Lynn Oberlander

Practice Areas

Lynn Oberlander provides counsel to companies that employ journalists, editors, authors, filmmakers, and other creative professionals in legal challenges to the broadcast, distribution, and publication of their work. Having served media companies in-house for almost 25 years, Lynn has broad experience in all content-related matters, ranging from investigative journalism to celebrity coverage to access. Lynn regularly advises on prepublication and copyright issues and she also has deep experience in the corporate and contractual issues that arise in the media industry—including those concerning intellectual property, talent, podcasting, sponsorship, and distribution.

Lynn provides general counsel services; pre-broadcast and pre-publication review; pre-production services; fair use review and analysis; newsgathering and newsroom policies; counsel on Freedom of Information Act requests and access; copyright and content litigation; and contract and licensing review, drafting, and negotiation of all types. She has particular experience with journalism that involves issues of national security as well as other types of investigative reporting.

Career

Admissions:

New York

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. Supreme Court

Professional Memberships

Member, Task Force on Free Expression in the Digital Age, New York State Bar Association, 2019 -2021

Director, Media Law Resource Center, 2012- 2020;

Chair, January 2015-December 2018

External Advisor, MacArthur Foundation Journalism and Media Program, 2017-2018

Member, New York State Bar Association Committee on Media Law

Chair, June 2012-June 2016

Personal

Columbia University School of Law (J.D. 1991)

Columbia Law Review¸ Notes and Comments Editor

Yale University (B.A., cum laude, with distinction in the major, 1987)