Chuck Tobin is one of the most important media lawyers in the country.  He recently joined Ballard Spahr in Washington, D.C. as co-practice leader of their Media and Entertainment Law Group. Tobin defends the media in libel and privacy lawsuits and advises clients on subpoenas, access and privilege issues, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, copyright matters, and First Amendment rights. Prior to entering private practice, Tobin spent eight years at the in-house counsel at Gannett. Tobin came to UF as an aspiring medical student, but soon caught the journalism bug. He is on the Journalism Advisory Board and served on the search committee for the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director position.