Georgia Lawyers for the Arts –

    Attorney Alan Clarke honored for distinguished service

At its annual gala, Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (www.GLArts.org) honors long-time volunteer for his leadership, expertise and commitment.

Atlanta, November 00, 2008 – At its 33^rd annual gala on November 7, Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA) will present attorney Alan S. Clarke with the Ben White Distinguished Service Award.  The award honors, “a level of dedication to the provision of pro bono services to the arts community (that) has greatly surpassed what we have come to expect from our terrific volunteer attorneys.”

“Alan was a natural choice for us,” says GLA Executive Director Lisa Moore. “Not only because of his lengthy service, but also because he is a tremendous asset to our organization.  He is a great example to us all and we are thrilled to honor Alan for the significant difference he has made handling cases for artists, speaking to groups on our behalf, and much, much more.”

An Atlanta native, Alan S. Clarke is a Buckhead-based entertainment attorney and litigator who represents recording artists, writers, performers, athletes, record labels, producers, managers, authors and others in the entertainment industry.  Clarke has represented clients ranging from individuals like Ben Curtis (The Dell Computer Guy) and Jodi Benson (Disney’s voice of “The Little Mermaid”) to organizations such as Southern Music Distribution, Inc. (which launched the careers of artists such as Ludacris, Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz).
 

 Georgia Lawyers for the Arts is a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance and educational programming to artists and arts organizations in Georgia. GLA has presented this award fewer than five times over the past 33 years.  It is named in honor of Ben White, one of the two Alston & Bird attorneys who founded Georgia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in 1975.
 

Of Clarke, GLA’s Moore added, “he has taken challenging cases that involve highly sensitive ethical issues, and he has been totally reliable, handling those cases again and again with the utmost integrity and professionalism.”  She also notes that he is always the first to volunteer, taking on a significant number of varied assignments for the organization and the people it represents.

According to GLA:  The Ben White Distinguished Service Award represents the very best in our profession: professionalism, integrity and an unwavering commitment to providing legal services to worthy individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations who cannot otherwise afford assistance.

Songwriter, record producer and musician Dallas Austin is honorary chairman for the November 7 gala evening, which includes a fundraising auction and which is being held as Mason Murer Fine Arts’ main gallery (www.masonmurer.com) on Armour Drive.

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Other information:

For further information about Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, please visit www.glarts.org/, call 404-873-3911, or e-mail gla@glarts.org.

For further information about Alan S. Clarke, please contact: B. Andrew (Drew) Plant, AtlantaWriter@mindspring.com, 404-634-7102, Cell:  678-637-5532.

Other information about Alan S. Clarke:

• Coincidentally, Clarke’s new Web site is launching as he celebrates the GLA recognition.  Find him on line at www.AlanSClarke.com.
• Former Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Solicitor (July 1990 through December 1993) with the Rockdale Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
• Emory University School of Law, Juris Doctor degree, (year?).
• Cum laude graduate of Duke University (degree and year?).
• Cum laude graduate of The Westminster Schools (year?).
• May 2009 will mark Clarke’s 20th anniversary as an attorney; in January he will mark the 15th anniversary of doing entertainment work.
• Serves on the Board of the Dunwoody Stage Door Players, www.stagedoorplayers.net.
• In addition to a broad range of clients in television, music, theatre, modeling and publishing, Clarke has done notable work for sports clients, including Body Training Systems, Fitness Essentials, Inc. and FHE Sports Marketing Group, LLC.
• He has represented clients in litigation involving Sony BMG, EMI, SunTrust, Bank of America, Wachovia, Paramount and Wal-Mart.
• Clarke has represented clients in litigation in federal courts of New York, Illinois, California, Connecticut and Georgia, as well as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and state courts of Georgia.
• He is the son of father’s name and mother’s name, who reside in (city/area of city).