Gravel & Shea has regularly represented Vermont’s leading media outlets in First Amendment litigation and is considered both locally and nationally as an expert in the field. In addition to being recognized in every edition of Best Lawyers in America for First Amendment law, members of the firm have contributed to the Vermont section of the Libel Resource Defense Center’s Fifty State Survey of Libel and Privacy Law every year it has been published.

Matthew Byrne helped develop the Vermont law protecting against strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as the Vermont Anti-SLAPP law, through repeated arguments on behalf of Vermont’s news media before the Vermont Supreme Court. In addition, Attorney Byrne has helped expand the protection of the Vermont Constitution to Vermont’s news media when it reports on official governmental proceedings.