Becoming a TALA intern

What is TALA?

Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides pro bono legal and accounting services to individual artists and nonprofit organizations statewide. TALA has been serving Texas artists since 1979. TALA handles some cases in-house, but the majority of cases are handled by TALA Volunteer Attorneys and Accountants from across the state.

Who does TALA serve?

TALA assists individual artists who are members of TALA and whose annual household income is $50,000 or less. Our clients come from many artistic disciplines including the visual arts, writing, acting, dancing, singing, musical performance, and performance art. Nonprofit clients include museums, theater companies, arts groups, dance troupes, libraries and writers’ guilds. Nonprofits must have annual gross revenue less than $200,000 and less than $500,000 in total assets to qualify.

What types of legal cases does TALA handle?

All legal cases TALA handles must be art related. For artists, that includes copyright, gallery agreements, contracts, trademark, civil rights, entertainment issues, general business advice, wills, forming a corporation, insurance, and landlord/tenant studio disputes. For nonprofits TALA handles cases dealing with resolving board disputes, board liability, dissolving nonprofit organizations, employment, creating nonprofit organizations, and tax issues. TALA can also handle some mediation cases for artists and nonprofits.

Cases not handled by TALA:
• Family Law
• Criminal Law
• Personal Injury
• Litigation*

* TALA does consult on small claims issues

What is TALA looking for in an internship candidate?

TALA accepts interns of various levels. Undergraduate students must have completed at least 30 credit hours. Law students in the 1L, 2L, or 3L year may apply. Duties will vary based on experience, but may include general office assistance, contacting clients, developing and assisting with programs, and legal work. Experience in artistic fields and/or nonprofit work is helpful, but not required. Internships are unpaid, but some students may be eligible for class credit.

What is expected of me as an intern?

TALA’s office hours are 8:30 am – 11:30 am weekdays. Scheduling is flexible, but interns are expected to be available at least 2-3 days per week during office hours. Occasionally, events or programs are scheduled outside of regular office hours. Interns are strongly encouraged to attend some of these programs as well.

If you are interested, please contact Staff Attorney Erin Rodgers at (713) 526-4876 or