Hanswirth Named to The National Law Journal's ‘Media & Advertisement Law Trailblazers’ List
April 7, 2023
The National Law Journal (NLJ) named Arnold & Porter partner Dori Hanswirth as one of its 2023 “Media & Advertisement Law Trailblazers.” This is the inaugural year for the list, which highlights attorneys who have made “significant marks on the practice, policy and technological advancements in their sector.”
The NLJ specifically honored Hanswirth for her “work in preventing journalists from being compelled to disclose confidential sources,” which included her representation of an investigative journalist in defending her right to maintain the secrecy of her sources in reporting on the Batman movie theater mass shooting, which led to a landmark decision in the New York Court of Appeals. In this instance, the perpetrator wanted the journalist to disclose her confidential news sources. To combat this, Hanswirth had to develop and execute a novel legal strategy. “A lot of people didn’t think it would work, but I knew it would. And, after almost a dozen court appearances and appeals in two different states, it did,” Hanswirth said in the profile.
“Most litigants know better than to try to invade the journalist/source relationship to get information for their cases. My case, Holmes v. Winter, shows the lengths to which a journalist will go to protect her source. The law is on the journalists’ side. This is an important component of our right to receive information and to allow the press to do their job without being pulled into other people’s legal dramas,” she said.
Hanswirth co-leads the firm’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry group and is a litigator in the firm's Media & Entertainment practice, bringing more than 20 years' experience for clients in the news, technology, and entertainment industries, with a focus on First Amendment, trademark, defamation, right of publicity, and copyright law/fair use. She advises individual clients and organizations on issues related to reputation, brand protection, and media, copyright, and trademark in a range of other industries, including fintech, internet services, non-profits, and social media.
The NLJ specifically honored Hanswirth for her “work in preventing journalists from being compelled to disclose confidential sources,” which included her representation of an investigative journalist in defending her right to maintain the secrecy of her sources in reporting on the Batman movie theater mass shooting, which led to a landmark decision in the New York Court of Appeals. In this instance, the perpetrator wanted the journalist to disclose her confidential news sources. To combat this, Hanswirth had to develop and execute a novel legal strategy. “A lot of people didn’t think it would work, but I knew it would. And, after almost a dozen court appearances and appeals in two different states, it did,” Hanswirth said in the profile.
“Most litigants know better than to try to invade the journalist/source relationship to get information for their cases. My case, Holmes v. Winter, shows the lengths to which a journalist will go to protect her source. The law is on the journalists’ side. This is an important component of our right to receive information and to allow the press to do their job without being pulled into other people’s legal dramas,” she said.
Hanswirth co-leads the firm’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry group and is a litigator in the firm's Media & Entertainment practice, bringing more than 20 years' experience for clients in the news, technology, and entertainment industries, with a focus on First Amendment, trademark, defamation, right of publicity, and copyright law/fair use. She advises individual clients and organizations on issues related to reputation, brand protection, and media, copyright, and trademark in a range of other industries, including fintech, internet services, non-profits, and social media.
