About

Steptoe's tradition of public service dates back to 1949, when Louis Johnson, the firm's co-founder, was named US Secretary of Defense under President Harry Truman. Steptoe lawyers and professionals have held a wide range of elected and appointed positions in the US Congress, the executive branch, federal regulatory agencies, and the judiciary. They also have served in prominent positions in various governments and prominent international institutions, including Inter-American Development Bank, Canadian Trade Law Bureau, and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This experience enables us to provide unique insight into the political, regulatory, and legislative processes, and an intimate familiarity with US and global regulatory bodies and government departments affecting businesses and not-for-profit entities.

Prior senior-level government positions our lawyers and professionals held include:

The White House

• Counsel, Office of the Vice President of the United States

United States Senate

• Chief of Staff, US Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) 

• Chief Counsel, Committee on Rules & Administration 

• Counsel, US Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) 

United States House of Representatives

• Chief of Staff, Congressman Cole and Watkins

• Investigative Counsel, Bipartisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J Trump

Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (now Global Affairs Canada)

• Deputy Director, Canada Trade Law Bureau

Department of Commerce/Office of the US Trade Representative

• Deputy US Trade Representative/Ambassador

• General Counsel, US Trade Representative

• Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Import Administration

• Deputy Director of Policy & Strategic Planning and Senior Advisor for Standards and Global Regulatory Policy, Office of the Secretary
• Assistant General Counsel, US Trade Representative
• Senior Director, Technical Barriers to Trade, US Trade Representative
• Assistant Legal Advisor, US Mission to the World Trade Organization
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, Bureau of Industry & Security

Department of Defense

• Chief, Administrative Law, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, US Army Reserve
• Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics & Global Threats
• Trial and Appellate Judge, US Army Court of Criminal Appeals

Department of Homeland Security

• Assistant Secretary, Strategy, Planning, Analysis & Risk; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Strategic Plans; Director, Emergency Preparedness & Response Policy; Office of Policy (n/k/a Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans)

Department of the Interior

• Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
• Counselor, Land and Minerals Management (ASLM)

Department of Justice

• Inspector General
• Special Investigative Counsel, Office of the Inspector General
• Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division
• Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division

• Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division

• Deputy Chief, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division
• Assistant US Attorney
• Assistant US Attorney, Violent Crime Section
• Assistant US Attorney, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, Central District of California
• Assistant US Attorney, Northern District of California

• Assistant US Attorney, District of Columbia 

• Assistant US Attorney, District of Connecticut
• Assistant US Attorney, Northern District of Illinois
• Assistant US Attorney, Deputy Chief, Financial Crimes and Special Prosecution Section, Northern District of Illinois
• Assistant US Attorney, District of Maryland
• Assistant US Attorney, District of Maryland
• Assistant US Attorney, Economic Crimes Section, Organized Crime and Gangs Section, District of New Jersey
• Assistant US Attorney, Southern District of New York
• Assistant US Attorney, Southern District of New York
• Assistant US Attorney, Southern District of New York
• Counsel, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Trial Attorney, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, National Security Division
• Special Assistant US Attorney, Violent Crimes Unit, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Assistant US Attorney, Civil Division, Southern District of Texas
• Assistant US Attorney, Criminal Division, Southern District of Texas
• Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division
• Inaugural Director, KleptoCapture Task Force
• Inaugural Chief, Civil Conduct Task Force, Antitrust Division
• Inaugural Counsel, Compliance & Data Analytics, Fraud Section, Criminal Division
• Chief, Violent Crime Section, District of Maryland
• Assistant Chief, Criminal Division, District of Maryland
• Deputy Chief, Violent Crime Section
• Deputy Chief, Criminal Section, District of Maryland
• Co-Chief, Money Laundering and Transnational Enterprises Unit, Southern District of New York
• Deputy Chief, Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit, Southern District of New York
• Deputy Director, Office of Special Investigations, Criminal Division
• Forfeiture Coordinator, Criminal Division, Southern District of New York
• Trial Attorney, Public Integrity Section, Criminal Division

Department of Labor

• Executive Assistant to the Solicitor of Labor

Department of Treasury

• Tax Legislative Counsel, Office of Tax Policy

• Office of Foreign Assets Control

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Deputy Director, EU Economic Affairs Division

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

• Senior Special Counsel to the Director of the Division of Enforcement; Supervisor, Bank Secrecy Act, Spoofing, Swaps, Insider Trading, and Foreign Corruption Task Forces

Federal Election Commission

• Litigation Attorney; Counsel to Commissioner Ellen Weintraub

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 

• Commissioner

• Branch Chief, Division of Investigations

Inter-American Development Bank

• Chief, Office of Institutional Integrity

Office of Management and Budget

• Associate Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

• Special Counsel

Securities & Exchange Commission

• Associate Director 
• Senior Counsel to the Director