Kevin M. Goldberg of the law firm of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC has been named to serve as AAN’s legal counsel and will also assume responsibility for the association’s member legal hotline.
As legal counsel, Kevin will provide general advice for the organization, advocate on public policy issues of importance to AAN members and look for amicus opportunities to further advance AAN’s cause.
Kevin works in all areas of media law but has a particular focus on issues that are of importance to journalists and journalism organizations. From state and federal FOIA issues to reporter’s privilege and newsroom searches to taking photos, videos and otherwise acquiring information in public areas on the newsgathering side to problems involving defamation, invasion of privacy and copyright infringement on the publication side, he can provide information members need before working on stories and help by reviewing them before publication.
Kevin will also provide guidance for members on non-journalism issues as well. He’s written numerous Terms of Use and Privacy Policies for journalism and other websites and assisted media and non-media entities in registering, protecting and monetizing their copyrighted and trademarked intellectual property, as well as having drafted and negotiated employment and employment severance agreements on behalf of both sides: employee and management.
If it’s related to newsgathering and publication or the business of news, chances are he’s worked on it at some point in the past 17 years of dealing with clients ranging from major press organizations such as the American Society of News Editors and Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors to smaller, internet-only websites and even freelance journalists. He also applies a keen sense of what reporters and editors really want to his legal work, having majored in communications, with a focus on journalism in college (his studies coming full circle as he now teaches the same undergraduate Journalism Law class he credits with starting his transition from budding journalist to budding lawyer, albeit at a different university) and serving as a prolific contributor to his law firm’s Commlawblog, regular speaker at journalism conferences and frequent source for journalists writing on public policy and legal issues relating to Freedom of Information and the First Amendment.
