J. Tyson Covey

focuses his practice primarily on telecommunications regulation and related litigation . Since the passage of the landmark federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, Mr. Covey has acted as regulatory and appellate counsel for large telecommunications carriers on numerous issues arising from the Act and its intersection with state law, including proceedings in more than 25 different state public utility commissions and several state and federal courts. His cases have involved a wide variety of issues on topics like deregulation and competitive classification of services, preemption of state regulation of broadband/VoIP or wireless services, interconnection and unbundling duties, TELRIC pricing cases and intercarrier compensation. Mr. Covey had broad experience in carrier-to-carrier disputes, arbitration of interconnection agreements, rulemakings and investigations at state public utility commissions, and has acted as lead counsel in many appeals from such proceedings. Given the nature of these cases, he has gained significant experience in helping prepare extensive expert testimony and in cross-examining experts on technical, policy and economic issues regarding telecommunications, as well as explaining such issues to decisionmakers.

Mr. Covey also has experience negotiating pole attachment and small-cell agreements with both governments and other utilities, and renders advice on regulatory issues for satellite and “over the top” video services. He has been included in Chambers USA for communications law every year since 2003, and in 2016 was recognized by Best Lawyers in America as “Lawyer of the Year” for Chicago in Administrative/Regulatory Law. Mr. Covey also has experience representing large public utilities in rate cases for electric, gas and water service (and in related appeals).

Mr. Covey is a 1991 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, where he was administrative editor of the University of Illinois Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. He also is a magna cum laude graduate of Augustana College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Resume

Experience

•Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2020-present
•Mayer Brown LLP
- Partner, 2000-2020
- Associate, 1997-2000
•Sidley Austin LLP
- Associate, 1993-1996
•Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- Staff Attorney, 1991-1993

Honors and Awards

•Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2003-2019

•Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2006-2020

•Named a Lawyer of the Year in Administrative/Regulatory Law - Chicago by The Best Lawyers in America, 2016

•Listed in Legal 500, 2007

Publications

Selected Publications

•Co-author, COVID-19 Responses in the Telecommunications Industry, Duane Morris Alert, April 1, 2020

•“Change With the Changing Times: 100 Years of Telecom Lawyering,” ABA Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section, Summer 2017

•“Eighth Circuit Largely Affirms FCC Deregulatory Pirouette on Business Data Services,” ABA Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section, Spring 2019

•Contributor to ABA Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section (previously Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Section) Spring, Fall, and Annual “Recent Developments” Reports, 2010-present