VLAA - Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Pro bono legal services connecting artists with volunteer entertainment attorneys
Overview
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts provides free and low-cost legal services to artists and arts organizations who cannot afford traditional legal representation. The organization connects performing artists, including actors, with volunteer attorneys who specialize in entertainment and arts law.
Services include contract review, intellectual property guidance, nonprofit formation assistance, and general legal consultations. VLAA attorneys volunteer their time and expertise, making professional legal advice accessible to artists at every income level.
How It Works
VLAA and its affiliated organizations operate in multiple cities across the United States. They have helped thousands of artists navigate legal challenges that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive to address through traditional channels.
Services are provided free of charge or at significantly reduced rates based on the artist's income. Eligibility requirements vary by location, but the organization generally serves artists who meet certain income thresholds.
Who Uses It
An invaluable resource for actors who need legal guidance but cannot afford a private entertainment attorney. Contact VLAA early when a legal question arises, as volunteer attorney availability may require some lead time to arrange. The national network of more than 20 Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts programs across the country means that regardless of your geographic location, there is likely a VLA affiliate serving your region with attorneys who understand both arts law and the financial realities facing working artists. VLAA also hosts educational workshops throughout the year covering common legal topics for artists, providing preventive knowledge that can help you avoid legal problems before they arise.
Pricing & Plans
VLAA services are provided free of charge or at significantly reduced rates, with eligibility typically determined by income thresholds that vary by program location. The St. Louis-based VLAA at vlaa.org provides free legal and accounting assistance to qualifying artists, while affiliated programs in other cities maintain their own eligibility criteria and service offerings. There is no fee to apply for assistance or to attend most educational programs and workshops, making the initial access to legal guidance completely cost-free. For artists who do not meet the income eligibility requirements for free service, many VLA programs offer referrals to entertainment attorneys willing to work at reduced rates, typically 25 to 50 percent below standard market rates. By comparison, a private entertainment attorney in a major market charges $250 to $500 per hour, making VLAA's free services potentially worth thousands of dollars in legal fees for qualifying artists. The volunteer-based model means that the legal services you receive are provided by attorneys who have chosen to donate their time and expertise to the arts community, which often results in genuinely invested counsel from lawyers who care about creative professionals.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
The most significant strength of VLAA is that it provides genuine, professional legal counsel to artists who would otherwise have no access to entertainment law expertise, addressing a critical gap in legal services for the creative community. The attorneys who volunteer through VLAA programs are vetted professionals who practice in relevant areas of law including contract review, intellectual property, nonprofit formation, and business structuring, ensuring that the advice you receive is substantively comparable to what a paid attorney would provide. The national network of over 20 affiliated VLA programs means that actors in many cities have access to local legal resources staffed by attorneys familiar with the legal landscape of their specific state and jurisdiction. Beyond individual legal consultations, VLAA organizations offer educational programming including workshops, clinics, and seminars on topics like contract basics, copyright protection, and business formation for artists, which provide broader legal literacy that benefits your entire career. The inclusion of accounting assistance at some VLA locations, particularly the St. Louis-based VLAA, adds a financial advisory dimension that other legal aid programs do not typically offer, helping artists with both legal and financial planning. VLAA's decades of service to the arts community have built deep institutional knowledge about the specific legal challenges performing artists face, from unfair contracts to wage theft on non-union productions.
What Could Be Better
The volunteer-based model that makes VLAA accessible also creates its primary limitation: attorney availability is dependent on volunteers donating their time, which means wait times for a consultation can range from several days to several weeks, making VLAA unsuitable for urgent legal matters that require immediate attention. The scope of free services is necessarily limited, and while VLAA attorneys can review contracts and provide guidance, they may not be available for extended representation in complex matters like litigation, prolonged negotiations, or ongoing business advisory work. Income eligibility requirements can exclude actors in a frustrating middle ground who earn too much to qualify for free services but not enough to comfortably afford private attorney rates, leaving them underserved. The quality and breadth of services varies significantly between VLA affiliates in different cities, with programs in major arts centers like New York and Los Angeles offering more comprehensive services than smaller programs that may be staffed by fewer volunteers with less entertainment-specific expertise. Geographic limitations mean that actors in areas without a nearby VLA affiliate may have difficulty accessing services, as most programs require either in-person consultations or residency within their service area. The volunteer attorneys, while generous with their time, may not specialize specifically in entertainment law, meaning the contract review or legal advice you receive could come from a lawyer whose primary practice is in a different area and who applies general legal principles rather than entertainment-industry-specific knowledge.
Our Recommendation
VLAA is an essential resource for actors earning below the income thresholds established by their local program, providing access to legal expertise that would otherwise be financially out of reach. If you are a newer actor signing your first representation agreement, booking your first non-union production contract, or forming a business entity for your acting career, VLAA can provide the foundational legal guidance you need at no cost. However, if you have an urgent legal matter such as a contract with a tight signing deadline or a dispute that requires immediate legal intervention, VLAA's volunteer-dependent timeline may not accommodate your needs, and you should seek a paid attorney or contact your union's legal resources instead. For actors who earn above VLAA's income thresholds, the organization may still be able to provide referrals to entertainment attorneys willing to work at reduced rates, so it is worth reaching out even if you suspect you may not qualify for free services. If you are in a market without a nearby VLA affiliate, check whether the nearest program offers remote consultations, as some have expanded their service delivery to accommodate artists outside their immediate geographic area. Actors who have used VLAA successfully should consider giving back by spreading awareness about the organization within their creative communities, as many eligible artists are not aware that free legal services exist for performers.
Pro Tips
Contact your nearest VLA affiliate as soon as a legal question arises rather than waiting until the matter becomes urgent, as the volunteer matching process takes time and early outreach gives the program the best chance of connecting you with an appropriate attorney before any deadlines pass. Before your consultation, prepare all relevant documents including the contract you need reviewed, any correspondence related to the legal matter, and a timeline of events, as organized preparation allows the volunteer attorney to provide the most effective guidance within the limited consultation time. Be honest about your income and financial situation during the eligibility screening, as VLA programs are designed to serve artists who genuinely cannot afford private legal counsel, and misrepresenting your circumstances takes resources away from those who need them most. Use VLAA's educational workshops and legal clinics even when you do not have an active legal question, as building legal literacy helps you identify issues early and avoid problems that would later require attorney intervention. Ask your VLA attorney for written summaries of their advice and any recommended next steps, as having documentation of the legal guidance you received helps you implement it accurately and provides a reference for future situations. Maintain a list of VLA affiliates in cities where you frequently work, as actors who travel for productions in different states may need local legal guidance, and knowing which VLA programs serve those areas ensures you have a resource available when working on location.