Past Events
The Only Fly in the Buttermilk. For more information please click here. (March 23, 2009)
Is Facebook Fair Game. The Program in Law and Journalism hosted Professor James Grimmelmann as he discussed social networking sites, expectations of privacy, and the law. Professor Brandt Goldstein moderated the event. (November 13, 2008)
Kidnapped. Blindfolded. Held at gunpoint. The Program in Law and Journalism hosted Stanley Alpert, author of The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival. Mr. Alpert’s discussion was about how his experience as a litigator helped him to survive and ultimately, to see that justice was done, when faced with a life threatening altercation. Read about Stanley Alpert's visit to NYLS. (October 27, 2008)
A Year in Review. The Program in Law and Journalism presented a panel discussion about the past year's media coverage of legal issues and stories. Moderated by Brian Lehrer, host of the award winning "Brian Lehrer Show," this program was an intriguing and unique re-cap of this year's legal issues. The panel included Emily Bazelon of Slate magazine, Dirk Olin the Founding Director of the Institute for Judicial Studies, Dan Slater author of the Wall Street Journal Law Blog and Candace Trunzo Editor in Chief of Star magazine. (October 23, 2008)
War of Words: Rhetoric and Reality in the Race for the White House. With the 2008 presidential election around the corner, John Pollack, who served as speechwriter and Special Assistant to to the President for President Bill Clinton, shared his insights about how the candidates, and even US Presidents, come to say what they do. A fascinating talk with John Pollack, hosted by our own Brandt Goldstein. (October 16, 2008)
Lawyers, Guns and Money: Reality Programming and the Law. Reality programming poses thorny new questions to be analyzed in the legal laboratory. To date, however, the analysis has lacked a practical dimension. Recycle or preserve outtakes? Blur or leave subjects identifiable? Ask for a release, or leave well enough alone? Restricted to attorneys who practice in this area, the conference consisted of three workshops and a panel where attorneys shared their experiences and consulted about “best practices” for the reality genre. (June 13, 2008)
A Conversation with John Yoo. The Program in Law & Journalism presented a conversation on media coverage of the legal issues in the “war on terror” with Professor John Yoo, conducted by Adam Liptak, the national legal correspondent for The New York Times. Professor Yoo has been widely credited for the Bush administration’s legal position that the Constitution gives the President broad authority to use force abroad in response to grave national emergencies and that Congress has limited authority to restrict the interrogation of terrorists. (April 20, 2007)
Careers in Law and Journalism. What is it like to work as a media attorney? Is it hard to get a job writing about the law? If I want to go into media law, or into legal journalism, are there things I can be doing now, as a student, to make me more attractive to future employers? On February 26th, the Office of Career Services and Program in Law and Journalism proudly presented Careers in Law and Journalism. Panelists discussed their own career paths and offered advice on how to break into careers at the intersection of journalism and the law. Moderator: Professor Cameron Stracher. Panelists: Alia Smith, Media Law Attorney, Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz (Associate) Ashby Jones, Staff Writer, Wall Street Journal Kristina Fischer, Editor in Chief, New York Law Journal Lunch will be served. (February 26, 2007)
Inside the Author's Studio. A discussion moderated by Professor Lis Wiehl (Fox News) and bestselling author and ex-sex crime prosecutor Linda Fairstein. (November 30, 2007)
Reporting the Law Panel. The Program in Law & Journalism at New York Law School held its Third Annual Media Roundup. Legal stories that made headlines in the news this past year were debated by our panel comprised of prestigious print, television and online journalists. The program was moderated by Lis Wiehl (Fox News). You can see the Reporting the Law: A Year-end Review information here. See the video here. (November 8, 2007)
A Conversation with Linda Fairstein. Linda Fairstein spoke to students and faculty about her groundbreaking career as Manhattan's sex-crimes prosecutor and her return to her first love, writing, in what has become an eagerly anticipated bestselling mystery series with...a sex crimes prosecutor as its heroine. Ms. Fairstein's next book draws on her decades of experience and was published in March, 2008. (November 30, 2007)
Writing About the Law: From Bluebook to Blogs and Beyond. The Program in Law & Journalism and the New York Law School Law Review co-sponsored this symposium on writing about the law. The day-long program included presentations on everything from the structure and future of legal scholarship to the increasing appetite of the mainstream media and American public for all things legal. Although the law can be maddening, the presentations are not. Lively, informed, energetic, and extremely relevant. (February 16, 2007)
Morning Panel #1: Just Cite It! The Traditional Law Review Structure. Law reviews have been attacked as irrelevant and their student editors criticized as incompetent, yet legal scholars still need to publish in law reviews to get and keep their jobs. What role does the traditional law review play, what role should it play, and should it be continued? See the video here.
Morning Panel #2: Lost in Translation (?) Writing
About the Law for a Non-Legal Audience.
Writing about law for a lay audience poses its own
unique challenges. What is lost and what is gained by having to translate
complex legal concepts into concise news reporting, incisive commentary or
compelling drama? See the video here.
Lunch / Keynote Address. The Keynote Speaker was John Osborn, author of The Paper Chase and Visiting Professor, University of San Francisco School of Law. See the video here.
Afternoon Panel: Beyond the Bluebook: The Future of Writing
About the Law.
In a world increasingly dominated by blogs and online publications, does
traditional legal scholarship have a future? Will legal scholars abandon
the traditional law review to write for a popular audience, and if so,
why? What will this brave new world look like? See the video here.
Break-Out Session for Law Review Editors. Law review editors will discuss the pitfalls, problems, and perks of running a (mostly) student-edited academic journal.
Reporting the Law -- A Year End Review. What legal stories were over-emphasized simply because they made “good TV?” What important stories were ignored because they did not? Did journalists get the story, and did they get it right? What was the impact on the public of these decisions and omissions? See the video here. (November 15, 2006)
The Judiciary and the Media: Friends or Foes? Should cameras be allowed in the courtroom? Do judges (and lawyers) behave differently when the bright lights are on? When should judges talk to the press, and how? Do gag orders work? Are sealed documents fair game for inquisitive reporters? In a 24/7 news environment, with legal stories at the top of the page, the time is ripe for a spirited discussion of these controversial questions, and lunch. See the video here. (April 20, 2006)
A Conversation on the Future of Journalism. See the video here. (October 10, 2005)
Covering The Big Case -- From O.J. Simpson to Michael Jackson
Lights, camera, action, lawyers! A
distinguished panel of high profile
lawyers and legal commentators discussed how the media cover the Big Case.
In a 24/7 news environment, how does a particular case become the Big Case?
Do lawyers play the media, and should they? Can jurors be fair in the Big
Case? Some of our panelists have tried the Big Case themselves, and others
have covered the Big Case for the national media. All of the panelists brought their
varied and dynamic experience to bear in discussing the intersection of
law, media, and popular culture.
