Practice Area
Affiliated Industries
Areas of Emphasis
Represents municipalities nationwide on cable and telecommunications matters including grants/renewals of franchises, permits, transfers, cellular tower zoning and leasing, right of way matters and FCC proceedings. Also represents municipal and corporate utilities and private parties on energy matters.
Background
John was raised in a small town in southern Vermont. He graduated from Harvard College in 1970. He received a Masters Degree in International Relations from Yale University in 1972 and received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1975 (all magna cum laude). He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, Penelope, who is also a graduate of Harvard and Yale and Director of the Delta Strategy, a metropolitan area community improvement project. They have a daughter who also attended Harvard and is now working on her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Hawaii and a son who is a collections manager (for human remains and old world archeology) at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago after receiving an undergraduate degree in archeology from the University of Michigan and a graduate degree in forensic anthropology from the University of Leeds (England).
Professional Activities
John is active in state bar and professional activities. He received the Member of the Year award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors in 1996 for his work representing municipalities on the passage and implementation of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. He has served on the governing council of the Municipal Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is a former Chair of that Section. He is a past Chairman of the Legal Section of the American Public Power Association. John is committed to community involvement at the local level and is a Board member and past President of the Blodgett Area Neighborhood Association. He is also Secretary/Treasurer of his condominium association and a Board member at the Child & Family Resource Council.
Expertise
John Pestle is Co-chair of the firm's Energy and Telecommunications Group. His specialties include representing municipalities nationwide on cable and telecommunications matters including the grant, renewal and transfer of cable franchises, cable customer service, telecommunications matters, right of way matters, cellular tower zoning and leasing and FCC proceedings. He has worked with over 200 communities in fifteen states on such matters. He has worked extensively with municipal and corporate utilities and private parties on energy matters.