The International Board of ARTICLE 19 has appointed Jackson Walker partner Robert P. Latham as a board member and trustee. In his role, Bob is responsible for ensuring the non-governmental organization is able to continue its mission to protect and promote freedom of expression around the world.

“Over 30 years ago, ARTICLE 19 was founded to protect the right to speak and to know as the threat of censorship emerged,” said Paddy Coulter, Chair of the International Board and Director of Oxford Global Media, UK. “As that threat remains to this day, we are very pleased to welcome Bob Latham to the team. Throughout his career, Bob has defended free speech rights in the courtroom and in his writing and speeches, which makes him a valuable asset to the board.”

“Throughout his career, Bob has defended free speech rights in the courtroom and in his writing and speeches, which makes him a valuable asset to the board.”

Headquartered in London with 10 offices located worldwide, ARTICLE 19 facilitates several campaigns on freedom of expression and information and also works to bring change through legal and policy work. These efforts include providing analyses of national laws, submitting expert opinions to courts, and shaping standards in new areas of international law.

As the governing body of ARTICLE 19, the International Board is responsible for the day-to-day governance, including focusing on the organization’s strategy, monitoring compliance, evaluating performance, guaranteeing accountability, and appointing the Executive Director. The board consists of a dozen members with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. Individually, trustees offer ongoing advice on their areas of experience, including finance, policy, charities, and human resources. To learn more about the organization’s governance structure, click here.

Meet Bob

Robert P. Latham has developed nationally recognized experience in the areas of media law and intellectual property litigation and chairs both practice areas at Jackson Walker. Bob’s trial practice also involves complex commercial disputes as well as unfair competition, securities, probate, employment, banking, real estate, telecommunications, energy, international, and class action matters. Bob is also a published author and columnist, and he has spoken internationally on matters relating to free speech, technology, intellectual property litigation, and sports. Bob has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America under First Amendment Law and Litigation – First Amendment, among other categories. In addition to his work with ARTICLE 19, Bob is a Governance Committee member of the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law and a former president of the Media Law Resource Center Defense Counsel Section. He is also a member of the World Rugby Executive Committee and a Texas Rugby Union Hall of Fame inductee.