WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington, D.C.-based communications and technology law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP has announced that six attorneys, including Ray L. Gifford, former Chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, have joined the firm.  Along with Mr. Gifford, Wilkinson Barker has added Philip J. Roselli and Kyle D. Dixon as partners, and Eric D. Gunning, Adam M. Peters and Mark A. Walker as associates.  All except Mr. Dixon are resident in Wilkinson Barker’s new Denver office.  Brief bios for these new Wilkinson Barker attorneys, formerly with the law firm of Kamlet Reichert LLP, appear below.

Bryan Tramont, Managing Partner of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, said, “The expertise in state regulatory matters and smart grid deployment that Ray and his team bring to Wilkinson Barker complements and expands on our core capabilities, and Ray’s status as a thought leader in federal regulatory policy will reinforce our existing strength in that area.  This expansion of our firm is recognition of the growing range of policy venues and business opportunities that require our clients’ attention.  Whether by working in the states or in assisting industry to develop and implement smart grid business approaches, Ray and his team add to Wilkinson Barker’s ability to meet our clients’ expanding needs.  We look forward to working with Ray, Phil and Kyle to continue to build on our Firm’s leadership position in the industry.”  Mr. Gifford commented, “Joining Wilkinson Barker gives us the opportunity to take advantage of the firm’s depth and diversity of communications talent for our clients and to use our experience to enable the firm to better serve its existing clients.  We couldn’t be happier.”

As a former Chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (1999-2003), Ray Gifford is an expert in public utilities law, principally as it relates to telecommunications and energy matters. Before re-entering private practice, he became President of The Progress and Freedom Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that focuses on studying the digital revolution and its effects on law and public policy. He previously was First Assistant Attorney General in the Regulatory Law Section of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Ray’s law and policy work focuses on antitrust, competition policy and intellectual property law.
Ray is the Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law and Economics and the Chairman of the Advisory Board for Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Law School. He is a graduate of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the American Law Institute. Ray can be reached at rgifford@wbklaw.com.

Phil Roselli’s law practice focuses on telecommunications and utility regulation, with a particular emphasis on regulatory approvals required by utility mergers and acquisitions, the disposition of utility property, intercarrier compensation issues, Section 251 interconnection arbitration issues, Section 253 and related right-of-way issues, and competitive cable franchising. He also represents clients in regulatory litigation, including arbitration and mediation, and has appeared before numerous state public utility commissions, as well as state and federal courts. He was honored with a listing in the Environmental Regulatory Compliance and Intellectual Property & Technology Law sections of the 2008 Corporate Counsel Black Book.
Phil was Associate General Counsel with Qwest, where he was responsible for the company’s general regulatory matters, and represented Qwest before the FCC and a variety of state public utilities commissions on diverse matters including mergers and acquisitions, 271 long distance relief, interconnection related issues and network related issues. He also has commercial litigation experience in private practice, representing a variety of clients on complex commercial matters. Phil holds B.A., M.A. (Telecommunications), and J.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. He can be reached at proselli@wbklaw.com.

Kyle Dixon focuses his practice on the converging areas of communications, intellectual property, competition policy and related fields. With 14 years of experience at the Federal Communications Commission (including as the Deputy Chief of the Media Bureau, Special Counsel to the Chairman for Broadband Policy, and legal advisor to FCC Chairman Michael Powell), he advises clients on a wide range of matters, including broadband, voice over Internet protocol, wireline, cable and wireless competition, intercarrier compensation, and universal service.
Kyle also has served as senior fellow and director of the Federal Institute for Regulatory Law and Economics at The Progress & Freedom Foundation, where he has testified before Congress on a variety of regulatory issues, and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Richard D. Cudahy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  Kyle wrote “A Digital Age Communications Act Paradigm for Federal-State Relations” with co-author Philip Weiser, and also taught communications law and policy at Georgetown University Law Center.  Kyle is a graduate of University of Chicago and earned his J.D. from the Yale Law School, where he was Symposium Editorof theYale Law Journal.  He can be reached at kdixon@wbklaw.com.

Eric Gunning advises clients on matters involving digital and emerging technologies, utility and communication regulation, and strategic alliance and joint ventures. He played a key role in the development of a cutting-edge smart grid deployment in Boulder, Colorado.  In addition, Eric has represented public and private companies in sourcing and procurement transactions including managing multi-vendor negotiations, developing joint-product relationships, and drafting complex intellectual property licensing, commercial and strategic alliance agreements. He also handles general corporate matters, employment, mergers and acquisitions and private equity financing.
Eric serves on the Advisory Boards for the Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program and the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic of University of Colorado School of Law, and he writes and speaks frequently on new technology issues.  He holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Colorado, where he was Editor in Chief of the Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law.  During law school, he clerked in former FCC Chairman Michael Powell’s office focusing on wireless regulation and policy. Eric can be reached at egunning@wbklaw.com.

Adam Peters has expertise in communications, energy regulation, competition policy and trademark law.  He was previously a Research Fellow & Regulatory Counsel to The Progress & Freedom Foundation, and served as a special assistant to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and as director of the Silicon Flatirons Center. He has also co-taught a seminar in Law & Economics of the Information Age at the University of Colorado.  Adam is co-chair of the Rocky Mountain Region Chapter of the Federal Communications Bar Association, a former board member and secretary of America SCORES Denver, and an Advisory Board Member of the Silicon Flatirons Center.  Adam holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, and earned his J.D. at the University of Colorado School of Law.  He can be reached atapeters@wbklaw.com.
Mark Walker’s practice includes public policy advocacy, representation of regulated entities in disputes related to communications and energy issues, and transactional work related to intellectual property.  Before embarking on his legal career, he was a senior design and development engineer for an electronics company, where he managed a cross-disciplinary team in bringing new products to market. His experience also includes internships at an international telecommunications company and NASA.  Mark holds a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University, an M.B.A. from Lehigh University, and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law, where he served as the director of the Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program.  He also is an Advisory Board Member of the Silicon Flatirons Center on Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship.  Mark can be reached at mwalker@wbklaw.com.
Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP is one of the largest law firms in the nation dedicated to the practice of communications and technology law. The firm advises its clients, which range from global Fortune 100 companies to small start-ups, in regulatory, transactional, corporate and litigation matters involving all aspects of telecommunications and mass media. The firm’s Denver office can be reached at (303) 572-5665, and is temporarily located at 1515 Arapahoe Street, Tower 1, Suite 1600, Denver, CO 80202.  More information about Wilkinson Barker can be found at http://www.wbklaw.com.