No matter how professional or informal a project may be, creatives should be entering contracts with their employer to define payment, output, deadlines, intellectual property, and more. Contracts might be opaque, misleading, and full of legalese, often putting the artist at a disadvantage.

In this workshop,  Susan Schwartz, co-creator of the Artist's Contract, will help artists go through sample contracts and negotiate better terms.  Learn how to interpret common sections found in artist agreements, and learn the language necessary to push back on work for hire, retain full ownership of your work, agree on fair payment, and more.  You. will also learn more about the free, customizable Artist's Contract, which Susan and The Artist's Office plan to release this year. 

About Online Workshops:

Registrants will be emailed a link to register for the Zoom seminar online after booking through the CLA website. Please make sure to register both via this page and on the Zoom registration page.

Want to submit questions before the event begins? Contact renee.reizman@calawyersforthearts.org

About the Speaker:

Susan Schwartz is an attorney in Burbank, California specializing in art law and criminal defense.  She is a graduate of UCLA Law School where she was a member of the Law Review, Moot Court Honors Program and an editor of the Federal Communications Law Journal.  Susan earned a Master’s Degree in Art Business, with honors, from the Drucker School at the Claremont Colleges’ Center for Arts Management in 2015.   

 Susan has collaborated with artist Virginia Broersma on the Fair Artist’s Reserved Equity (FARE) contract, an update of the 1971 Siegelaub-Projansky Artist’s Reserved Rights and Transfer Agreement.  The FARE contract allows artists to assert their rights in their artworks after the works are sold by using current technology, including blockchain registries and QR codes, to give notice to subsequent purchasers of the artist’s reserved rights.  A current draft of the FARE contract can be found at susanschwartzlaw.com.

Susan was a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, where she worked in the Public Integrity, Justice System Integrity and Hardcore Gang Divisions and has tried more than 100 cases to verdict.  She is serves in leadership positions in the American Bar Association’s International Law Section and is a member of the Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.  Susan also serves on several Los Angeles County Bar Association committees and is has served in leadership positions in Women Lawyers of Los Angeles and California Women Lawyers in years past.

These workshops are made possible, in part, from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture; The City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs; and the California Community Foundation.  Additional support provided by the California Arts Council.