cbabcock@jw.com
+1 713.752.4210

Chip Babcock

First Amendment, Commercial, and Intellectual Property Litigator

Charles “Chip” Babcock is a top First Amendment, trial, and appellate lawyer who has represented a myriad of clients in high-profile litigation trials.

Practice in Play

Charles “Chip” Babcock is a nationally acclaimed First Amendment, commercial, and intellectual property trial and appellate attorney. Over his extensive 30-plus-year career, the seasoned attorney has represented major household names, from media moguls to political defendants to major corporations: including Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil, Bill O’Reilly, Warner Brothers, Inc., George W. Bush, Google Inc., and Ericsson Inc. Chip Babcock has won an extraordinary range of precedent-setting cases, including one involving TransAmerican Press that established the First Amendment right of journalists to protect confidential sources.

Chip Babcock’s practice centers on bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, government investigations, media litigation, appellate litigation, and First Amendment litigation.  From the battlegrounds of the courtroom, he has represented a myriad of Fortune 500 clients, tried more than 100 jury cases in federal and state courts, and argued over 50 appeals.

Today, Chip Babcock is a partner at Jackson Walker L.L.P. and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Center for American and International Law, and the Litigation Counsel of America.

He is a graduate of Brown University and Boston University School of Law.

Pop Fouls, Russians, Millennium Magazine, The New York Daily Inquirer and Fake News

By Chip Babcock

Fake news is everywhere.

I’m at game seven of the World Series sitting five rows behind home at Dodger Stadium when a batter fouls off a pitch. The catcher gives chase but it flies over the screen landing in the stands near me right behind home. A mad scramble ensues and two Astros fans (pictured right) fight for the ball both yelling “mine.” But look more closely at the picture. Is it fake news? To the left of the guy in the Astros jersey there’s a fan in a LA Dodgers cap looking down at his iPhone. Same with the young woman behind him and the woman behind her looks bored. Behind her another fan is looking down and there’s a guy in a grey shirt with his back to the action. Over on the right a young man in a LA Dodgers jersey walks down the aisle. That’s not what happens when a foul ball comes into the stands. Everyone is engaged.

What really happened? The ball came over the screen just as I described but there was a mad scramble for the ball and it bounced off several hands before someone picked it up. The Astros fans, who were sitting right next to me, were in on the action but they never actually touched the ball. The picture was fake. So how did it come about?

Joe, the Astros rooter, persuaded the guy who ended up with the ball to lend it to him so he and his buddy could frame the shot taken on Joe’s iPhone by an accommodating fan. Fake news and if you spent the time looking at the photo you could tell by the atypical reaction of the fans.

But sometimes you can’t tell. The Russians, yes the Russians, perfected fake news a long time ago…Read more.

First Amendment Law

In his 30-plus years in practice, Chip Babcock has risen as a nationally recognized First Amendment lawyer, representing major media household names on some of the highest-profile, game-changing libel and defamation cases in recent memory.

Commercial and Intellectual Property Litigation

Chip Babcock wins jury verdicts in favor of high-profile clients and offers legal counsel when litigation is not always the answer.

Map of Litigation

To learn about Chip’s cases across the U.S., touch the colored pins. Click on the pop-up boxes for more information on each trial.
map
  • Trial
  • Summary Judgement
  • Dismissal
  • Settlement
  • Other
  • Multiple

Case Studies

1980: Miller v. TransAmerican Press Inc.

Established a precedent allowing reporters to protect confidential sources as part of their First Amendment privileges.

1998: Served as the lead attorney for Oprah Winfrey

Successfully defending her when she was sued by a group of cattlemen from Amarillo, Texas who believed that an episode of her show about mad cow disease violated the False Disparagement of Perishable Food Products Act.

1999: Successfully defended Amway in a civil lawsuit filed by Procter & Gamble

Alleging that Amway violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.