Lauren P. Russell is an associate in the Litigation Department with a focus on media and entertainment. She regularly defends news outlets and other content creators against defamation and privacy lawsuits, and brings lawsuits against government agencies to gain access to public records and official proceedings. Lauren also provides prepublication and newsgathering advice to her clients.
Lauren’s work is informed by her experience working as a photo editor and associate producer at CNN, and aiding in the coverage of the October 2016 term of the U.S. Supreme Court as an intern at NPR.
Prior to joining Ballard Spahr, Lauren represented clients in complex corporate and commercial litigation proceedings in Delaware.
Representative Experience
Representative Matters
- Obtained summary judgment for Southern Poverty Law Center in a defamation lawsuit brought by Dustin Inman Society and its founder, D.A. King, over SPLC's designation of Dustin Inman Society as an anti-immigrant hate group, and related statements, in online publications. The court dismissed the lawsuit on grounds that many publications were time-barred, and the remaining publications were not published with actual malice. An appeal is pending. Est. of King vs. SPLC, 2026 WL 50066 (M.D. Ala. Jan. 7, 2026).
- Successfully defended Politico in trial court and through appeal in a defamation case brought by John Paul Mac Isaac, who leaked Hunter Biden's laptop data, and claimed a Politico article reporting on initial concern from retired intelligence officials that the data could be Russian misinformation implied that Mr. Mac Isaac was a Russian agent. The court dismissed the lawsuit, and the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed. Mac Isaac v. CNN, Inc. et al., 2024 WL 4371035 (Del. Super. Sept. 30, 2024), affd. Mac Isaac v. Politico LLC, 346 A.3d 103 (Del. 2025).
- Represented Charlotte news station WBTV in case considering whether municipal records held by a third-party contractor were subject to the North Carolina Public Records Act's disclosure requirements. The N.C. Court of Appeals ruled in WBTV's favor and ordered the city to pay the station's attorney's fees. Gray Media Grp., Inc. v. City of Charlotte, 290 N.C. App. 384, 892 S.E.2d 629 (2023).
Professional Highlights
Pro Bono Experience
Lauren has provided pro bono litigation representation to journalists and speakers defending against defamation lawsuits and seeking records through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). She has also represented clients in immigration matters.
Judicial Internships
Hon. Patrick Auld, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, June 2016-July 2016
Professional Activities
Training & Development Committee Member, ABA Communications Forum Media Advocacy Workshop, 2025 and 2026
Steering Committee for the D.C. Bar Arts, Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Community, 2025
Recognition & Accomplishments
"Rising Star," Newsgathering and the Law, ABA Communications Forum, 2025
Publications
Co-author, "January 6, 2021: Saving the Truth From the Whitewash," MLRC MediaLawLetter, January 2026
Co-author, "North Carolina Court Holds Records in Possession of Third-Party Contractor Subject to Public Records Disclosure Requirements," MLRC MediaLawLetter, September 2023
Co-author, "Colorado Court Grants Anti-SLAPP Motions of Media Defendants Sued for Reporting on Health Company Fallout With State," MLRC MediaLawLetter, August 2023
Credentials
Education
University of North Carolina School of Law (J.D. 2018, with honors)
Comments Editor and Staff Member, North Carolina Law Review
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A., Journalism, 2012)
Arts Editor, The Daily Tar Heel
Director of News, Reese News Digital Newsroom
Admissions
District of Columbia
Delaware
Maryland
North Carolina
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina