Media Law

Florida Media Law Attorneys

With more than ninety years of combined media law experience, the lawyers at Thomas & LoCicero are accustomed to the critical deadlines under which broadcasters and publishers operate. Because many of our lawyers and paralegals are former journalists we have first-hand experience in the media industry. Our team approach assures that clients have a lawyer available at all times to render advice, make an appearance, or draft and file a pleading on their behalf.

We represent some of the industry's leading broadcasters, telecasters, and publishers. Our focus on media law allows us to advise clients across a wide array of media, including newspaper, television, cable, radio, and the Internet. We handle all aspects of media law and provide the following services to protect our clients' content:

Newsgathering Advice & Pre-Publication/Pre-Broadcast Review:

The attorneys at Thomas & LoCicero PL understand the tight deadlines under which journalists work, as well as the nuances in the laws affecting a reporter's newsgathering and ultimate product. We are available day and night to provide advice on all aspects of a story.

We work with our clients from the inception of a story by providing advice on newsgathering activities and investigative techniques. We also provide pre-publication and pre-broadcast review to assess risk and potential liability. As media attorneys, we know we are not editors and instead work with our clients to minimize legal risk. Our most important role is to assist our clients in providing quality content.

We know that the defense of any story is built during the newsgathering and reporting stages and are here to assist our clients during these critical times. However, we also protect our clients after the story and provide advice about demands for retraction as well as litigation defense of defamation, privacy and other content-related claims.

Access to Government Information:

Reporters often face obstacles in obtaining government information - from denial of public records, to closed meetings, to restrictions placed on access to judicial proceedings. One of the primary missions of Thomas & LoCicero PL is helping our clients overcome those obstacles and obtain the information necessary to produce full and fair stories.

We aggressively protect our clients' right of access to public records. Our attorneys have litigated significant public records and Freedom of Information Act cases in state and federal courts. After the 2000 presidential election, we ensured that our clients were able to access the ballots and scrutinize the results of the election. Prior to the 2004 election, we secured access to the list of suspected felons that were purged from the voting rolls. After the 2004 historic hurricane season, we litigated and won access to the addresses of disaster claimants from FEMA. Access to these public records led to award-winning stories. Our goal is to make sure our clients have the information necessary to craft such important stories.

We assist our clients in making sure that government agencies and private entities acting on behalf of the government operate in the sunshine. Florida, like most states, has strict open meeting requirements. When agencies run afoul of these requirements, it harms our clients and limits the amount of information they can make available to the public. We are here to make sure that does not happen. For example, when Tampa General Hospital was operating outside Florida's Government-In-The-Sunshine Laws, we obtained a ruling that the hospital was subject to open meeting laws and must operate in the sunshine.

We also make sure that our clients have full access to judicial proceedings and records. When the trial judge in the State v. Joseph Smith case, one of the most high profile criminal trials in the State of Florida, restricted the media's access to discovery materials, juror information, and evidence introduced at trial, we intervened to protect the interests of our clients. After numerous hearings before the trial court and two emergency appeals, we ensured our clients had access to the information.

Protection From Subpoenas:

By the very nature of their jobs, reporters are thrust in the middle of high profile criminal and civil cases. Reporters monitor court proceedings, gather information, and interview witnesses, parties, and attorneys. Essentially, reporters become the experts on the cases they cover. Litigants often try to use this expertise to their advantage by subpoenaing a reporter for his or her information or testimony. We fight any intrusion upon our clients' newsgathering and work hard to ensure that reporters do not have to testify or turn over work product.

Seminars, Courses, and Lectures:

Our attorneys not only provide quality representation, but we also help educate the journalism community. We regularly provide seminars to our clients and journalism organizations on all aspects of media law, including defamation and privacy law, newsgathering and potential liability for investigative techniques, reporter shield laws and promises of confidentiality, and access to government information. We also have lectured and taught classes on various media law topics at numerous high schools, colleges, and law schools ensuring that the next crop of journalists and media lawyers have a basis for understanding the intricacies of media law.

We invite you to contact us at our offices in Tampa or South Florida, to learn more about our experience and reputation in the field of media law.