SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Commemorating 36 years of service to the arts, California Lawyers for the Arts (C.L.A.) will host its 4th annual Artistic License Awards with a benefit celebration at the William Turner Gallery, Bergamot Station in Santa Monica on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 4:00 PM.

C.L.A. will honor:

• Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, Artist and Chair of the California Arts Council
• Frank Romero, Artist
• Jay Cooper, Attorney, Greenberg Traurig
• Mark Ridley-Thomas, Member, LA County Board of Supervisors
• Cathy Segal-Garcia, Jazz Musician and Music Educator, and
• Pen Center U.S.A., Non-Profit Advocacy Organization.

In 2008, the board of California Lawyers for the Arts conceived of the Artistic License Awards to recognize persons and organizations whom have mastered their arts (intended in the broadest possible sense) in extraordinary ways for the communities they serve.  This year's honorees include master artists, a prolific entertainment attorney, an advocacy organization and an elected leader whose acts of generosity and examples of innovation have inspired so many others to stretch beyond their "comfort zones" and take on the challenges of our time.

Veteran entertainment attorney Jay Cooper said, "I am extremely honored to be recognized by California Lawyers for the Arts, an organization that not only services the needs of fresh and developing talent, but is a great forum for young lawyers to hone their entertainment law skills."  Cooper's storied list of clients includes Sheryl Crow and Jerry Seinfeld.

Greg Reitman, whose film, Fuel, garnered a Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary, recently described how he benefited from legal services provided by California Lawyers for the Arts. Starting out as a new filmmaker, he was seeking legal help to form his business.  "At first, I had been told that I could start a relationship with an attorney for $20,000 and I said, 'Where am I going to get that from?!' Then I filled out an application with California Lawyers for the Arts. I was referred to an attorney who said, 'Let's take care of Greg'...and he did."

ABOUT CALIFORNIA LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS:

Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1974, California Lawyers for the Arts serves more than 3,000 persons annually throughout Los Angeles County.  In 1987, Bay Area Lawyers for the Arts joined forces with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts-LA, forming the first statewide legal service organization for the arts in California.  

In addition to legal services, C.L.A. provides mediation services to resolve disputes without going to court, and presents a series of low-cost educational programs on topics ranging from intellectual property to negotiating contracts.  

EVENT INFORMATION:

WHO: California Lawyers for the Arts

WHAT: Artistic License Awards

WHERE:  Santa Monica – William Turner Gallery, Bergamot Station,
2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404. (310) 453-0909.

WHEN: Sunday, May 1, 2011, 4 to 7 pm

For information about tickets, please visit the organization's website at http://www.calawyersforthearts.org/ArtisticLicenseAwards or contact:

Toyin Moses, Program Development Coordinator, toyin.moses@calawyersforthearts.org and (310) 998-5590

SOURCE California Lawyers for the Arts