Media Interactions 101 for Lawyers: Ethics, Strategy, and a Multi-Perspective Panel Discussion (Hybrid)
*Rescheduled from Monday, March 16, 2026.
This CLE will be available in a live, hybrid format (in-person and virtual). Please select the corresponding ticket (in-person or virtual) when registering below. Thank you.
SCHEDULE
CLE: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Reception: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ONLINE REGISTRATION INCLUDED BELOW.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A REGISTRATION FORM
Event Description
Attorneys may encounter media attention at any stage of a case, yet many are unsure how to respond when a reporter calls. This multi-perspective panel explores the ethical and strategic considerations that arise when legal matters intersect with public reporting. Drawing on perspectives ranging from government attorneys to private practitioners and members of the press, the discussion will provide practical insight into why reporters seek attorney input, what considerations should guide a response, and how lawyers can engage with the media while protecting client interests and upholding professional responsibilities.
CREDIT(S):
1.0 ETHIC CREDIT
MODERATOR:
Paula Knudsen Burke, Esquire
Senior Supervising Attorney, Pennsylvania, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Paula Knudsen Burke is the Reporters Committee’s senior supervising attorney in Pennsylvania, leading the organization’s legal work in the state as part of the Local Legal Initiative. She joined the Reporters Committee in 2020 from LNP Media Group, Inc. in Lancaster.
A licensed Pennsylvania attorney for two decades, Paula has worked in both the legal and media fields. In 2017, she helped launch The Caucus, a watchdog publication covering state government and politics. She also led the investigations and enterprise team as an editor at LNP Media Group, Inc., the publisher of The Caucus.
Before joining The Caucus, Paula was the director of government affairs at the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, where she worked on legislative issues impacting print and digital news outlets in the state, including advocating for improvements to the state’s Right to Know Law and Sunshine Act. Paula has also worked in private practice and nonprofit law, starting her career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow.
Paula is a graduate of the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University. She also received her undergraduate degrees from the Pennsylvania State University, in both journalism and Spanish. Paula is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Bar/Press Committee and the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition.
PANELISTS:
Heather Adams, Esquire
District Attorney, Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office
Ms. Adams is a native of Lititz, Lancaster County. She graduated from Warwick High School and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Millersville University, cum laude. Ms. Adams received her juris doctorate from Widener University School of Law in 1997, where she graduated cum laude and was ranked fourth in her class. Ms. Adams then served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable James P. Cullen in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas. Thereafter, she accepted a position as an Assistant District Attorney for the York County District Attorney’s.
In 2002, Ms. Adams accepted a position with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office in the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit. Shortly afterwards, Ms. Adams transferred to the Drug Strike Force Section where she was responsible for felony drug and narcotics and corrupt organizations prosecutions in a nine-county area, including Lancaster County. Ms. Adams then joined Pyfer Reese Straub Gray and Farhat in March 2013, and has concentrated her practice on criminal defense. Ms. Adams was then elected to serve as District Attorney of Lancaster County in 2020 and again in 2024 and currently serves in that capacity.
Matthew Creme, Esquire
Partner, Nikolaus & Hohenadel LLP
Matthew J. Creme, Jr. is a graduate of Dickinson College and the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Creme is a partner of the Lancaster County law firm Nikolaus & Hohenadel LLP.
Mr. Creme leads N&H’s Municipal and Land Use Law Practice Group. Mr. Creme and the law firm are solicitor or special counsel for many municipalities and other municipal entities in four counties in Central Pennsylvania for complex zoning and land use issues. The Group also represents developers of residential, commercial and industrial properties in Lancaster and the surrounding counties in Pennsylvania. The law firm has particular experience with the development of Low-Income Tax Credit Housing and HUD Section 202 Supportive Housing.
He is a member of the Pennsylvania, Lancaster and Berks County Bar Associations. He is a past President of the Lancaster Bar Association and Past Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. In June of 2009 Mr. Creme was elected Vice President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and served as its 117th President in 2011-2012.
Mr. Creme has served as a member of the Act 47 Task Force of the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s Local Government Commission that was charged with recommending revisions to the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act of 1987 (Act 47).
Mr. Creme has also been active in the non-profit community of South Central Pennsylvania and has served as Board Chair of the American Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley, the Lancaster County Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Resurrection Catholic School and Lancaster Catholic High School, as well as serving on the boards or acting as counsel for other community non-profit organizations, including volunteer fire departments and other emergency responders.
He frequently speaks on topics of zoning, land use, municipal and administrative law for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, LBA, and PSATS.
Christopher Tallarico, Esquire
Chief Public Defender, Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office
Dan Nephin
Crime and Public Safety Reporter, LNP|LancasterOnline
QUESTIONS?
Email Lexi Driendl (lexi@lancasterbar.org), Education & Member Engagement Coordinator