Nathan Siegel
Media clients often turn to Nathan Siegel with their most challenging cases and thorniest questions. He represents media companies in First Amendment, intellectual property, and entertainment law cases in trial and appellate courts throughout the country. Additionally, Nathan provides pre-broadcast and pre-publication counseling to a wide range of print and web publishers, television networks, and film producers.
What Best Lawyers has called Nathan's "practical, client-friendly approach" focuses on sizing up complex matters at the outset, and then partnering with each client to choose and implement the strategy that best reflects its objectives. He handles defamation, privacy and all manner of media tort claims, and litigates copyright, trademark, right of publicity, theft of idea and other disputes over rights to media content. Nathan is a past President of the Defense Counsel Section of the Media Law Resource Center, the largest national organization of media defense counsel, and is a member of the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Communications Law.
Practice Highlights
High profile defamation cases
Cutting edge right of publicity and IP Lawsuits
Defending media freedoms
Admitted to Practice
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District of Columbia, 1995
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Maryland, 1992
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New York, 1998
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U.S. Supreme Court
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U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
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U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
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U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, 1996
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U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, 1993
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U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1999
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U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 2009
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas, 2013
Education
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J.D., Yale Law School, 1992
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B.A., Economics/History, Duke University, 1986
- A.B. Duke Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa
Memberships & Affiliations
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- Governing Committee, ABA Forum on Communications Law
- Former President, Media Law Resource Center
- Co-Editor, Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law, published by Southwestern Law School
- Board of Trustees, Maryland-DC-Delaware Press Association
- Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Law School, Free Press Seminar, 2006-Present
- Former Chair of the Model Shield Law Task Force and the New Legal Developments Committee, Media Law Resource Center
- Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, 1994-1996
Professional Recognition
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- Named one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" by Chambers USA in First Amendment Litigation (Nationwide), 2017-2024; Media & Entertainment (D.C.), 2018-2024; Received "Band 1" ranking, 2024
- Named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" by Best Lawyers in Media Law, 2010-present, in Litigation - First Amendment, 2013-present
- Recognized as a "Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer" in Media and Advertising Law, Thomson Reuters
- Named an "MVP of the Year" in Media & Entertainment, Law360, 2023
- Named to the "Top Lawyers Hall of Fame" by Washingtonian Magazine, 2022
- Recognized as a top media lawyer in the District of Columbia by The Washingtonian Magazine
- Featured as part of the nation's top-ranked First Amendment law practice in The Legal 500
Background
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- Partner, Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz LLP, Wash., D.C., 2005-2017
- Executive Counsel, ABC, Inc., New York, NY and Wash, D.C., 1996-2004
- Associate, Venable LLP, Baltimore, MD, 1992-1996