The International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) will present Ballard Spahr Senior Counsel David A. Schulz with the inaugural Winfield Freedom of Expression Award at ISLP's 25th Anniversary Gala next month in New York City.
The award is named in memory of Richard Winfield, a prominent First Amendment lawyer who died in November 2024. ISLP created the Winfield Freedom of Expression Award "to recognize exceptional advocacy that embodies the spirit and principles" of Richard Winfield, a passionate and dedicated champion of freedom of expression for journalists who spent decades as General Counsel of the Associated Press.
ISLP mobilizes pro bono legal support to advance more just, inclusive, sustainable, and accountable economic development, drawing from a global network of volunteer senior-level and retired attorneys who are recognized authorities in their fields.
David is a member of Ballard Spahr's Media and Entertainment Law Group, the country's premier practice of its kind. He has defended the rights of journalists and news organizations for more than 35 years and has litigated libel, privacy, access, and newsgathering claims in 20 states. David also serves as Director of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School. The MFIA Clinic provides pro bono representation to journalists and nonprofit organizations for access to government information, newsgathering, digital privacy, and free speech.
David is a fitting recipient of the inaugural Winfield Freedom of Expression Award, as Richard Winfield was an important mentor for him. The two met while working on a project that sent U.S. lawyers to advise Eastern European countries following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It is just one of many projects over decades that demonstrates David's commitment to protecting freedom of information and promoting government transparency in the United States and overseas.
"From advising on strategic litigation, to delivering in-person legal training for journalists and media lawyers, to helping guide ISLP as we adapt to the challenges of our time, your remarkable devotion to expanding access to knowledge and resources in the public interest has widespread and enduring impact," wrote Sara A. Lulo, ISLP Executive Director, in informing David of the award.
Previously, David was featured in an ISLP "spotlight" interview.