Richard N. Winfield, First Amendment lawyer and former AP counsel, dies at 91

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Richard N

NEW YORK — Richard N. Winfield, a leading U.S. First Amendment lawyer who represented The Associated Press for three decades and championed freedom of expression for journalists around the world, died on Tuesday. He was 91.

Winfield died in his sleep at Bellevue Hospital in New York, said his daughter, Nicole Winfield, who is AP's Rome-based Italy and Vatican correspondent. He had suffered head trauma after a fall on Oct. 7.

Winfield served as general counsel for AP for three decades while a partner at the New York law firm of Roger & Wells, which became Clifford Chance US LLP. During that time, he worked closely with American publishers and editors, defending AP as well as other media clients in hundreds of press freedom cases.

“When we would ask Dick, as our lawyer, to review a sensitive piece of copy, his first words were often some form of ‘What a great story!'” said Louis D. Boccardi, president and chief executive officer of the AP from 1985-2003. “And then we would go through the story, not to weaken it but to strengthen it against whatever reaction it might bring. He understood the newsroom and appreciated the dedication and the care that had gone into the work.”

Winfield was by Boccardi's side when he testified to Congress about the performance of news outlets in covering the disputed 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

After he retired from the firm, Winfield became a founding director of the International Senior Lawyers Project, a non-governmental organization that mobilizes pro bono legal support to advance the rule of law and accountable, inclusive economic development around the world.

Winfield’s volunteer activities to promote freedom of expression took him to over 20 countries. He