Ashley Kissinger

Ashley Kissinger's legal practice primarily focuses on First Amendment and media law, defending content publishers in complex defamation, invasion of privacy, right of publicity, and copyright infringement cases across the country. She also provides pre-publication review and vetting to help clients mitigate legal risks. Her experience consistently places her on the defense side, representing news, entertainment, and other media clients, including broadcast networks, newspaper and magazine publishers, and film producers.

Currently, Ms. Kissinger is Special Counsel at Ballard Spahr. Prior to Ballard Spahr, she was a partner for 13 years at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP, a highly regarded First Amendment boutique law firm that merged with Ballard Spahr in 2017. Her notable achievements in media law include securing a precedent-setting opinion from the Nevada Supreme Court, obtaining a ruling under Colorado's anti-SLAPP statute protecting online consumer reviewers, and establishing precedent in the Fourth Circuit regarding government officials suppressing speech. She also obtained a rare declaratory judgment in California under the federal SPEECH Act to protect against foreign libel judgments. In 2021, she spent eight months working with NBCUniversal's litigation department.

While her primary focus is media and First Amendment law, Ms. Kissinger has one tracked appearance in patent litigation, representing the defendant Starbucks Corporation as Counsel in Monticello Enterprises LLC v. Starbucks Corporation at Ballard Spahr. There is no publicly available information indicating regular involvement in PTAB or IPR proceedings as part of her practice.

Ms. Kissinger earned her J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law in 1995, where she served as an Associate Editor for the Texas Law Review, and her A.B. from Stanford University in 1990. She is admitted to practice in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, New York, and Texas, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals and District Courts.