Art, Cultural Heritage & Law: Free (or Low Cost) Memberships for BLS Students

BLS students can join the BLS Art Law Association (ALA). 

• ALA states it "provides a forum for students, faculty, and practitioners to explore and debate the wide range of legal issues associated with the creation, collection, presentation, and preservation of the visual arts."  Contact: ala@brooklaw.edu

American Bar Association (ABA) law student membership is free.  A law student can join five free ABA groups, including:

• International Law Section, which has an Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee.  Membership likely will increase a law student's access to news articles, events, and webinars.
  • Seemingly, all ABA law student members could view: Karin Orenstein: My First Art Law Case (Mar. 28, 2024)
    • This Section's website states: "This is the first installment of a new series from the ABA Art and Cultural Heritage Law Committee, in which we interview professionals practicing art law about their careers."
  • In July 2024, International Law Section's International Legal Developments Year in Review 2023 should become available to Section members here.  It likely will include: International Art and Cultural Heritage Law - International Legal Developments Year in Review: 2023.

American Society of International Law (ASIL) student membership is free for BLS students because BLS is an ASIL Academic Partner.  BLS students also can access career development resources (including a job board) and can register for free to attend ASIL's Midyear Meeting.  ASIL's student membership page states: "Students from Academic Partner Schools will have the opportunity to obtain a Discount Promo Code during the process of joining or renewing membership with the Society."

• Click here to access publicly accessible recordings from many of ASIL's 2024 Annual Meeting programs.  Click the "+" to the far right of: Audio Content to view the program list/link to audio recordings.  These program recordings could yield paper and note topic ideas. 
  • Includes audio recording of: China's Looted Cultural Property.

New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) law student membership also is free.  It offers the opportunity to join practice-focused NYSBA Sections, including: Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section + International Section, which includes an Art Law, Art Funds & Art Finance Committee (International).  Membership likely will increase a law student's access to articles, events and webinars.

Low-cost opportunities for BLS students:

International Bar Association has a £24/year individual student membership fee.  Student members can ask to work with the Art, Cultural Institutions and Heritage Law Committee.

• This Committee provides free access to many of its publications, including:.Overview table: periods of limitation applicable to artworks transactions – France, Hungary, Italy, New York (US) (Aug. 3, 2023); articles such as US Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision emphasises the need for diligence by art purchasers claiming fraud in authenticity disputes (Aug. 3, 2023); and the report Art law: Restrictions on the export of cultural property and artwork (Dec.1, 2020).

New York City Bar Association has a $25/year membership fee for current JD students and a $50/year membership fee for LLM students.  Student members can apply to join committees, including Art Law Committee and Copyright & Literary Property Committee. 

• See Committee FAQ for Students.  Most events are either free to members or reduced price.

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts deeply discounts its programs, workshops and on-demand recordings for students.  See its events calendar. 

Examples:

• Program: Basic Legal Guide for Visual Artists with Q&A (July 10, 2024) - $25 for a full-time student.
• On-demand video: Copyright and Trademark Considerations for Using Generative AI Technology - $5 for a full-time student.