Sometimes, a query is all it takes to spark action.
Gary Laturno, a longtime board member of the San Diego Performing Arts League and a partner at local law firm Laturno, Graves & Gillaspey, had wondered why more lawyers weren’t involved in the organization.
The league, including Julie Fry, director of the arts and business programs, took the suggestion to heart.
A couple of weeks ago, Laturno and Fry, among others, launched San Diego Lawyers for the Arts.
The program finds attorneys to work with arts organizations on legal projects that might be beyond the group’s budget.
The lawyers are expected to submit an annual membership fee, which is $35 for individuals and $150 for a corporate group of six.
In turn, the Performing Arts League will set up member mixers. The events will have a cultural element and could be a way for local professionals to mingle with colleagues who are also interested in the arts.
The program was launched June 26 at the Timken Museum in Balboa Park.
More than 60 people attended the event. Between 15-20 lawyers have indicated they’d be interested, so far, according to Fry. A few lawyers had signed up beforehand, she noted.
So far, the response has been what the group hoped for, Fry said.
“We weren’t sure if it would attract interest, and we’re excited that so many people want to be a part of it,” she said.
To participate, lawyers have to be admitted to the California State Bar.
Lawyers for the Arts organizers are hoping to bring in lawyers with expertise in areas that include contracts, copyright, patent and trademark, facilities leases, nonprofit incorporation, insurance, immigration, labor relations, tax and trusts.
There is a 10-hour orientation through the Performing Arts League’s Business Volunteers for the Arts program that teaches volunteers about the specific needs and issues that affect nonprofit arts organizations.
