Reporters Committee announces new legal fellows

The Reporters Committee has hired three attorneys to serve as legal fellows for the 2012-2013 term.

The Jack Nelson Freedom of Information Fellow will be Aaron Mackey, a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley School of Law. He also has a B.A. in journalism and English from the University of Arizona, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Arizona Daily Wildcat. Aaron worked as a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star for three years before attending law school and, while in law school, interned at the First Amendment Project in Oakland, Calif., and the Reporters Committee.

The Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Fellow, focusing on libel, privacy and reporters privilege issues,  will be Jack Komperda. Jack is a graduate of Washington University Law School and the University of Illinois. Before law school, Jack worked as a reporter for six years at the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill. He also held internships at U.S. News & World Report, the FCC and the Cook County State's attorney's office.

The Robert R. McCormick Fellow, focusing on secret court and prior restraint issues, will be Rob Tricchinelli, a graduate of Cornell Law School who has spent the past year clerking on the Maryland Court of Appeals. Rob has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a bachelor's degree in information technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has held journalism internships at the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun, and interned in the legal department at National Public Radio.

The Reporters Committee is extremely pleased to welcome these three legal fellows, who bring with them a wealth of journalism and legal experience.