(Washington, D.C.) May 6, 2003 - Vinson & Elkins announced today that five lawyers will join the firm's telecommunications practice in the Washington, D.C. office. Mark N. Lipp and Henry Rivera will join V&E as partners, Michael D. Berg and J. Thomas Nolan as Of Counsel, and Edgar Class III as an associate. This announcement brings Vinson & Elkins' Washington, D.C. office to 84 lawyers. The group of lawyers joining the firm has wide-ranging expertise in communications law and regulation.
Partner Henry Rivera is a the former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) during the AT&T divestiture and has over 25 years of experience in advising business and government on telecommunication and mass media matters. He is also a past president of the Federal Communications Bar Association (1995-96) and has served as an advisor to several U.S. international telecommunications delegations, as well as to the U.S. Department of State.
Partner Mark Lipp specializes in advising radio and television broadcasters and media investors on FCC licensing rules and regulations. He has represented some of the largest groups in the broadcast industry in obtaining the necessary FCC approvals to relocate to larger and more profitable markets. Prior to entering private practice he served as the Chief of the Allocations Branch of the FCC from 1980 to 1988.
"With the FCC scheduled to rewrite its broadcast ownership rules next month and the terms for delivering broadband services to America still being hotly contested before the FCC and the Courts, we expect this new group of lawyers to provide our clients with important new resources," said Jay Hebert, co-managing partner of Vinson & Elkins' Washington, D.C. office. "With their many years of FCC experience, Henry and Mark are two of the best respected practitioners in the Washington Communications Bar and we are very fortunate to have them join us along with their colleagues."
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Vinson & Elkins was established in 1917 and is one of the world's largest international law firms. The firm has more than 840 lawyers practicing in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Houston, London, Moscow, New York, Singapore, and Washington, D.C. The firm offers a wide range of legal services. Clients include public and private companies, financial institutions, municipalities, governments of sovereign nations, entrepreneurs, families, and individuals.