Alan Isaacman

This article is about the lawyer. For the historian, see Allen Isaacman.

Alan L. Isaacman (/ˈaɪzəkmən/ EYE-zək-mən; born July 12, 1942) is an American lawyer primarily famous for serving as attorney for publisher Larry Flynt. His past clients also include Geraldo Rivera, Kathy Griffin, Rock Hudson and CBS, Inc. He lives in Beverly Hills, California. His son David is one of the people profiled in Love on the Spectrum (American TV series).

Education

Isaacman went to Pennsylvania State University (earning a Bachelor of Science in 1964) and Harvard Law School (earning a J.D. in 1967). In 1968, he was admitted to the California State Bar. He also served as a Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge Harry Pregerson, Central District, California, from 1969 to 1970.

Professional career

In 1988, he successfully argued the case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell before the Supreme Court of the United States, which has become a significant free speech case in the history of American jurisprudence as it established that parody was in fact protected speech and that "the expression of opinions on matters of public interests was of "fundamental importance" under the First Amendment."

In fiction

Isaacman was played by actor Edward Norton in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt. Some details in the film were fictionalized, including the scene showing Isaacman being wounded in the 1978 sniper shooting of Flynt. The actual lawyer who was shot was Gene Reeves, Jr., a Flynt attorney based in Lawrenceville, Ga., where the shooting took place.

External links

• Isaacman's Bar Record