The firm regrets to announce that John C. Quale, a nationally recognized authority in communications law, died on Sunday, June 29. Mr. Quale, a partner in Skadden's Washington, D.C. office, was 61.
A cum laude graduate of Harvard College in 1968, Mr. Quale earned his law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1971. Before joining Skadden as a partner in 1996, he worked at the law firms Kirkland & Ellis and Wiley Rein, where he was a founding partner and head of Wiley’s mass media communications group.
Mr. Quale represented companies in a broad range of communications law issues arising in regulatory, legislative and transactional matters. His clients included broadcast, satellite and wireless companies. He also represented venture capital and investment firms and commercial banks in communications matters.
Mr. Quale was a frequent lecturer and author on federal communications regulation and had been a member of the executive committee of the Federal Communications Bar Association. He was named one of the world’s leading communications lawyers by Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business and was included in The Best Lawyers in America 2008.
Antoinette Cook Bush, a partner in Skadden’s Washington, D.C. office who worked closely with Mr. Quale, told TVNEWSDAY that Mr. Quale “was a great mentor, a great friend and an amazing lawyer. He was patient and thoughtful, and believed that training young lawyers was one of the most important things he could do.”
A bladder cancer survivor, Mr. Quale and his wife founded the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness of bladder cancer among the general public and medical community; to advocate for allocation of additional governmental and private funds to research programs directed to the diagnosis, treatment and cure of bladder cancer; and to work with and provide financial assistance and grants to individuals, corporations and health and medical institutions and associations for bladder cancer research.
Michael Rogan, head of Skadden’s Washington, D.C. office, said “for the 8 years John battled cancer he came to work every day with a smile and a courageous optimism that I can only marvel at. John was a wonderful man and the entire office will miss him greatly.”
Mr. Quale is survived by his wife, Diane Zipursky Quale, and five children: Jane Harris Vergnani, Virginia Quale, John Quale, Rachel Goldman and Alisa Goldman.