Jose E. Guzman, Jr.

Biography

Jose (“Joe”) Guzman, Jr., Of Counsel, practices in the areas of law, public policy, and government relations. He has practiced public utility law for more than 30 years, focusing his practice on regulatory and legislative matters and on business transactions involving the telecommunications, energy, water and transportation industries. His experience includes representation of clients before a wide variety of local, state, and federal regulatory agencies and legislative bodies, including the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, the California legislature, Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the federal Surface Transportation Board (and its predecessor, the Interstate Commerce Commission).

Prior to joining Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, Mr. Guzman operated a solo firm, was Senior Counsel at the Tobin Law Group, and was a partner with Nossaman LLP in San Francisco for twenty-one years. At Nossaman, he represented individuals, corporations and other business entities, and public agencies, including cities, local and state transportation agencies and special purpose districts.

He previously held the positions of Acting General Counsel, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, and General Corporate Counsel with Sprint Communications Company from 1983-1987. At Sprint, Mr. Guzman focused on regulatory and legislative matters associated with the advent of competition in the telecommunications industry and was responsible for directing and managing a group that included more than 25 attorneys and regulatory analysts. He also oversaw the legal aspects of the construction of one of the first and largest fiber optic communications systems in the U.S. Mr. Guzman began his legal career as an attorney for Southern Pacific Transportation Company, at the time, one of the nation’s largest railroad and transportation companies.

In addition to the foregoing, Mr. Guzman has represented:

• Sprint Communications, Sprint PCS, MCI Communications and a number of other competitive long distance and competitive local exchange carriers in rulemaking, application and investigatory proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”).
• Duke Energy, one of the nation’s largest merchant power generators, in connection with investigations during the 2000 – 2001 California energy crisis by the CPUC, the California legislature and the California Attorney General.
• NRG Energy, another of the nation’s largest energy companies in connection with an attempted hostile takeover by another national energy company, and in connection with an NRG subsidiary (NRG Energy Center San Francisco) and its regulation by the CPUC.
• The California Water Association, a trade organization of the majority of the investor-owned water utilities regulated by the CPUC, in connection with policy and rulemaking proceedings before the CPUC.
• The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Metro Gold Line Construction Authority in connection with the construction of light rail systems in Los Angeles County, and several cities in connection with obtaining railroad grade crossing authority from the CPUC.

Mr. Guzman has been a speaker on telecommunications and energy issues at a number of annual meetings of the American Bar Association and has also participated as a speaker or panelist for seminars on water and transportation issues and on the California Public Records Act.

He currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel (CCPUC), the Board of Directors of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club Charitable Foundation, and as President of the Board of Directors of Alameda County Youth Development, Inc. He has previously served on the Council of the Section of Science & Technology Law of the American Bar Association, as a Commissioner of the Oakland Parks and Recreation Commission, and as President of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club in Oakland, California.

Mr. Guzman is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and received his law degree from U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall Law School. He is admitted to practice in California.

Education & Bar Admissions

Education

• University of California, Berkeley - School of Law, J.D.
• University of California, Berkeley, B.A.
  

Bar Admissions

• California

In the News

• 7/8/2013 - GSH Welcomes Joe Guzman