• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
• Business and Commercial Transactions
• Commercial and Employment Litigation
• Energy Law
• Federal Concessions and Recreation Law
• Government Procurement and Small Business Development
• Government and Agency Relations
• Land Exchanges and Acquisitions
• Native American and Tribal Law
• Natural Resources Law
• Telecommunications and Technology Law
• Wildlife Law

Home Practice Areas D.C. Overview

Washington, D.C., Office

Established in 1975, Birch, Horton, Bittner and Cherot’s Washington, D.C., office has a broad-ranging practice, representing individuals, associations, coalitions, businesses, government entities and Native Corporations with interests in the nation’s capital.

We have four principal areas of practice:

Government Affairs

BHBC assists clients with productively resolving questions, concerns and problems that relate to policies, regulations and legislation in the federal arena.

We advise clients on matters pending before federal agencies and Congress. Several of our attorneys have served in senior capacities in federal agencies and on Capitol Hill, meaning that we are intimately familiar with the process and functions of government. Working closely with Congress and key staff members, our attorneys review and analyze legislation and regulations; in doing so we proactively assist clients with identifying and resolving issues before they become problems. Where appropriate, we support clients’ efforts to identify and secure Congressional and agency funding for critical projects.

In the executive branch, we advise clients on agency matters involving natural resources, energy, transportation, appropriations and defense. We provide clients with a Washington presence, keeping them abreast of and responsive to important legislative and regulatory developments.

Litigation

Our D.C. office represents clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the country in specialized courts such as bankruptcy courts; in administrative tribunals such as the Federal Communications Commission, Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, state human rights agencies and state public service commissions; and in arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Our skilled attorneys are prepared to take a case to trial when necessary, and we approach litigation with the swiftness and toughness needed to achieve maximum results. Our credibility in the courtroom often fortifies our ability to obtain attractive settlements, so counseling clients on strategic decisions of whether and when to settle is an important part of our litigation practice.

When appropriate, we recommend and participate in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to achieve optimal and cost-effective results. The firm’s founder, Ronald G. Birch, serves as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

Another BHBC strength is the use of litigation to obtain policy or regulatory change, or to preserve current policy or practice. We initiate litigation on behalf of our clients, and we possess extensive experience in intervention and amicus curiae representation. BHBC serves as special counsel to many associations and other groups in this regard. We have been particularly successful in presenting the broader perspective that an amicus can bring in influencing a court’s decision on critical policy issues.

Telecommunications

Our Washington D.C. office represents a number interests in wireline, wireless, rulemaking and licensing cases before the Federal Communications Commission and state public utilities commissions. Our clients include wireless carriers and manufacturers, state public utility commissions, local exchange carriers, cable television companies and competitive interexchange carriers.

In the wireless area, we represent clients on issues including spectrum, public safety, VOIP, CALEA, emergency response, equipment licensing, license requirements, and other issues including FCC mandates such as HAC and E911. In the wireline area, we represent clients in proceedings involving interconnection, tariff, universal service, rate, and rate design matters as well as contested and non-contested certification and rulemaking proceedings. We also represent clients in federal and state appellate litigation arising from administrative proceedings. Finally, we advise state commissions in their adjudication and implementation of cases under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Corporate and General Practice

Our D.C. attorneys serve as general and special counsel to many businesses and associations and as corporate counsel to several Alaska Native Corporations. We counsel clients on a broad spectrum of issues, including organization and management, labor and employment, acquisitions, dispositions and restructurings, secured transactions, financing and trademarks. In addition, we have significant expertise in establishing joint ventures and Section 8(a) minority business enterprises and on matters related to contracts and bankruptcy.

BHBC business clients range from small, family-owned businesses to major corporations. We strive to provide each with cost-effective, quality service that meets the immediate challenges and prepares clients for the future.