As this column hits your inbox in August 2021, the world is a very different place than it was when I was elected chair of the Forum on Communications Law. Over the last 18 months, we have seen the world and society change in ways we would never have thought possible—from the way we practice law virtually to how our clients publish and produce content.
August 04, 2021 From the Chair
FROM THE CHAIR: Believing in the Future with Faith in Trying Times
By Lynn D. Carrillo
As a bar, we have mourned the untimely loss of beloved colleagues such as Kurt Wimmer and honored the well-deserved retirements of many icons of media law, such as Lee Levine and Jim Stewart (make sure to read Len Niehoff’s beautiful tribute to Jim in this issue).
As a Forum, we have strived to meet the needs of our members while trying to open the doors wider to make room for even greater diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives. We have focused on providing opportunities for our young lawyers while still supporting those who are established. We have attempted to show the legal profession that the Forum on Communications Law touches every lawyer who works in media—whether you are a telecommunications lawyer or a digital streaming start-up general counsel—and everything in between.
As an industry, the media has also been tested to its core—from the way it gathers news to the way it disseminates content. Reporters have had to cover protests where they faced unprecedented physical danger and even emotional challenges. How that coverage is disseminated faces new legal challenges and questions. How the world consumes the entertainment our clients produce and the legal questions raised about what platform has the rights and when are uncharted territory in a new vast and unexplored world.
As our society begins going back to whatever the new “normal” is, there will continue to be changes and challenges to our industry. Consolidation has left some of our colleagues with new responsibilities or uncertain career paths. Attacks on the media and restrictions on access have become more commonplace. As Leita Walker in her insightful article muses, we sometimes ask ourselves whether we are on the right side of the equation.
As chair of the Forum, I look at this next year with faith and hope. The articles in this issue can help us do that—as does Communications Lawyer and its dedicated editors. A publication that brings insightful articles to us in a detailed and meaningful way. Editors who sacrifice precious time on a volunteer basis without reward and surely never enough gratitude for all the hard work and countless hours.
I am moved to see Lincoln Bandlow and Giselle Girones’ article. A well-established senior lawyer joining forces with one of our brightest rising stars to bring us great insight about RBG (and which perhaps gives us permission to add to RBG’s numerous accomplishments—a pioneer of media law?). The Tasini and Cable News articles help me reminisce about the fundamentals of some of our current laws and hope for the changes that may eventually take place. Leita Walker’s article and Len Neihoff’s reflection remind me of the purism and idealism that made me want to become a media lawyer and why I still have the faith and belief that there is no greater honor in serving the media and our democracy.
As I wrap up this column and as we put the last tumultuous months behind us, I would like to leave you with some thoughts:
- Have faith.
- Have faith in our profession.
- Have faith in our judicial system—it strives to make the right decision.
- Have faith in our media bar—we strive to make the world a better place.
- Have faith in our clients—they are our future.
- Have faith in our colleagues—they will provide empathy when it’s needed and help us walk with wisdom.
- Have faith in our Forum—we can have fun together and be an inclusive place for everyone while defending some fundamental principles of our society.