Henry Abrams handles complex commercial and real estate disputes. He has represented numerous individuals, corporations and partnerships in commercial litigation issues including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, bankruptcy and creditors' rights, and lender liability. He has also represented real estate owners and developers in connection with partnership, landlord/tenant and construction-related matters.
Mr. Abrams also has an active First Amendment practice, handling matters involving defamation, libel, slander, and privacy laws. A frequent lecturer on media topics, he serves as pre-publication and libel counsel for the Frederick News-Post and The Daily Record, and has also represented Newsweek magazine, the Washington Post Company, the Montgomery Gazette, the Prince George's County Current, and the former daily Baltimore News-American.
Mr. Abrams represented the Frederick News-Post in the "Black Book" case, compelling the city of Frederick to release potentially compromising evidence regarding an alleged police cover up. In another high-profile case, Mr. Abrams was one of the counsel representing Newsweek magazine reporter Michael Isikoff, who broke the Linda Tripp/Monica Lewinsky story in 1998. Mr. Abrams represented Mr. Isikoff in connection with the state of Maryland's attempt to subpoena him to testify in its wiretapping case against Ms. Tripp. Mr. Abrams and his co-counsel convinced the state to withdraw its subpoena on First Amendment grounds.
Mr. Abrams is a member of the Media Law Resource Center (MLRC), a national organization comprised of media and First Amendment counsel, and annually authors the Maryland Chapter of the MLRC's 50 State Survey on Media Libel Law.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Abrams served as a staff attorney in the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition in Washington, D.C. for three years before joining the Antitrust Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland.
Honors and Awards
- Named to "The Best Lawyers in America" list, First Amendment Law, Woodward White, 2006 to present
Memberships and Affiliations
- Chairman, Pre-Trial Committee, Defense Counsel Section, Media Law Resource Center