CHICAGO—Longtime adult industry attorney and Free Speech Coalition board member Reed Lee died Monday after suffering an apparent heart attack. He was 68.
“Reed’s fierce intellect and astounding command of the law caused him to stand out, even among his peers,” said Jeffrey Douglas, FSC chairman and longtime friend of Lee. “Even at First Amendment Lawyers Association meetings, an organization of over-achievers, brilliant litigators, and great, thoughtful people, he was acknowledged as the outstanding mind."
Lee had apparently suffered a heart attack on Sunday and was taken to a nearby hospital in his native Chicago, but he passed away today, Douglas confirmed.
“I had the privilege of serving on the Free Speech Coalition Board of Directors for over 20 years. I travelled with him; together, we drafted policy papers, by-laws, pleadings and analyses of regulations and statutes; sat through countless hours of committee and board meetings; went to out-of-the-ordinary establishments in the variety of places FSC has taken us. We managed the numerous FSC statutory challenges handled by many other great lawyers,” Douglas added.
As a long-standing board member of the Free Speech Coalition, Lee specialized in the field of First Amendment, civil liberties law and constitutional law and was a member of the First Amendment Lawyers Association.
Lee repeatedly lent his expertise to AVN in articles involving legal issues, as well as contributed to FSC’s legal work involving a wide range of issues relating to censorship and First Amendment rights. Lee was based in Chicago, where he founded a legal practice that focused on the adult industry and free speech issues.
He attended the University of Illinois where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, then went on to Western Reserve University where he earned his law degree.
Lee was an avid scuba diver and was known for chasing solar eclipses around the world. He also volunteered at moot court and math competitions, while continuing his ongoing support of First Amendment Lawyers Association and FSC.
“Reed will always be a person of great principle, who lived his life more concordant with those principles than almost anyone I have known,” Douglas said. “His humanism (although I never knew him to assign such labels to himself) was reflected in his interests, his advocacy and his life choices."
Lee is survived by his life partner Claudia Halloran. Funeral arrangements are pending.
