Dave Thomas

Business Trial; Governmental

Dave Thomas is a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group and Office Managing Partner of Sheppard Mullin's Washington, D.C. office. He is also the partner in charge of lateral recruiting for Sheppard Mullin's Washington, D.C. office.

Dave's national practice handles matters in the telecommunications and broadband communications industries, as well as in the cyber and data security sectors. His practice focuses on the deployment and operations of competitive wire-based and wireless networks and services, with a particular emphasis on the mesh of federal, state and local regulations surrounding broadband networks in matters involving network operations and security, local franchising, rights-of-way and infrastructure.

During his more than 25 years as counsel to the nation's top cable and broadband companies, cable and telecommunications trade associations and other business organizations, Dave became a nationally recognized authority on utility and telecommunications infrastructure, pole attachments, rights-of-way, federal, state and local broadband and telecommunications regulatory and communications plant deployment issues and public utility law. He has worked on cases in approximately 40 states.

Dave handles a wide range of regulatory, litigation and transactional matters involving telecommunications providers, broadcasters, satellite communications, federal, state and local licensing and permitting, data security and privacy and spectrum use. He litigates before the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), numerous state public service commissions and federal and state courts. In addition to those bodies, he regularly appears before state legislatures and county and municipal governments.

A frequent speaker at communications and utility industry conferences, Dave has published works on a variety of domestic and international industry issues, including cyber and data security, new technology, infrastructure and use, network deployment and spectrum use and allocation.

J.D., Boston University School of Law, 1990

M.S., Boston University, 1987

A.B., Cornell University, 1984