Key Professionals
Thesenior attorneys and engineers of Lukas, Nace, Gutierrez & Sachs are involved in all facets of telecommunications law and engineering. The individual profiles which follow highlight the firm's areas of expertise.
Russell D. Lukas
David L Nace
Thomas Gutierrez
Elizabeth R. Sachs
George L. Lyon, Jr.
Pamela L. Gist
David A. LaFuria
Ali Kuzehkanani
Leila G. Rezanavaz
Todd Slamowitz
Russell D. Lukas has established himself as a top telecommunications litigator by representing clients in contested cases before FCC, state regulatory agencies and federal courts. He successfully prosecuted the rule making that led to nationwide paging; he was the lead litigation counsel for the winning applicant in the Houston cellular comparative hearing; and he was the first to mount a First Amendment challenge to the FCC's telephone/cable cross-ownership restrictions. Mr. Lukas holds a law degree from Georgetown University. e-mail
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David L. Nace represents telecommunications companies in connection with their federal regulatory and business needs. Mr. Nace also serves as General Counsel to the Rural Cellular Association which is a group of approximately 100 companies that provide wireless services in small and rural markets throughout the United States. Upon admission to the bar in 1976 Mr. Nace began work with telecommunications companies as an attorney in the law offices of Jeremiah Courtney in Washington, D.C. Over the years his practice expanded as clients observed developments in technology and pursued business opportunities and licenses from the Federal Communications Commission. In 1985, the current law firm of which Mr. Nace was a co-founder began operation. Notable opportunities successfully pursued by clients of the firm include acquisition of cellular licenses, PCS licenses, wireless video systems, wireless broadband systems and local exchange carriers.. Mr. Nace holds a law degree from the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, D.C. e-mail
Thomas Gutierrez practices law in all the regulatory facets of high technology communications, including wireless. His contributions to telecommunications have been substantial. While an attorney at the FCC he played a crucial role in drafting the original cellular rules that began the wireless revolution. He has served as counsel for more than 10 percent of all nonwireline cellular Rural Service Area selectees. In the area of PCS, he has represented numerous large and small carriers, and many "Designated Entities". He frequently speaks at seminars and conventions and provides expert testimony. Mr. Gutierrez holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Maryland, and a law degree from Catholic University. e-mail
Elizabeth R. Sachs provides legal advice on regulatory and transactional matters involving telecommunications issues, with an emphasis on wireless services. She is Regulatory Counsel for the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (“EWA”), an organization representing the wireless interests of enterprise users, commercial operators and equipment suppliers. A frequent lecturer and writer on telecommunications issues, Ms. Sachs earned her J.D. degree from the Washington College of Law at American University. Prior to entering private practice, she was an attorney in Motorola's Washington, DC Government Relations Office. e-mail
George L. Lyon, Jr., specializes in broadcast and wireless communications and litigation. He has handled many landmark litigation cases, including the KROQ renewal proceedings, the Lewis cellular real-party-in-interest case, and various tier one cellular comparative hearing proceedings. In addition, he has negotiated numerous purchase/sale and financing transactions. He received his law degree from the William and Mary Marshall-Wythe Law school. e-mail
Pamela L. Gist specializes in wireless communications, cable television regulation and trademark/copyright protection. She is instrumental in licensing cellular, paging and microwave radio systems. She also assists clients with interpretation of regulations governing common carrier wireless services and video programming distribution systems, and with intellectual property rights registration and enforcement. Ms. Gist holds a masters of law degree in corporations from George Washington University, and a J.D. degree from the University of Arkansas. e-mail
David LaFuria advises a broad range of public and private companies involved in cellular, PCS, other mobile communications, LMDS, the Internet, and new technologies.
Mr. LaFuria has represented clients before the FCC, Congress, and state public utility commissions in administrative, legislative, and policy-making proceedings involving universal service, contested licensing applications, compliance with licensing and operational rules, interconnection, and administrative litigation. Among others, he has advised U.S. Cellular Corporation, Rural Cellular Corp., Midwest Wireless, Smith Bagley, Inc., Highland Cellular, Inc., Virginia Cellular LLC and N.E. Colorado Cellular, Inc. in petitions to become eligible telecommunications carriers in over twenty states and the FCC.
Mr. LaFuria has also acted as special FCC counsel in conjunction with the purchase and sale of numerous wireless communications systems and the financing of wireless companies. e-mail
Todd Slamowitz, principal, received his law degree in 1994 from the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America and graduated in 1988 from the University of Wisconsin, where he majored in communications. From 1996-1999, he was an attorney-advisor in the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, specializing in narrowband PCS and paging matters. He is a member of the bar in Maryland, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. e-mail
Ali Kuzehkanani, Director of Engineering, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at George Washington University. He has more than thirteen years of experience in licensing and design of wireless systems, has been involved in the design, construction, and testing of cellular radio, microwave, paging, conventional mobile telephone, and PCS systems. In addition, he has been school-trained by several cellular system manufacturers, including Motorola and Telesciences. e-mail
Leila G. Rezanavaz, Senior Engineer, received a Bachelor of Science degree form George Mason University in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1989. For the past fifteen years, she has worked on the initial design, licensing, construction, frequency planning and coordination, and optimization of the various cellular, PCS, and other types of wireless networks in the United States and international markets. Additionally, she has managed RF design teams in producing national designs for cellular licensees in European and South American countries, using Global System Mobile (“GSM”) as well as U.S. digital cellular standards employing both Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”) and Code Division Multiple Assess (“CDMA”). e-mail
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