The best and fastest way to get advice is to send us an email. Unless the consultants are already aware of your situation (for example, if you`re already in touch with someone here and know who you`d like to talk to about an existing application), it`s usually best to ask in writing rather than over the phone. There are several reasons for this: Of course. It is often helpful to let us know that you have an agent. You can also inform them that you are asking for our opinion, but this is absolutely not necessary. Novels are so much more fun anyway. If you want to avoid the legal issues of sharing a real story or memory, consider turning it completely into a work of fiction. This way, you`ll have a lot more space to play with names, places, descriptors, and other information that could be used to identify real people and events. If you want to be sure it can`t be traced back to you, you can even publish your work under a pseudonym.
Many U.S. states and major metropolitan areas—New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others—host Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations with referral services focused on helping people working in the arts (the link above lists VLA organizations from state to state, but a Google search for “Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts” will bring up many local VLA websites). Roster lawyers often offer discounted (and sometimes pro bono) services after the initial consultation described above. In addition, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in New York operates the Art Law Line (212-319-2787 x1), which can be called by anyone with an artistic legal question. Minc is an Internet law firm that supports individuals and businesses. The Legal Resource Centre contains countless articles that describe how to deal with certain types of online harassment and how to answer common legal questions. Lawyers for Reporters provides pro bono legal advice to local media organizations as well as freelance writers in the United States. It provides legal assistance when clients face defamation, copyright, privacy or other legal threats from its in-house lawyers and network of law firms across the country.
However, there are many forms of online harassment that a lawyer may not necessarily be able to help you with. While most abusive tactics are exhausting, emotionally draining, and even traumatic for the target (not to mention their ethical reprehension), they are not necessarily illegal. For example, someone who calls you abusive or hateful names on social media, or who engages in ad hominem attacks against you, is likely engaging in First Amendment-protected speech — in which case, an attorney is unlikely to interfere. Even threats of violence, which are not always protected by the First Amendment, can be a gray area online: the legal definition of a “real threat” is narrow and can be difficult in an online context, where it can be difficult to discern a speaker`s intent. The IWMF Emergency Relief Fund provides small grants to women journalists for psychological and medical care in situations directly related to crises caused by their work, three months of temporary crisis resettlement assistance, and legal assistance to combat impending imprisonment or censorship. To apply for assistance from the IWMF Emergency Fund, please complete this preliminary questionnaire (in Spanish). The NCVBA provides legal advice to targets of cyberbullying and online harassment. You can read more on their website. Many writers succeed their entire careers without legal problems.
But there are many who don`t. And while we tend to think of big and bad lawsuits like defamation and copyright infringement, there are many types of legal issues you may encounter regarding your finances or contracts. Yes, always. In addition, our advice is confidential; We will not inform anyone that you have asked us for advice without your express consent. VLAA is a consortium of organizations that provide free, low-cost legal services to art-related institutions and artists in 28 states. For writers living in New York City, the New York chapter of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts provides legal services to the literary arts community. You can access the intake form for internal consultations and pro bono placements here. In fact, it can be a cause for concern if they are not satisfied with the review of a contract. We are professional advisors and you have the right to ask us for advice.
No. We have a team of six specialist in-house consultants who have extensive experience in UK publishing and have been helping authors for many years. You are not a lawyer, and SoA is not insured to provide final legal advice, and we cannot be directly involved in matters before or until you join the SoA. However, we will always do our best to help you. The Society of Professional Journalists` Legal Defense Fund provides direct legal or financial assistance to U.S.-based journalists and supports litigation that forces public access to government documents. If you have submitted a request and have not received a response within ten days, please contact info@societyofauthors.org email address or call the office. Expand your knowledge with our library of legal references and webinar recordings.