Legal Clinic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

CLINICS AND LEGAL SERVICES

Q. Who can book an appointment at the clinic?

The Clinic is open to low income artists in all disciplines with legal questions related to art, entertainment, business, and copyright issues.

Q. What questions can I ask at the clinic?

All issues discussed must be related to your artistic discipline. Questions about the following matters are common:

  • Contracts

  • Copyright

  • Defamation

Q. What questions can’t the clinic answer?

We cannot answer questions about a family law issue, tax, criminal law or another question unrelated to the pursuit of your artistic practice. But Access ProBono is a free service that can and will answer such questions.

If you aren’t sure whether you qualify for advice, simply complete and submit an intake form. Our clinic volunteers will review it and let you know whether it can be addressed at our clinic or not.

Q. My question can’t be answered at the clinic. What do I do?

We can provide a referral to anyone who has questions in areas of law not handled at the clinic, or questions that are too complicated to be handled in a 30-minute summary advice session. Alternatively, you can contact Access ProBono to seek support.

Q. What information will I get at a clinic?

The lawyer will answer your questions based on the facts you describe and his or her knowledge in that particular area of law. The answer given will be summary legal advice.

Q. What is summary legal advice?

Summary legal advice is a legal answer that is general in nature and qualified. The lawyer cannot provide more specific advice because he or she has not done any lengthy background research on your particular situation.

Q. How do I book an appointment?

Complete an intake form with as many details about your legal issue as possible. You must be a low income artist with a legal issue in a relevant field to qualify for services.  Your eligibility as a low income artists will be evaluated by the legal supervisor based on a means test.  If you require assistance to complete the intake form, please contact our office, and we will be happy to assist you.

Q. What is the means test?

Artists are eligible for the PLEO’s legal clinic services if they receive an annual income of less than $40,000 through their art.

Q. I’ve sent in my intake form. Now what do I do?

We will respond to your inquiry as soon as we can. This service is made possible thanks to the dedicated work of our legal team, volunteer lawyers and law students, so response times may vary. We thank you for your patience. If you think your request might be out of our scope, or you need a response immediately, here are some resources that you may find helpful:

Q. What should I bring to my appointment? Do I need to prepare for it?

Please make sure to have any documents that relate to your legal question with you for the lawyer to review. We encourage you to come prepared with writing materials if you want to take notes. If you want to do some preparation work before your appointment, you can check out our Legal Resource Library.

Q. When is the clinic held? When is my appointment?

The clinic is held on Tuesday nights, between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM, by appointment only. A volunteer will contact you with your specific appointment date and time after your intake form has been reviewed. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Best efforts are made to match artists in particular disciplines with lawyers who have expertise in that area.

Q. How long is my appointment?

Each appointment is 30 minutes long.

Q. Where is my appointment?

Appointments are currently all held virtually via Zoom. You may either phone in through a telephone, or connect through a mobile or computer device. If using a computer or handheld device, we recommend ensuring you have the newest version of Zoom downloaded onto your device prior to your appointment.

Q. Who will be at my appointment?

Each appointment is private and confidential between you and a lawyer. One of the clinic volunteer law students might observe the session. All volunteers are bound by the same duties of privacy and confidentiality.

Q. How much does an appointment cost?

Clinic appointments are 100% free.

Q. I attended a clinic and now I have more questions. What do I do?

To book a follow-up session on the same, new or related legal issue, complete a new intake form. If you would like to follow-up with the same lawyer, please indicate this on your intake form. Best efforts will be made to accommodate your request. Please be aware that it may take more time to schedule the same lawyer for you and we might be unable to do so.

Q. Why do you need the names of all the people involved in my legal issue?

The names of any people, organizations or businesses related to your legal issue are given to the lawyer scheduled to meet with you. Before your appointment takes place, the lawyer runs those names through a conflicts check.

Q. What is a conflicts check?

When a lawyer starts practicing law, he or she promises to give undivided loyalty to every client. This ensures that the lawyer gives unbiased legal advice. In order to keep that promise, a lawyer must make sure he or she is not connected to any other person, organization or company involved in your legal matter. The lawyer reviews all past and current clients and files to make sure that he or she has not had any dealings with any of those parties.

 LEGAL RESOURCES LIBRARY

Q. What resources do you have?

The Legal Resource Library contains information sheets, articles, sample legal documents, and sample contracts for the following artistic disciplines: dance, theatre, music, film, television and visual arts.

It also contains resources on specific legal topics, including copyright; how to incorporate and maintain a society; employment law; immigration matters; and wills and estate planning.

GETTING INVOLVED

Q. I want to help PLEO. What can I do?

You can make a contribution by clicking here. Any amount helps, no matter how small. If you are a law student or a practicing lawyer, you can also contribute your time. Please visit the volunteer page for more information.