Arts Arbitration & Mediation Services
Need AAMS assistance? Click on the online request form below
What is Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services (AAMS)?
AAMS, a program of California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA), has provided alternative dispute resolution to artists and entertainers since 1980.
It was the first alternative dispute resolution program in the country to specifically tailor its services for the arts and entertainment communities, as a natural extension of the organization’s mission to provide preventative education and appropriate means of self help for artists, who often become involved in business arrangements without being fully informed of the legal consequences.
Recurring themes include the emotional issues involved with the content of artistic work, credit for work performed and the factors contributing to the production of the work
While disputes with AAMS are generally arts-related, the organization’s volunteer mediators have helped parties resolve many types of disputes, including:
- Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright Ownership, Trade Secret
- Payment or Credit for Work Provided/Performed
- Damaged Artwork or Return of Artwork
- Collaboration or Partnership
- Contract or Fee Collection
- Landlord-Tenant and Real Estate
- Family Law, Co-Parenting, and Separation Issues
Contact Your Local Office:
- SF Bay Area, 510-990-6030 (all arbitrations handled by LA office)
- Los Angeles, 310-207-0001
- Sacramento, 916-441-7979
Interested in joining our volunteer mediator and arbitrator panel?
All prospective mediator panelists must fill out an online questionnaire, or downloaded a paper version in Word or PDF format. Send your application questionnaire and a resume to:
- San Francisco Bay Area mediator panel, please send the questionnaire by email.
- Sacramento Area mediator panel please send the questionnaire by email.
- Southern California Area panel please send the questionnaire by email.
Please see our events calendar for upcoming AAMS trainings.
AAMS staff are neutral and cannot give legal advice. Also, they cannot review completed arbitration forms for accuracy. If you wish to arrange a consultation with an attorney, you may contact the Lawyer Referral Service of California Lawyers for the Arts at 888-775-8995.
These Services Are Made Possible in Part Through Support from the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and the California Dispute Resolution Programs Act.