Key Professionals





			Key Professionals The senior 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 David A. LaFuria Pamela L. Gist Todd Slamowitz Brooks E. Harlow Todd B. Lantor Ali Kuzehkanani Leila G. Rezanavaz Russell D. Lukas, Partner, 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 David L. Nace, Partner, represents telecommunications companies in connection with their federal regulatory and business needs. 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 and other telecommunications licenses, 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, Partner, 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, Partner, 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 David LaFuria, Partner, 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 Pamela L. Gist, Principal, 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 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 Brooks E. Harlow, Principal, has practiced telecommunications law for over 25 years before the FCC, numerous state utility commissions, and Federal and state courts. He represents and advises wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers, cable networks, Internet application service providers, VoIP service providers, and trade associations on regulatory, policy, transactional, and litigation matters. He has worked with a number of start-up clients developing and deploying new technologies in telecommunications and smart grid applications. Mr. Harlow is active in the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA), serving on its Executive Committee from 2000-2002, and 2006-present. He received the FCBA’s Distinguished Service Award for 2001-2002 and represents the FCBA as a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association. Mr. Harlow received his J.D., cum laude, from the Cornell University Law School in 1981. His bar admissions include: U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Washington State Bar Association, and the Oregon State Bar Association. e-mail TODD B. LANTOR, Principal, primarily focuses on federal and state regulatory, transactional and litigation matters on behalf of an array of telecommunications service providers and serves as Regulatory Counsel to the Rural Cellular Association. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lantor worked in the Government Affairs department of Sprint Nextel Corp. following its acquisition of Nextel Partners, where Mr. Lantor served as Chief Regulatory and Assistant General Counsel. Mr. Lantor also worked as an associate at the Washington, DC-based law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, where he specialized in the telecommunications and e-commerce law and at the Personal Communications Industry Association. Mr. Lantor began his legal career working in the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Mr. Lantor received his law and master’s degrees from Boston University and undergraduate degrees from The University of Michigan. 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 Photos Courtesy of Jessica Latos jlatos@gmail.com 240.418.4818