Contact: Mark Fefer, Marketing Communications, 206.757.8583 or markfefer@dwt.com

APRIL 20, 2018 – The media and entertainment team at Davis Wright Tremaine, widely recognized as one of the leading groups in the country, has added to its record of high-profile achievement with recognition for New York partner Rob Balin as “Litigator of the Week” by American Lawyer.

Balin was honored for his successful advocacy of media interests at a federal court hearing on Monday, which produced the headline-making revelation that Sean Hannity was a client of President Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen.

Balin’s presence in the courtroom was made possible by the work of his Davis Wright Tremaine colleague, Rachel Strom, who, on the previous Friday, opposed efforts by Cohen’s team to close parts of the proceedings. Both lawyers were working on behalf of ABC, the Associated Press, CNN, the New York Times, and Newsday.

What happened in the courtroom “was very reassuring” and “what is envisioned by our First Amendment public access principles,” Balin told American Lawyer.

Said Davis Wright Tremaine’s New York partner-in-charge, Lynn Loacker: “This is a wonderful story about a smart and resourceful lawyer seizing the moment to represent his clients and, more broadly, to do an impactful and great public service.”

Davis Wright Tremaine is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading advocates for media and entertainment companies. The team has decades of experience supporting the work of journalists, film makers, and other content creators, including securing access to public documents and information. Chambers USA ranks Davis Wright Tremaine as a top Media & Entertainment practice in all three of the country’s media industry centers (California, New York, and Washington, D.C.)—the only firm to be so honored. This past year the team was recognized with a Freedom of the Press award by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

A Q&A with Balin about this week’s hearing has been published by the Columbia Journalism Review and can be found here.

About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with more than 550 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.