- click to download vcard

Seth Berlin, a partner in the firm, has represented clients in a variety of First Amendment, defamation, privacy, access, reporter’s privilege, copyright, and trademark disputes for over fifteen years. Among other matters, Mr. Berlin has successfully defended a number of defamation cases including a suit against CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Connie Chung brought by Dr. Eric Foretich, arising out of a broadcast describing allegations by his ex-wife that he had sexually abused their daughter, and an action against Essence magazine and then-chairperson of the United States Commission on Civil Rights Mary Frances Berry arising out of an article authored by Dr. Berry. He successfully represented the NAACP in proceedings instituted by the Adam’s Mark Hotels seeking to enjoin the civil rights organization’s boycott protesting the hotel chain’s mistreatment of Black guests. In addition, Mr. Berlin has represented national media organizations seeking access to judicial or other governmental proceedings, including successfully obtaining access to materials sought by 60 Minutes II related to allegations of racial profiling by the New York State Police.

Mr. Berlin regularly represents clients in copyright and trademark disputes, including publishers, advertising agencies, music houses and other businesses. In recent years, he has successfully represented a number of electronic publishers in matters arising out of unauthorized access to materials that are either distributed electronically or posted in a password protected area of publishers’ Internet websites.

Mr. Berlin is a member of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Communications Law, serves as one of the co-moderators of the Forum’s listserv, the “CommLawAlert,” and is the founder of the Media Advocacy Workshop, an annual training program for media lawyers.  He is also the author of numerous articles, including Planned Parenthood v. ACLA: Are the Nuremberg Files and ‘Wanted’ Posters Protected Advocacy or Unprotected Threat?, 20 Communications Lawyer 1 (2002).  In November 2005, Mr. Berlin testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the issue of “Cameras in the Courtroom.”  He also serves as an adjunct professor of media law for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Mr. Berlin is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University (B.A. 1988) and a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D. 1991). From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Berlin was associated with J.F. Mastroianni Associates, Inc., a classical artist management company in New York City, and served as Vice President of NBSC Inc., a classical music video production company. He is admitted to practice in the courts of the District of Columbia, Maryland and New York, as well as in the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Ninth and District of Columbia Circuits, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States District Courts for the District of Columbia, the District of Maryland, and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.