Clients appreciate that I’m quite a well-known quantity in the realm of media law. I have a reputation for mixing tenacity with practicality and common sense. By closely monitoring and studying the newest developments in First Amendment law and keeping abreast of the latest legal trends on both the plaintiffs’ and defendants’ sides, I’m able to bring this useful knowledge, a wide-angle perspective, and the latest litigation strategies to bear on behalf of my clients.
Highly regarded nationwide for his in-depth knowledge and strategic thinking, media and First Amendment lawyer John Walsh counsels and advocates for clients in litigation involving libel, privacy, and commercial speech issues. John’s clients benefit from his four decades of invaluable experience and insights as a trial and appellate litigator and as a preeminent advisor in a great variety of substantive law areas.
In his renowned practice, with its national and international reach, John takes on high-profile cases on behalf of prominent individuals and leading businesses. He also represents major advertisers regarding their First Amendment right to commercial free speech in marketing and promoting their products. Continuing to handle commercial litigation matters, John draws on his background in the corporate, securities, antitrust, contracts, and fraud areas, among others.
John first forged trails in the media law arena in 1979 when he took on a defamation case on behalf of the president of a major oil company. The trial resulted in a landmark libel jury verdict against The Washington Post. As the media specialty evolves in reaction to the privacy and reputational concerns inherent in content that’s readily available to worldwide audiences on the internet, John expands his arsenal. Recently, for example, he successfully persuaded the owners of a dominant search engine to remove results that unfairly connected a client to a major global scandal.
Over the years John has frequently participated in panel discussions and conferences about libel, news gathering, and other First Amendment issues. He has also made many appearances on television news and talk shows to discuss or debate media issues. John believes in treating members of the press and all parties involved in legal matters with cordiality, and he always takes a respectful, professional approach, even during adversarial discussions.