Longtime Communications Law Firm Fletcher Heald & Hildreth to Close

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2026 — One of the country's longtime communications law firms is closing after nearly a century of representing broadcasters, telecommunications companies, and other media clients.

Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth PLC, an Arlington, Virginia-based law firm founded in 1935, ceased operations Nov. 1, according to reporting by Radio World and Radio Ink. The firm notified clients shortly before the shutdown.

The closure comes as co-managing directors Frank Montero and Kathleen Victory prepare to retire at the end of the year. Former firm partners Seth Williams and Adam Sandler have moved to Scale LLP, where they are expected to continue working with broadcast industry clients.

Fletcher Heald had a significant presence in the communications industry. At one point, the firm represented more than 1,500 AM, FM and television stations, along with telephone companies, cable operators, telecommunications equipment suppliers and satellite communications providers.

Its work included broadcast licensing, telecommunications regulation, spectrum policy and other matters involving Federal Communications Commission rules. The firm's CommLawBlog also became a resource for broadcasters following regulatory developments.

Founded shortly after the FCC was established, Fletcher Heald's history was closely tied to the development of federal communications regulation. Its original broadcast lawyers included the FCC's first general counsel and its first chairman, Eugene O. Sykes.

Montero also played a role in Hispanic and Spanish-language broadcasting advocacy, helping establish organizations representing minority-owned media companies.

“The end of Fletcher Heald’s nearly century-long affiliation with the broadcasting industry marks the end of an era,” Montero told Radio World.

The firm has not publicly identified a specific reason for its closure in the available reporting.