March 27, 2019 - International law firm Proskauer is proud to announce that Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) is honoring the Firm with the VLA Founders Award. Proskauer lawyers played an instrumental role in the founding of VLA, a nonprofit legal services organization dedicated to supporting New York artists and its arts and cultural organizations.
This year, VLA is hosting a gala in honor of its 50th anniversary. The Gala will take place on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at CAPITALE in celebration of the achievements of the volunteer lawyers, VLA and VLA staff in preserving and protecting the New York arts community for the last 50 years. The event will feature a special performance by acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and author Twyla Tharp, a former VLA client, as well as a silent auction.
In 1969, Paul H. Epstein, a now-retired Proskauer partner, helped to found VLA with fellow lawyers at Proskauer. Serving as the organization’s first president, he rallied lawyers from New York City’s large law firms to create a network of volunteers providing free legal services to artists and cultural organizations unable to afford for-fee lawyers. Striving to ensure fair business practices for artists, VLA was built on a passion for protecting the local arts community. For the following decades, Proskauer lawyers have served on the VLA Board of Directors and dedicated countless pro bono hours to the cause.
Today, VLA is the leading legal aid and education organization dedicated to protecting the livelihood, business, and creative works of artists, arts and cultural organizations in New York through access to pro-bono legal representation and focused education programs for both artists and lawyers.
Proskauer lawyers reflect on their experience with VLA in a recent For Good blog post. For more information on VLA’s 50th anniversary, and the organization’s services and programs, visit www.vlany.org.