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Lawyers for Aboriginal Artists

Are you an artist who has been taken advantage of? Have you lost income because of unauthorized copying and selling of your art? You need legal advice to protect your artistic endeavours. Lawyers for Aboriginal Artists can help. Lawyers for Aboriginal Artists is a partnership between Pro Bono Law Ontario, the law firm Gowling LaFleur Henderson, LLP, and a number of legal clinics including the Community Legal Clinic (Simcoe, Haliburton & Kawartha Lakes). It is designed to support low-income Aboriginal artists by providing free legal advice and services relating to copyright protection, contract review and incorporation.

Recognizing the need for legal representation among low-income Aboriginal artists, Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO) wanted to connect these artists with lawyers who provide pro bono (free) legal services to persons of limited means. To achieve this, PBLO enlisted the help of Gowling LaFleur Henderson (Gowlings), a Toronto-based law firm with a tradition of providing pro bono legal services to those who are unable to access legal representation. Specifically, PBLO approached the firm's renowned department of intellectual property law to enlist their legal expertise for the Aboriginal artists and the legal clinics that serve them.

Gowlings' intellectual property law department provides assistance with:

• Copyright review;
• Contract review and negotiations;
• Incorporation;
• Sponsorship agreements;
• Commercial lease reviews (for studio and gallery spaces).

The firm has been working with Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto since November 2003, and has recently branched out to work with the Community Legal Clinic (Simcoe, Haliburton & Kawartha Lakes). The Community Legal Clinic services Simcoe County, Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes, however, we are co-ordinating this project on behalf of the entire Central East Region which includes Muskoka, Peterborough, Durham, York and Northumberland.

Although the project is based in Toronto, the lawyers are happy to work with clients by telephone, fax and email. If you would like further information about this project, please contact Jody Maltby, Project Administrator at 1-800-461-8953, ext. 31 or at maltybj@lao.on.ca