Sure, it’s fun to crack jokes about snazzy-suit-wearing lawyers, but the reality is that eventually everyone comes to appreciate a competent attorney, and the wireless industry is no different. Hence, Edward Donohue, Catherine Blue and Thomas Carroll formed Donohue & Blue plc, a law firm that specializes in wireless infrastructure matters ranging from cell tower zoning to state and municipal land-use regulations to leasing and contract matters.
The new firm hung its sign in Alexandria, Va., and has already retained heavy-hitting clients including T-Mobile USA Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. Donohue & Blue has also been chosen as the founding law firm for PCIA’s Distributed Antenna Systems Council, and is scheduled to participate in the council’s inaugural meeting during the PCIA trade show being held in Nashville this week.
But during a conversation with RCR Wireless News, the firm’s principals and founders said they don’t want to be thought of as corporate-types and insisted that they have banned pin-striped suits and 45-page drafts from their business plan.
Rather, Donohue explained that the firm aims to serve small- to medium-sized companies as well as the industry’s giants by delivering legal expertise “in a way that makes sense to them and to us.”
Donohue also noted that lawyers shouldn’t intimidate their clients and should be accessible.
“The folks that we deal with, such as site engineers, work hard. And they work funny hours–often they are on call 24/7. They roll up their sleeves and trudge to cell sites, and they want lawyers that do the same thing. We intend to show our clients that we’re in there with them. Having practiced at other firms, I was sometimes frustrated with the way that we dealt with people. I wanted to provide clients with quick, competent answers, but the firms weren’t set up to deliver things that way.”
Blue pointed out that she and her partners know their clients inside and out, having collectively spent more than 30 years working in the wireless industry.
“For our customers, speed to market equals money, and we can help them solve go-to-market problems in both a time- and cost-effective manner,” she said. “The time seemed right for us to do this, because nobody else is doing what we are?our talent and mix of experience is unique.
“This is fun for us–we like what we do,” declared Blue. “We like our clients?we have fun with them. This is a labor of love for us.”
Carroll added, “We feel we are different from other firms in that we have a better style of communication with our clients. Our clientele is often out of their offices, and they need an attorney who is reachable at all times and can really talk to them in their own language. They don’t want to be handed a 45-page brief to take into meetings with a zoning supervisor, they want an attorney to go to the meeting with them and provide them with answers as questions develop.”
Both Donohue and Blue most recently practiced with Holland & Knight’s Washington, D.C., office. Donohue’s work has revolved around zoning, land use and contracts with telecommunications facilities.
Prior to entering private practice, Blue was chief counsel for Land Use and Commercial Transactions at AT&T Wireless Services Inc. Blue has provided counsel to wireless carriers and infrastructure providers on site acquisition, zoning and litigation as well as cell site, office and retail leasing issues.
At Holland & Knight, Carroll practiced in telecom-related zoning and land-use issues, assisting carriers build and expand their wireless networks.
“Now more than ever, the business and government communities are having to grapple with new and developing technologies, and they will require expert counsel on addressing this new environment,” said Blue. “The telecom business is constantly evolving, and we look forward to helping to guide our clients through this ever-changing landscape.”
