Upcoming Events

Lawyers, Guns and Money: Reality Programming and the Law
June 13, 2008 (9am to 2pm)


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 will consist of three workshops and a panel where attorneys can share their experiences and consult about “best practices” for the reality genre.

Workshops

1. Invasion of Privacy / Hidden Cameras / Eavesdropping

This workshop will examine the increase in claims of misappropriation and intrusion arising from the use of hidden cameras and microphones, as well as from the filming of subjects in places that are otherwise open to the public. Has the exponential growth in reality programming led courts to erode protections for the taping of otherwise newsworthy subjects? Should we blur everyone, or just minors? Is a public street really public anymore?

2. Releases / Background Screenings

How good is your release? What if it’s been signed by a dope-dealer on meth? What if you’ve paid him? Should you pay him? Will a background check and psychological evaluation protect your client from legal liability, or will it just produce boring contestants? This workshop will examine whether releases are worth the paper they are printed on, and what other protections producers can take to protect against lawsuits and liability. It will also examine the fundamental tension between producers in the field who want the footage (and access) at nearly any cost, and lawyers at home who will have to pay for it.

3. Outtakes / Subpoenas / Document Production

The First Amendment protects the compelled disclosure of outtakes, doesn’t it? But what if the party compelling the production is the same law enforcement agency being filmed? Should you assert your rights, or fold your tent? And if you fold, have you exposed your client to additional liability? This workshop will explore ways to protect outtakes from compelled production while preserving them for defensive needs in subsequent litigation. It will also explore how to create a coherent (and defensible) document retention policy that will protect against the disclosure of the most embarrassing (unaired) moments of your own subjects while minimizing the risk of spoliation.


Lunch Panel – Law: What Is It Good For?

Four producers with extensive experience in the reality genre will discuss how lawyers have helped them avoid problems in their productions, how lawyers have harmed them, and how they really feel when they get that phone call from Legal.


The panel event will be moderated by Prof. Cameron Stracher. Scheduled panelists include executive producers from the reality shows Dog: The Bounty Hunter, Manhunters, and DEA, among other productions.

Workshop facilitators include Stephanie Abrutyn, VP and Senior Counsel, Litigation, HBO; Laura Handman, Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP; Lee Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP; David Sternbach, Litigation & IP Counsel, A&E Television Networks.


For more information or to register for this event, please contact Usheevii King at uking@nyls.edu.  

Note: Attendance is limited to counsel representing reality programming.

Careers in Law and Journalism
Tuesday, February 26 | 12:50pm | B400

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?

Join us on February 26th, 12:50pm in room B400, as the Office of Career Services and Program in Law and Journalism are proud to present Careers in Law and Journalism. Panelists will tell us about their own career paths and offer advice on how you can 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.

RSVP required, through Office of Career Services, Careernet