Legal Services

 The Ella Project hosts pro bono legal services for low to moderate income artists and musicians. Supervised by project co-founder Ashlye Keaton and her team of Tulane Law students, The Ella Project presents all day weekly legal clinics by appointment and provides assistance from concept to completion in issues of copyright, trademark, business formation, contract preparation, negotiation and review, licensing, estate planning, and other entertainment law matters.

For INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS seeking to schedule an appointment, please complete our application by clicking here.

For NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS seeking legal assistance, please click here.

Tête-à-Tête

The Ella Project’s Tête-à-Tête is an artist consultancy network designed to provide valuable business development resources to early- and mid-career artists by facilitating mentoring sessions with experienced, well-established artists equipped to provide guidance and share their expertise. Tête-à-Tête is built on the relationships that Ella has developed with a significant number of professional artists in New Orleans and across Louisiana and the solid understanding we have of the ongoing need for personalized services that support business development.

To schedule your appointment, please click here.


“Oil drilling rig Patent from 1911” by Patents Wall Art is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Gulf South Invents

Gulf South Invents is a program of The Ella Project, designed specifically for moderate income residents, small businesses, and grassroots nonprofits of Louisiana, Mississippi & Alabama seeking patent protection for their invention. Part of the Patent Pro Bono Program for independent  inventors and small businesses, we work to match low to moderate income Louisiana inventors with patent practitioners who can help them draft, file and prosecute their patent application.

True to our mission of empowering creators to share their creation in a way that is just and equitable, and with the guiding principle that people should have access to high quality legal services regardless of their ability to pay, The Ella Project seeks to grow our regional economy and foster the next great Gulf South invention.

Have an invention that needs patent protection? Apply for services here.

Want to use your skills as an attorney to grow our regional economy? Sign up to volunteer here.

Want to support Gulf South Invents financially and ensure its continued coverage? Make a donation to The Ella Project. 


 Other Resources

Ella provides specialized legal assistance for artists and musicians, and there are many other legal service providers in our area that can address a multitude of other issues.

American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana
P.O. Box 56157
New Orleans, LA 70156
Tel: (504) 522-0617

Areas of Law: Discrimination, Election and Voting, Freedom Speech, Freedom of Religion, Immigration Rights, LGBT Rights, Privacy, Police Practices, Jail and Prison Conditions, and other issues of fair treatment by government

 Pro Bono Project
615 Baronne St.
Suite 203
New Orleans, LA 70113
Tel: (504) 581-4043

Areas of Law: Civil, Employment, Housing, Consumer, Family, Probate

Louisiana Civil Justice Center (LCJC) 
601 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans  LA, 70130
504-355-0970, 800-310-7029

Areas of Law: Consumer, Child Custody, Dissolution of Marriage, Domestic Violence, Education, Elder Law, Employment, Health, Housing, Individual Rights, Juvenile, Public Benefits, Termination of Parental Rights

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
1340 Poydras St, Ste 600
New Orleans, LA 70112
Tel: (877) 521-6242

Areas of Law: Civil, Consumer, Employment, Domestic Violence, Family, Housing, Public Benefits, Tax