Cultural and Arts Institutions

Barnes & Thornburg takes a focused, interdisciplinary approach to advising and advocating for cultural and arts organizations, drawing on deep experience across legal and business disciplines. Lawyers on our team are recognized leaders in the field, advising on all aspects of governance, operations, fiscal administration, and workforce matters.  Our attorneys are also well known for serving in leadership roles with local, regional, and national cultural and arts organizations across our national footprint. This first-hand experience provides a heightened understanding of mission-driven institutions and the constituencies that support them. 

Depth and Breadth of Experience 

With more than 26 offices nationwide, Barnes & Thornburg is positioned to advise and advocate for cultural institutions across the country, including museums and galleries, collectors, concert halls and theaters, orchestras and operas, historic sites and monuments, and philanthropic foundations of all kinds.

Our attorneys provide strategic counsel in the following areas.

Renovation and Expansion: Development and Finance 

Our attorneys coordinate the complex legal components of renovation and new construction projects, harmonizing funding, development, and construction considerations. Our work has spanned land use entitlements, leasing and lending transactions, and tax-exempt bond financings, supported by nationally recognized leaders in real estate finance and development. 

Corporate Governance and Compliance 

Our corporate attorneys advise nonprofit and for-profit organizations of all sizes on governance, management, and operational matters. We provide mission-aligned counsel on entity formation and administration, endowment and investment compliance, special initiatives, and board qualifications and conflict-of-interest issues.

Art, Collections, and Transactions

We advise on title, provenance, tax implications, and compliance with national and international law in connection with mergers and acquisitions, sales and purchases, auction and consignment agreements, loan transactions, joint ventures, trust creation and administration, and major gifts, including negotiation of naming rights and related terms. 

Reorganizations and Restructurings 

In times of financial challenge, we counsel and represent institutions in restructurings and reorganizations and, when necessary, in court proceedings as creditors or debtors.  

Tax and Tax Exemption

We provide federal, state, and local tax advice to a wide range of cultural organizations. Several team members focus on tax-exemption matters critical to 501(c)(3) organizations, including unrelated business income tax and charitable solicitation compliance. We also advise for-profit institutions on minimizing tax exposure and maximizing available credits, deductions, and exemptions. 

Labor, Employment, and Benefits 

Our attorneys advise on workforce issues ranging from training and investigations to litigation. We handle union and labor matters, including collective bargaining and arbitration, and counsel on employee benefits, compensation, and executive employment agreements. 

Intellectual Property and Strategic Transactions 

We advise on patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing, and strategic partnerships involving cultural and intellectual property.