Practice Focus:

• Pre-publication/broadcast advice to newspapers, magazines, news agencies and broadcasters dealing with defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of confidentiality, contempt of court and related reporting perils.

• Authored Courts and The Media (Butterworths, 1981); Media Law Handbook (International Self-Counsel Press, 1982); Robertson’s Pocket Guide to Media Law (Canadian Newspaper Association, 2006)

• Edited a series of five books on the issues of news gathering, defamation, privacy, criminal statistics and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms published by The Canadian Bar Association

• Authored “Foreword on Canadian Defamation Law” in 50-State Survey 1983 (Libel Defense Resource Center, NY)

• Authored “Canadian Press Law “ in Legal Handbook for New York State Journalists (New York State Bar Association, eds. 1986, 1993 and 1998)

• Authored a series of books on the subjects of Letters to the Editor, Reporting on Youth and Children and Newsroom Legal Crisis Management (Hallion Press)

• Edited books on Advertising Law and Adult Court Reporting (Hallion Press)

• Authored “Comment on Contempt Law and the Charter” in The Media the Courts and the Charter (Carswell, 1986 edited by Allen M. Linden and Philip Anisman)

• Present seminars on all aspects of news gathering and presentation

• Advising and representing media in gaining access to court proceedings and court documents.

• Insurance defence litigation, with particular emphasis on the defence of newspapers, magazines, Internet satellite providers, news agencies and broadcasters.

• Monitoring/advisory counsel to insurers in defamation claims.

• Advising and assisting applicants and licensees in the broadcast regulatory system in Canada with particular emphasis in the following areas -

• policy development in access by third parties to the facilities of broadcast distribution undertakings.

• development of the policy framework in which broadcasting services for persons with perceptual disabilities have been licensed on a mandatory carriage basis.

• assisting in developing a new radio format dedicated to young listeners licensed as Youth Contemporary Radio.

• licensing new radio stations in several markets in Canada.

• Extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, having acted as defence counsel in defamation claims.

• Assisting in negotiating and drafting commercial agreements in the publishing and broadcasting industries – including

• licensing all forms of content on all forms of platforms.

• production and distribution agreements.

• freelance agreements.

• joint ventures.

• Advising non-share capital corporations and public charities as well as industry organizations and co-operatives

• Advising and representing media companies in legislative reform activities in the following areas –

• appearing in the committees of Parliament on the subject of federal legislation in the areas of copyright, criminal law, access to information, broadcasting, telecommunications, PIPEDA and not-for-profit corporations.

• provincial legislation in the areas of defamation, access to public places and proceedings, access to information, police and access to the facilities of utilities for purposes of communications.

• municipal by-laws in the areas of newspaper delivery and access to information.

Member:

• Law Society of Upper Canada

• Canadian Bar Association

• Canadian Media Lawyers Association

• Board of Governors and Treasurer, National Newspaper Awards

• Member of the Judges Panel, Ross Munro Media Award (Conference of Defence Associations in co-operation with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute)

• President’s Award (Ontario Community Newspaper Association, 1999) for “outstanding service to the Community Newspaper Industry in Ontario"

• Life Member of The National Broadcast Reading Service Inc.

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