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NS Artists & Arts Orgs
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Legal Help for Artists and Arts Organizations
Are you a Nova Scotia creative professional who needs a lawyer? An artist or musician? Or an organization operating in the Nova Scotia arts sector? Maybe you’re a writer looking to land your first book deal or a filmmaker looking for a distributor. Do you know what to look for in a contract? How to promote your work online? What about dealing with record labels?
The Legal Information Society's Artists' Lawyer Referral Service may be able to help.
Contact the Artists' Lawyer Referral Service and we will do our best to connect you with a lawyer who specifically deals with the arts and related legal issues. Depending on the situation and scope of your inquiry, Artists’ Lawyer Referral Service members may offer a range of potential services, which may include any combination of the following:
(1) a free initial telephone or email consultation of up to 30 minutes
(2) free or contingency-based representation
(3) a fixed-fee or fee-for-service retainer, and/or
(4) referrals to other legal professionals.
How do I contact the Artists' Lawyer Referral Service?
By phone
902-455-3135 (Halifax Regional Municipality) or
1-800-665-9779 (toll free in NS)
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Closed on weekends and holidays
Please note: We are sorry but we cannot accept messages for return phone calls. Calls are answered as they come in during our open hours. If you are calling when the service is open and hear the voicemail message it means the Legal Information Line Counsellors are not available to help right now, so please call back later, or consider getting in touch by email.
By email
Please use this form to send us an email.
We do our best to respond to emails within 5 business days. Although our email service is confidential we cannot guarantee the security of information sent to us by email, as any email is vulnerable to being intercepted. So, do not send sensitive personal information by email. Do not send us any attachments - we will not open them.
See our privacy policy here.
How does the Artists' Lawyer Referral Service work?
- Contact the Artists' Lawyer Referral Service by phone or email
- We will ask you some questions to:
- find out whether you have a legal problem related to the arts, and whether a lawyer can help you, and
- give you legal information.
- Some of the questions may be personal, but we are asking to try to make sure we are making an appropriate referral, and to give you helpful legal information. Our legal information counsellors are trained professionals who have diverse skills and knowledge in many areas of law. Their main job is public legal education and legal information. They may be able to give you legal information to help you take the next steps towards solving your legal problem
- The service is anonymous and confidential
- If it is appropriate to provide a lawyer referral, we will do our best to refer you to a private lawyer who specifically deals with the arts and related legal issues.
- Unfortunately we can't always help or refer you to a lawyer. But if not, we will try to refer you to other resources that might help
- We only give one lawyer referral for the same legal issue, unless there is a conflict of interest. We do not give a list of lawyers
- When we provide a lawyer referral, we give you a lawyer's name and contact information. It is up to you to contact the lawyer to set up an appointment
- Make sure you tell the lawyer you were referred by the Legal Information Society's Artists' Lawyer Referral Service
- Depending on the situation and scope of your inquiry, Artists’ Lawyer Referral Service members may offer a range of potential services, which may include any combination of the following:
(1) a free initial telephone or email consultation of up to 30 minutes
(2) free or contingency-based representation (go here for information about how lawyers charge for their work)
(3) a fixed-fee or fee-for-service retainer (go here for information about how lawyers charge for their work), and/or
(4) referrals to other legal professionals. - During your initial consultation you will discuss your problem with the lawyer and get an idea of what your options are and how much it may cost to have any required legal work done. The scope of your initial question(s) will determine next steps. Do not expect the lawyer to do any legal work for you during the initial consultation. Legal work includes things like giving a legal opinion or advice, reviewing, interpreting, or drafting documents.
- Prepare for your meeting with the lawyer. Think about what you want to say - what are the most important points? Have important documents handy including any court order(s), contracts, financial information (if relevant), etc. Briefly summarize your legal problem. Keep in mind that 30 minutes goes by very quickly!
- If you decide to hire the lawyer after the initial 30 minute consultation, and the lawyer agrees to represent you, you will need to work out a fee arrangement directly with the lawyer. Any fees after your initial consultation with the lawyer will be worked out directly with that lawyer, and will not be charged unless you agree to a separate, independent retainer with that lawyer. Be certain you understand the fee arrangement. See How Lawyers Charge for their work for more information.
Legal Information for Artists
Artists' Legal Info Podcasts
Law LISNS to Artists: Copyright law for Musicians
In this episode, co-hosts Meghan Recker and Carleigh MacKenzie chat with Matthew Gorman, an entertainment lawyer based in Halifax, NS, about copyright, contracts, and other legal issues for musicians. Gorman is working on updating his Legal Guide for Musicians. Listen to learn about some of the basic legal ideas every musician should know about.
Resources for Artists talked about in the episode
- The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada
- Canadian Music Reproduction Rights Agency
- Sound Exchange
- “Presented With a Music Contract? Ask Yourself These 5 Questions” – by Matthew Gorman
To contact Matthew Gorman
- Contact page on https://www.oceantownmusic.ca/
- Social media: @oceantownmusic
LawLISNS are short legal information podcasts presented by the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS-pronounced 'listens'). LawLISNS talk about everyday legal problems in Nova Scotia, your rights and responsibilities, and ways to work things out.
Thank you to Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law for supporting law student Meghan Recker's summer 2022 placement with LISNS.
The law and information talked about in this episode were current as of September 2022. Laws change, so check with LISNS or a lawyer to see if the law has changed since then. LISNS podcasts explain the law in a general way as it applies in Nova Scotia, Canada. The information is not intended as legal advice. If you have a legal problem, contact a lawyer for advice about what steps you should take in your situation.