Dilworth Paxson Adds Litigation Partner Terry Mutchler

Dilworth Paxson LLP announced today the addition of partner Terry Mutchler to the firm’s litigation practice, resident in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

A prominent First Amendment lawyer and former award-winning AP journalist appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell to create Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records to government transparency, Mutchler is a nationally recognized leader in the growing field of transparency law.

“First as a journalist, and now as a preeminent authority and legal practitioner, Terry has been a relentless trailblazer in her pursuit of shedding light on the shadowy corners where commerce and the public sector intersect,” said Dilworth Chairman and CEO Ajay Raju. “In many ways, Terry’s joining Dilworth is more of a spiritual homecoming than a new arrival. The ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurial drive that have defined her career are precisely the traits that this firm aspires to embody on our best days.”

Mutchler’s practice focuses on media companies and multi-national corporations alike. She has represented defense contractors, pharmaceuticals, colleges and universities, healthcare providers to develop and execute strategies to maximize records access laws, provided in-depth compliance training to clients, and guided reporters, government officials, and C-Suite executives through all manner of disputes toward creative non-litigation solutions.

“It’s gratifying to join a firm that identifies not just as a collection of lawyers but as an institution of counsel,” Mutchler said. “Dilworth has found the sweet spot between traditional lawyering and innovative exploration of ways to serve clients and solve their complex problems,” Mutchler said.

Mutchler clerked for both the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and the Executive Office of the President of the United States during the Clinton Administration focusing on privacy issues. She was appointed as Illinois’ first Public Access Counselor and served as a senior advisor and speechwriter to Illinois Attorney General. Mutchler has testified before Congress, advised state legislatures, and consulted with journalists, judges, policymakers, and a representative of The Hague seeking to duplicate the “Pennsylvania Model” of open government in their jurisdictions. Common Cause awarded Mutchler the 2016 Bob Edgar Public Service Achievement Award for “outstanding contribution to transparency in government and integrity for her force of imagination, initiative, and perseverance.” The National Freedom of Information Coalition inducted Mutchler into 2018 Hall of Fame.

Before entering the field of law, Mutchler was an investigative reporter for The Associated Press, becoming the first woman to be appointed AP Statehouse Bureau Chief in Springfield, Illinois. She also served as AP Correspondent in Atlantic City, NJ., covering Donald Trump, and Juneau, Alaska covering politics and the environment. During her tenure at The Morning Call of Allentown, Mutchler won several Keystone Awards, Pennsylvania’s top honor for reporting.

Mutchler published her first book, Under This Beautiful Dome in 2014, a best-selling and award-winning memoir. She has been interviewed by a number of national news outlets, including The Rachel Maddow Show, National Public Radio, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Thomson Reuters, the AP, Slate, Politico, The Washington Post, and Pa Spotlight.

Mutchler received her B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and J.D. from the John Marshall School of Law in Chicago. She was a Bohnett Fellow for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

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Founded in 1933, Dilworth Paxson LLP has a rich and impressive history filled with landmark work that reflects a tradition of legal excellence and a focus on growth and innovation. Dilworth represents a broad spectrum of clients, from the world’s leading companies to governmental and civic entities.