Paul Alan Levy

Attorney, Public Citizen Litigation Group

Paul Alan Levy is an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group, where he has worked since December 1977. He has argued scores of cases in United States Court of Appeals (three en banc) and four cases in the Supreme Court of the United States. Paul’s practice initially focused on representing workers in rank-and-file labor law cases, primarily dissident union members in cases involving union governance. He now specializes in free speech issues arising on the Internet. He has litigated cases in state and federal courts throughout the country about the identification of anonymous Internet speakers. His amicus curiae brief in Dendrite v Doe, whose approach was adopted by New Jersey’s Superior Court Appellate Division, has become the model for other cases. His Internet practice also includes the defense of trademark and copyright claims brought as a means of suppressing critical web sites. His cases in this area, such as Bosley Medical v. Kremer and Lamparello v. Falwell, have established the right to create internet “gripe” sites that include the trademark names of companies in their domain names and meta tags. Paul has also litigated cases under anti-SLAPP laws in several states and advocated the adoption of new or stronger state anti-SLAPP laws. A description of his work in was published in the Washingtonian Magazine as Paul Levy, the Web Bully’s Worst Enemy.