Spotlight: Cultural Heritage Partners, Inc (VA) — UPDATED

Established in 2010, Cultural Heritage Partners, LLC fills a market niche: cultural heritage, corporate law, business strategies, preservation and non-profit governance. The partnership was originally made up of Marion Werkheiser, Greg Werkheiser and Donald F. Craib.

L. Eden Burgess, Marion F. Werkheiser, Greg Werkheiser/Website

The partners believe that “Tangible cultural heritage, including buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts, as well as . . . intangible cultural landscapes, traditions, customs, languages and artistic expressions help define what it means to be human and hold the keys to peaceful progress of civilizations.” They offer assistance in strategic planning, government relations, mediation, risk management, legal research and analysis, historical research, tax and estate planning, and more for nonprofits, private business, governments and individuals. The business model is new, the partnership is new, let’s keep an eye on what and how they are doing.

Last year, CHP’s team was joined by an art law veteran, L. Eden Burgess, formerly with Andrews Kurth LLP. To name just a few of the cases Eden represented. She assited German state in State of Baden-Württemburg v. Shene, 04-cv-10067-TPG, 2009 WL 762697 (S.D.N.Y. March 23, 2009) to recover a 16th century volume of prints and drawings from a St. Louis book dealer. She worked as local counsel for heirs of Kazimir Malewicz in Malewicz v. City of Amsterdam, 362 F. Supp. 2d 298 (D.D.C. 2005) and she worked on the defense of Christie’s auction house in Doss, Inc. v. Christie’s Inc., 08-cv-10577-LAP, 2009 WL 3053713 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 23, 2009) and Marchig v. Christie’s Inc., 762 F. Supp. 2d 667 (S.D.N.Y. 2011), aff’d, 2011 WL 2685608 (2d Cir. July 12, 2011).

Currently, the CHP team is five fold, in addition to the Werkheisers and Eden, the team includes Halie Geller and Tim Woodbury. It will also offer a summer position to some lucky 2nd year law student.

Source: CHP.