David Ardia

David Ardia is a fellow at the Berkman Center and the director of the Citizen Media Law Project, which provides legal education and resources for individuals and organizations involved in citizen media. 

David received his J.D. degree, summa cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law in 1996 and received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in June 2007.  Prior to coming to Harvard, he was assistant counsel at The Washington Post where he provided pre-publication review and legal advice on First Amendment, newsgathering, intellectual property, and general business issues.  Together with legal counsel from other major media organizations, he helped develop strategies for dealing with important media law issues, including court access, prior restraints, and the reporter’s privilege. 

Before joining The Post, David was an associate at Williams & Connolly in Washington, DC, where he handled a range of intellectual property and media litigation.  David is a former member of the Newspaper Association of America’s Legal Affairs Committee and is a current member of the First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association, the Media Law Committee of the District of Columbia Bar, and the New England Media Lawyers Group.

David is admitted to practice law in New York, District of Columbia, United States Supreme Court, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and United States District Court for the District of Maryland.