Ballard Spahr Named National Law Firm of the Year for Media Law and Copyright Law by U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers

Ballard Spahr has been named national Law Firm of the Year for both Media Law and Copyright Law in the U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers rankings for 2019 in recognition of outstanding performance in these areas.

The "Best Law Firms" list recognizes firms for professional excellence based on feedback about their performance, capabilities, and professionalism provided by other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and practice areas. The Law Firm of the Year honor singles out firms with particularly impressive overall performance in a certain practice area.

To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top practicing attorneys in the United States. More than 150 Ballard Spahr attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, including 14 also named 2019 Lawyers of the Year in their practice areas and locations.

Ballard Spahr—which merged with the preeminent First Amendment litigation boutique Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz last year—has a powerhouse media law practice that represents many of the most prominent names in the industry, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC News, and NBCUniversal.

The practice, led by Partners David J. Bodney and Charles D. Tobin, has earned Firm of the Year Honors for the second year in a row. Partner Michael Berry also was named the Media Law 2019 Lawyer of the Year for the Philadelphia area.

This is the first time Ballard Spahr's Copyrights Group has been recognized with Firm of the Year honors, although it has been ranked in the highest tier nationally by U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers every year since 2014. The Group, led by Partner Hara K. Jacobs, helps clients protect and maximize the value of copyright assets ranging from musical compositions and literary works to software programs and databases.

Attorneys in the Group guide clients across industries through the licensing, commercialization, acquisition, or sale of their work. They develop copyright policies and advise on matters involving fair use, infringement, protectability, and use of third-party materials.

U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers ranks 20 other Ballard Spahr practices in National Tier 1 for 2019. They are:

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Corporate Law
• Employment Law - Management
• Environmental Law
• Labor Law - Management
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Litigation - Banking & Finance
• Litigation - Bankruptcy
• Litigation - Environmental
• Litigation - First Amendment
• Litigation - Intellectual Property
• Litigation - Patent
• Litigation - Real Estate
• Natural Resources Law
• Public Finance Law
• Real Estate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Tax Law
• Trademark Law

In addition, 89 Ballard Spahr practices were recognized in the Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings in Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C.