Arts Law gives legal advice to artists and arts organisations across all art forms on a wide range of arts related legal and business matters. Such matters include contracts, copyright, moral rights, trade marks, business names and structures, defamation, insurance and employment.
Legal advice is free or low-cost depending on the nature of your enquiry. You may lodge a request for legal advice online using our Legal Advice Request Form. Alternatively, you can contact Arts Law by telephone during business hours (EAST) on +61 2 9356 2566. Callers outside the Sydney metropolitan area can contact us on our toll-free number by dialing 1800 221 457. Arts Law does not accept requests for legal advice by post or direct email.
Arts Law respects your rights to privacy and confidentiality. Accordingly, we will keep all information you provide to Arts Law confidential unless you give us permission to disclose information about you to a third party or we have a legal obligation to do so.
Lodge a request online using our Legal Advice Request Form.
Types of legal advice
Arts Law will deal with your enquiry as a request for Telephone Legal Advice or Document Review depending on whether giving you legal advice involves reviewing any documentation.
i. Telephone Legal Advice
If your enquiry does not involve the review of any document, an Arts Law lawyer will contact you by telephone and give you legal advice based on the instructions you have provided Arts Law administrative staff at the time you made your request for legal advice, as well as any additional information you might provide the lawyer.
The Telephone Legal Advice service is subject to Arts Law’s Legal Services Guidelines which can be viewed here as well as other policies which will be explained to you upon contacting Arts Law.
ii. Document Review
If your enquiry involves the review of any document related to your matter, for example a formal contract or an exchange of correspondence, Arts Law recommends the use of our Document Review service. Under this service, you send any document which you want explained to you to Arts Law. An Arts law lawyer (in-house or external volunteer lawyer or law firm acting on behalf of Arts Law) will then review the document and hold a review consultation with you to explain the document and provide you legal advice in relation to that document.
The Document Review service is subject to Arts Law’s Legal Services Guidelines which can be viewed here as well as other policies which will be explained to you upon contacting Arts Law;
Limits to Arts Law’s legal advice services
In some circumstances, Arts Law is unable to provide assistance even if you are generally eligible for our services. For example, Arts Law will not advise you if another party in your dispute or transaction has already contacted us for advice; or if we consider it more appropriate for your matter to be referred elsewhere. Further, Arts Law can only advise on arts-related matters.
In accordance with our mission, Arts Law operates under an “artist first” policy. As a result, Arts Law cannot unconditionally provide legal advice to organisations if doing so would later preclude us from advising the artist. In such situations Arts Law may, at our discretion, provide best practice advice under our Best Practice guidelines. View information on Best practice here.
