Happy Birthday, CAFTA

Is it coincidence that Colorado Attorneys for the Arts (CAFTA)’s second birthday falls during National Pro Bono Week? For the last two years, CAFTA has been connecting artists to pro bono legal services. The generosity and support for the arts in this state is amazing and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.

CAFTA works as a “match-maker,” connecting qualified artists, cultural nonprofits and creative entities to volunteer attorneys willing to assist on arts-related legal matters.  We have made referrals pertaining to a variety of legal matters, such as copyright registration for a comic book, freelancing contracts for a graphic designer, trademark registration for a band, contract review for a new author, formation of a nonprofit theater company, real estate contracts for a mural festival, and even estate planning for an elderly visual artist.

“I appreciate the opportunity to meet my pro bono obligations by helping Colorado’s creative community through CAFTA’s referral service. The personnel at CAFTA are compassionate and professional, respecting my time as a volunteer and my abilities as an experienced, nonprofit attorney.” – Attorney, Golden, CO

As a statewide program, we’ve reached artists and attorneys from Grand Junction to Aurora, from Fort Collins to Saguache. We even did a full day of workshops, including our first CLE, in Buena Vista.

In CAFTA’s first two years…

• 83 Applications for Legal Referral received (and counting!)
• 50 referrals for eligible clients (and counting!)
• 100% referral rate for eligible clients
• 74 volunteer attorneys in database
• 17 presentations on arts-related legal issues (and one more coming up), reaching over 320 artists and attorneys

What’s next for CAFTA? We’re hitting the road. CAFTA is looking to do more full-day workshops in partnership with Colorado’s creative districts.

At the same time, we’ll continue partnering with local arts organizations and bar associations, and offering our core referral service for Colorado’s creative professionals.

These are great achievements, but we’re still a toddler. We’re always looking for feedback, ideas to improve and new partners.

If you’re an artist and received a referral through CAFTA, let us know how we did.

If you’re an attorney and received a referral through CAFTA, let us know how we did.

Special thanks to CAFTA’s Advisory Committee for stewarding this program. And thanks to the CAFTA Vetting Committee for holding a weekly conference call every Tuesday morning for the past two years. We couldn’t do it without you.

“I strongly recommend CAFTA to others in Colorado arts organizations. My experience was entirely positive, and CAFTA’s attorney clarified and assisted in the solution to the legal issues we faced. The attorney was friendly, supportive and knowledgeable.” – Executive Director, Longmont Concert Band