WASHINGTON, D.C. — Buried within an asset purchase agreement filed Tuesday (3/23) with the FCC is the usual information reflecting the legal counsel representing both buyer and seller. For the buyer, the lawyer’s name is a very familiar one. However, there was one major eye-popping difference from prior filings featuring this attorney’s name — she’s at a new law firm.
So is a former colleague, as both communications law experts have set up shop at BakerHostetler.
On March 1, the D.C. office of the highly regarded law firm quietly welcomed Davina Sashkin and Daniel Kirkpatrick as the newest additions to its Business Practice Group’s Regulatory and Government Compliance team and Communications Industry team.
Sashkin will serve as counsel at BakerHostetler; Kirkpatrick joins the firm as a partner.
Both join the firm from Fletcher Heald & Hildreth, where Sashkin and Kirkpatrick played significant roles in the TMT practice.
In fact, Sashkin started the new year by joining Kirkpatrick and Matthew H. McCormick as a third co-Managing Member.
Sashkin had been at FFH since 2008, and in her time there counseled a wide array of clients on broadcast and telecommunications regulations and compliance matters, and is known for her ability to handle “complex” commercial transactions among FCC-regulated businesses.
Kirkpatrick joined FFH in October 2009 as an associate attorney and became a Member in January 2014. He, like Sashkin, has broad experience representing clients on a variety of regulatory and transactional matters, primarily in the area of communications law, with a focus on television, radio and other content producers.
“I’m thrilled to be at BakerHostetler and to continue to grow the FCC practice at such a well-respected firm,” Kirkpatrick said. “It has a stellar reputation for fostering strong business relationships and a culture that is both inclusive and supportive, and I look forward to working with the firm’s lawyers across the nation to better serve clients in the communications industry.”
Sashkin is currently residing in Texas. It is not clear if she will be returning to Washington following the pandemic.
“Dan and Davina are excellent additions to our Business Practice Group teams,” said Amy Fouts, leader of the firm’s Regulatory and Government Compliance practice. “As we remain committed to client service, their wide-ranging experience in FCC compliance and regulatory and transactional issues will further bolster our resources available to both clients and attorneys across the firm.”
Meanwhile, FHH has said farewell to three high-profile attorneys in the last seven months. At the end of August 2020, Peter Tannenwald retired, leaving FHH.
But, that’s not to say FHH is diminished in its role as one of the leading communications law firms serving broadcast media companies across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. On March 19, FHH announced that it elected Thomas F. Urban II as a new Member of the firm. Urban is an active litigator who first joined the firm in January 2020 and continued to have a substantial hearing and deposition schedule — remotely — through the COVID-19 pandemic.
