Steptoe & Johnson

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Headquarters	1330 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, D.C.
No. of offices	10
No. of attorneys	411
Major practice areas	General practice
Key people	Philip R. West (Chairman), Philip L. Malet (Vice Chairman)
Date founded	Washington, D.C. (1945); Phoenix (1987); Los Angeles (1997); London (2001); Brussels (2002); New York (2005); Century City (2006); Chicago (2007); Beijing (2010); Palo Alto (2014)
Founder	Philip Steptoe, Col. Louis A. Johnson
Company type	Limited liability partnership (LLP)
Website
www.steptoe.com

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm recognized for advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, representation of clients before governmental agencies, and advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C..

History

Philip Steptoe and Col. Louis A. Johnson, classmates from the University of Virginia School of Law, formed Steptoe & Johnson in 1913 in Clarksburg, WV. In 1928, Steptoe & Johnson opened an office in Charleston, WV, to meet the expanding legislative and regulatory work available in the state capital. Meanwhile, Col. Johnson helped found the American Legion, bringing national prominence to himself and the firm when he served as the organization’s commander in the mid-1930s. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Col. Johnson deputy secretary of war in 1937.

After leaving the Roosevelt administration, Col. Johnson opened the Washington D.C. office of Steptoe & Johnson in 1945. Shortly thereafter, Col. Johnson was again tapped for public service, this time by President Harry S. Truman, for whom he served as secretary of defense until 1950.

The firm’s Washington office grew quickly under Col. Johnson’s influence. Among its first clients were the members of the growing airlines industry, as well as pipelines, railroads, and foreign companies whose assets had been seized during World War II. In assisting these clients, Steptoe became known as a prominent firm in regulatory law, tax, and international trade.

In 1980, the firm began a period of growth, starting with the amicable separation of the Washington and West Virginia offices. The West Virginia firm known as Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is still based in Clarksburg, WV.

In 1987, a combination of client needs and business opportunities led to the opening of a Steptoe office in Phoenix. Since 1997, the firm has opened offices in Los Angeles (1997), London (2001), Brussels (2002), New York (2005), Century City, CA (2006), Chicago (2007), Beijing (2010), and Palo Alto (2014).

The firm’s attorneys have continued Col. Johnson’s tradition of government service, with dozens of Steptoe attorneys having served in high-level government positions. The firm is committed to pro bono service and community involvement.

Practices

Steptoe’s main areas of practice^[1] include antitrust/competition; corporate, securities and finance; energy; environment and life sciences; ERISA, labor and employment; government affairs; immigration; insurance; intellectual property; international arbitration; international regulation; international trade; litigation; national security; property; tax; telecommunications, internet and media; transportation; and white-collar criminal defense.

Pro Bono

Steptoe's signature pro bono project, Action for Children of Trafficking (ACT), provides assistance to victims of international child trafficking and address obstacles that confront them. The firm’s attorneys also provide pro bono service in matters involving civil liberties and civil rights, community economic development, criminal law, disability, education, the elderly, employment, family law, housing and homelessness, human rights, nonprofit organizations and tax.^[2]

Steptoe’s public service activities have been honored by many organizations, including among others Forestdale, Inc.,^[3] the County of Los Angeles,^[4] the District of Columbia Bar,^[5] the Washington, D.C. Children’s Law Center,^[6] Bet Tzedek,^[7] the Tahirih Justice Center,^[8] Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation,^[9] and Legal Counsel for the Elderly.^[10] The firm’s pro bono contributions have also been recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers,^[11] California Lawyer^[12] and the National Law Journal.^[13]

Recent Awards & Rankings

• Chambers Global^[14] recognized 12 practice areas and 24 attorneys (2015)
• Chambers Europe^[15] recognized two practice areas and three attorneys (2015)
• Chambers UK^[16] recognized one practice area and five attorneys (2015)
• Chambers USA^[17] recognized 20 practice areas and 53 attorneys (2015)
• Chambers Asia-Pacific^[18] recognized two practice areas and three attorneys (2014)
• Law360^[19] named the firm one of "The 100 Best Law Firms For Minority Attorneys" list (2015).
• The Lawyer^[20] named the firm to its "Global Litigation Top 50" list (2014).
• The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa^[21] recognized 6 practice areas and 11 attorneys (2014)
• The Legal 500 United Kingdom^[22] recognized 12 practice areas and 10 attorneys (2015)
• The Legal 500 United States^[23] recognized 26 practice areas and 76 attorneys (2015)
• The Minority Corporate Counsel Association^[24] awarded the firm the “Thomas L. Sager Award” for commitment to improving the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys (2014)
• The Women in Law Empowerment Forum^[25] named the firm to its Gold Standard Certification List (2014) for female representation in firm leadership and compensation
• Illinois Super Lawyers^[26] recognized seven attorneys (2015)
• Southern California Super Lawyers^[27] recognized nine attorneys
• Southwest Super Lawyers^[28] recognized 23 attorneys (2014)
• Washington, DC Super Lawyers^[29] recognized 59 attorneys (2014)
• Washingtonian.^[30] magazine named eight attorneys to its “Top Lawyers” list (2013-2014)
• The Ethisphere Institute^[31] named Lucinda Low to its “Attorneys Who Matter” Hall of Fame (2012)
• Who’s Who Legal^[32] recognized 24 attorneys, and named the International Trade practice to its list of “Most Highly Regarded Firms: Trade & Customs” and also named Steptoe partner Reid Weingarten International Business Crime Defense Lawyers of the Year (2007-2012)

Notable Current and Former Attorneys

• Shara L. Aranoff, former Chairman of the United States International Trade Commission.
• Bruce Babbitt, former United States Secretary of the Interior and Governor of Arizona.
• Stewart Baker, former General Counsel of the National Security Agency and first Assistant Secretary for Policy at United States Department of Homeland Security.
• John D. Bates, U.S. District Court Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
• Steve Bullock, current Governor of Montana.
• Paul K. Charlton, former prosecutor.
• Shannen W. Coffin, General Counsel to Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney.
• Luis Fortuño, former Governor of Puerto Rico.
• Jerome Holmes, federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
• Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET).
• Ken Ludwig, Theatre Director and Playwright.
• Intisar Rabb, Professor at Harvard Law School.
• Robert Rizzi, former CIA lawyer, political vetter.
• John Rizzo, former CIA General Counsel.
• John Shadegg, former U.S. Representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district.
• Laurence Silberman, United States federal judge for United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
• Michael Vatis
• Richard Verma, United States Ambassador to India and former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.
• Reid Weingarten, White-Collar Criminal Defense Attorney.

References

External links

• Steptoe.com
• Steptoe's Firm History
• Steptoe's Honors & Rankings
• Lex Mundi
• Organizational Profile at the National Law Review