One-Day Law School for Journalists™
Our One-Day Law School for Journalists™ is an intensive program designed to support journalists and others in the media who face the challenge of reporting on the court system without a law degree.
"I cannot emphasize how helpful this was, and how much it will inform my reporting. I am so grateful for these resources." - 2019 Pittsburgh Participant
2025 Schedule
10-10:05 am Introduction by PMC President Debbie Gross
10:05-11:00 am Preliminary Injunctions 101
Panelists: Prof. David Sonenshein, Sozi Tulante, Esq. (Dechert LLP) and Judge Mark Kearney (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania)
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Understanding What the Media/Press Can & Cannot Do Inside the Courtroom and Its Environs
Panelists: Melissa Melewsky, Esq. (Media Law Counsel, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association) and Paul Safier, Esq. (Ballard Spahr)
12 pm - 12:10 pm Break
12:10 pm -1:10 pm Roundtable Discussion: The Tension Between Disclosure of Information About the Judiciary and Threats to the Judiciary
Panelists: Matt Schafer, Esq. (CBS/Paramount), Christopher Mohr, Esq. (President of the Software & Information Industry Association), Ret. Judge Paul Wilson, Esq. (MA. Superior), moderator Amy Sanders, Esq. (Penn State)
1:10 pm - 2:05 pm Is there a Journalist Privilege? And For Whom? And Protecting What?
Panelists: Eli Segal, Esq. (Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC) and Chris Brennan (USA Today)
2:05 pm - 2:55 pm Obtaining Bodycam Footage and Law Enforcement Records in PA
Panelists: Paula Knudsen Burke, Esq. (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press) and Terry Mutchler, Esq. (Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP)
2:55 pm - 3 pm Conclusion