Legal Assistance To Artists

HARTFORD — The Connecticut Commission on the Arts announces the start of its 22nd year of offering free legal assistance to artists and arts organizations through the Connecticut Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (CTVLA) program. CTVLA matches artists and cultural organization representatives with attorneys who provide legal services at no charge.

CTVLA is a cooperative project of the Commission on the Arts and the Hartford-based law firm Sorokin, Gross & Hyde, P.C. Eligibility for CTVLA services is determined by income level and requires that the legal matter for which assistance is sought be directly related to the arts activities of the organization or individual artist.

Typical matters which CTVLA attorneys handle include non-profit incorporation, copyright issues, federal tax exemption and contract review. CTVLA also offers speakers for conferences, workshops and seminars.

Artists and cultural organizations seeking help with legal matters should contact Carolyn Flynn, who currently serves as CTVLA intern. Ms Flynn will answer questions with assistance from staff attorneys at Sorokin, Gross and Hyde, and initiate the procedures through which pro bono legal services may be obtained.

Ms Flynn can be reached at the Commission on the Arts’ office at 860/566-4770 on Mondays from 8 to 11 am and on Thursdays from 1 to 4 pm. Written requests may be mailed to Carolyn Flynn, CTVLA Program, Connecticut Commission on the Arts, 1 Financial Plaza, Hartford, CT 06103.