforts to pass Proposition 28 which will provide $1 billion/year to place at least one artist in every public K-12 school in California.

Voice of America distributed a video on Designing Creative Futures that profiles our intern, Carlos Vasquez, discussing his work at the Robey Theatre in Los Angeles.

CLA Executive Director Alma Robinson was recently interviewed on the topic of "Lawyers for System Impacted Artists" by Rashida Ricketts for her Graves to Gardens Podcast.

He wants to Kick Jim Crow Out of the California Constitution - Los Angeles Times

Young Counsel 'love' for pro-bono helps firms train and retain, Managing IP article featuring CLA's California Inventors Assistance Program that benefits not only the client but the lawyers who take on the cases too!

Resources

The National Endowment for the Arts has developed a toolkit for people with disabilities seeking careers in the arts. Designed for performers, visual artists, teaching artists, cultural workers, administrators and more, the toolkit will help disabled artists access career opportunities.

Learn More HERE

Arts In Corrections Tool Kits

These Tool Kits have been assembled to provide the arts in corrections field with useful documents for program development, delivery and evaluation.

DOWNLOAD HERE

The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 (“CASE Act”) establishes a new forum for copyright small claims. Passed in 2020, the CASE Act marks a potentially significant shift in how copyright claims are disputed and resolved. This toolkit was created to compile information regarding the CASE Act. Specifically, the aim of this toolkit is to provide readers information aboutthe Act, its mechanisms, and list resources for further exploration.

DOWNLOAD HERE

CLA's Life After AB5 Toolkit describes the legal background of the AB5 law and various options that employers and the artists they work with can consider going forward. The newest edition incorporates the latest state legislative amendments.

DOWNLOAD HERE

How AB5 has instilled fear and confusion in the California Arts Community, Los Angeles Times article featuring comments from CLA Board Member M.J. Bogatin

CLA by The Numbers

July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023

In our 47th Fiscal Year

CLA Members

630

Received Legal Assistance from the LRIS Service

267

Attended Educational Programs

932

Participated in Alternative Dispute Resolution Services

3118

Received Mediation Training

Youth Trained as Peer Mediators

169

Deserving Teens Placed in Arts Internships

State Prison Residents That Participated in Arts Classes

112

Attended CLA Speakers' Bureau Events

Formerly Incarcerated Persons Placed In Arts Internships

California Lawyers for the Arts is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit and your donation is tax deductible as a charitable contribution to the fullest extent of the law. State Bar LRS Certificate #0021.

MCLE Provider # 1248.

The information provided on this website is not legal advice. You should consult with an attorney for individual advice regarding your legal matters.

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