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Forum on Communications Law

Network with lawyers in the print broadcast, online & mobile media, and the telecommunications industries. Keep up to date with cutting edge issues in defamation, privacy, commercial speech, freedom of information, data collection and use, FCC regulation, and First Amendment law.

Registration is Open!

29th Annual Conference

February 1 - 3, 2024

Registration is now open for the 29th Annual Conference in Santa Barbara, CA. The Annual Conference includes an array of plenaries and workshops – and a compelling roster of speakers and facilitators - addressing the pressing issues confronting content, communications. Entertainment and media lawyers today. Attendees will also be able to enjoy several offsite activities including a wine tasting and dinner in the gorgeous Santa Ynez Valley. This will be a great opportunity to connect with your colleagues in the incomparable vistas of the Pacific Coast.

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Save the Date

Representing Your Local Broadcaster

Sunday, April 14, 2024

You Need to Calm Down, but the Eras of Broadcasting are heading your way. The 40th edition of Representing Your Local Broadcaster as part of the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nevada is on Sunday, April 14, 2024! No online ticketing waiting rooms are required! So Shake it Off, and get ready for a CLE event that will be “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”. Registration for Representing Your Local Broadcaster will open in late 2023, but the hotel block is now open. You do not need to register for the NABShow to make a hotel reservation.

Hotel - Reservations

Young Lawyer's Committee

Sign Up

This form is for the ABA Forum on Communications Law's - Young Lawyer's Committee (YLC) email directory. If you are within 10 years of beginning your legal career in media law, please fill out the information requests in the link so the YLC can keep you informed on current YLC events and communications. If you have any questions, please reach out to the YLC Co-Chairs: [email protected] and [email protected].

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The Legal Legacy of Daniel Ellsberg

Webinar Recording

Webinar Recording

Legendary whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who passed away earlier this year, wasn't a journalist, but his decision to leak the Pentagon Papers continues to shape the rights of journalists and their sources over 50 years later. Hear from Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) -- the organization Ellsberg co-founded in 2012 -- about Ellsberg's legal legacy and his own views on the state of press freedom in the United States.

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2023 - 2024 Sponsorship Opportunities

The Sponsorship Committee develops an annual fundraising plan and identifies potential sponsorship opportunities. The committee is responsible for initiating discussions with potential sponsors, confirming sponsorship commitments and ensuring that each sponsor receives the full benefit of their contribution.

Sponsor - Today

The New Solo Practitioners and Small Firm Committee

The new committee aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, “best practices” and useful materials, regarding practicing media law “leanly,” in the rapidly changing economic and digital media landscape.

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Strategic Plan

The Long-Range Planning Committee will assist the Governing Committee with helping further develop the Forum’s mission, vision and strategic direction given the changes in the industry, the media market, and the American Bar Association.

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Join Us

Join the ABA Forum on Communications Law to expand your knowledge with a community and advance your experience.

Media Bar Resources

Articles

Read articles by attorneys from the law firms who represent the media and those who serve as in-house counsel at media organizations in the United States.

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Videos

Watch videos featuring leading attorneys as they discuss issues facing the media bar and those who defend and protect the First Amendment.

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ABA Communities

Join the Conversation

Introducing Communications Law Communities. Join this new, exclusive online community site for ABA Forum on Communications Law members to connect and interact.

Connect - With Members

Publications

Contact Us

Contact Forum staff using this online form.

Latest Job Postings

Go to - Career Center

About the Forum

The more than 2,200 members of the Forum on Communications Law represent a wide variety of specialized legal talent. The principal aim and objective of the Forum are: (1) To encourage discussion of problems relating to legal counseling and representation of the print media, the telecommunications industry, and the electronic media. (2) To promote the exchange of information among practitioners in the field. To support and promote research, forums, and publications focusing on communications (3) To keep abreast of developments in the law and to discuss evolving issues. (4) To preserve and develop professional competence and integrity in the practice of law.