Noted First Amendment Attorney Lynn Oberlander Joins Ballard Spahr in New York

Lynn Oberlander—widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading media lawyers—has joined Ballard Spahr as Of Counsel in the firm’s New York office, firm Chair Mark Stewart announced today. A veteran in-house counsel to some of the most prestigious broadcasters, publishers, and digital platforms, Ms. Oberlander brings to the firm an established clientele of media companies, journalists, editors, authors, filmmakers and other creative professionals.

“The First Amendment attorneys of Ballard Spahr have had the pleasure of working with Lynn for years, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have her join us,” said Charles D. Tobin, Practice Leader of Ballard Spahr's Media and Entertainment Law Group. “Lynn is a leader of the media law community nationwide, and, thanks to her many professional contributions, is especially well-respected in the New York bar. We are so proud to add her strength to our stellar team.”

At Ballard Spahr, Ms. Oberlander continues to provide media law counsel, including general counsel services; pre-broadcast and pre-publication review; pre-production services; fair use review and analysis; newsgathering and newsroom policies; counsel on Freedom of Information Act requests and access; copyright and content litigation; and all types of media-related contract negotiation, drafting and review. She also becomes an active member of the firm’s strong team of defense counsel in defamation and privacy litigation for newsrooms.

Prior to joining Ballard Spahr,  Ms. Oberlander spent five years as general counsel of leading digital media companies Gizmodo Media Group and First Look Media Works (publisher of The Intercept and the documentary project Field of Vision) and nearly eight years as the general counsel of The New Yorker. She has also held senior in-house roles at Univision, Forbes, and NBC.

“Ballard Spahr is known for the strong support it provides to journalists, authors, artists, and other creative professionals,” Ms. Oberlander said. “It is an excellent fit for my practice, and I look forward to harnessing the resources of a national firm to further freedom of the press.”