Press Releases

CHICAGO — Lawyers for the Creative Arts (LCA) President William H. Frankel, a shareholder of the intellectual property law firm of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, recently served as the Chair of this year’s annual Benefit Luncheon, the most successful in LCA’s history. At the luncheon at the Palmer House in Chicago, Illinois, LCA announced the recipients of its 2004 LCA Distinguished Service Awards. The awards recognize those in the arts and legal communities who have shown exemplary commitment to nurturing the people and environment that provide art and culture in the Chicago area. Founded in 1972, over the past 32 years, LCA has enlisted the volunteer services of more than 1,800 attorneys to provide legal assistance to artists and arts organizations financially unable to retain legal counsel. 

“Although the recent economic climate has been tough on artists and cultural organizations, LCA continues to operate on a razor-thin budget and yet provides an increasing array of arts-related legal services and programming,” said Mr. Frankel, an intellectual property attorney who was recently elected as president of the organization and who served as this year’s Benefit Chair. “Through the generous support of many law firms, corporations and individuals, LCA will continue as the only provider of pro bono legal services to artists and arts organizations in Chicago and the surrounding area.” 

This year’s honorees are: Mary Dempsey, Commissioner, Chicago Public Library; John Mahoney, stage, film and television actor; Ed Paschke, artist and educator; the law firm of Winston & Strawn and Mary Hutchings Reed, winner of the Thomas R. Leavens Award, given to an outstanding LCA member. 

In addition to assistance in organizing arts businesses, both for-profit and not-for-profit, and advising on a many areas of the law, LCA offers a schedule of speaking events and instructional workshops, including programs on not-for-profit incorporation and tax exemption, music publishing seminars, contracts, copyright and trademark clinics and maintains an Arts Mediation Service to mediate arts disputes quickly, privately and inexpensively. 

Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione provides intellectual property legal services worldwide. The firm is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the country, with approximately 150 attorneys who specialize in IP litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, Internet, unfair competition and related licensing matters.