Overview
(March 14, 2024, Washington, DC) — Steptoe LLP has announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS) corporate counsel Kate Jensen is returning to the firm, rejoining the firm’s Government Affairs and Public Policy practice, and growing Steptoe’s innovation and regulation capabilities. Kate rejoins the firm as a partner based in Washington, DC.
"We are delighted to welcome Kate back to the firm. Her extensive legislative and regulatory experience, coupled with her recent role as a trusted advisor to AWS, helps us continue to guide clients through changing financial and technical landscapes," commented firm chair Gwen Renigar. "Her knowledge of the insurance sector and payments policy further expands our financial services regulatory capabilities."
The addition follows a series of recent high-profile hires into the financial services innovation and regulation space by Steptoe, including Ben Saul, Stephen Aschettino, Juliana Gerrick, Stephen Newman, Christopher Fredrich, Andrew Owens, and Ryan Hayden. Says Renigar: "We have listened to our clients and made growth in the area of financial innovation and regulation a strategic priority for the firm, adding significant depth and experience designed to meet the needs of clients and future clients operating in a highly complex regulatory, public policy, and investigations environment."
At AWS, Kate worked on policy issues impacting cloud services infrastructure, including circular economy, sustainability, and digital trade policies, as well as environmental, health and safety, and product compliance issues around expanding AI/Machine Learning infrastructure.
Prior to her time at AWS, Kate's practice with Steptoe's Government Affairs and Public Policy group focused on issues related to insurance, including state insurance policy work and engagement with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and state insurance departments. She also counseled clients on financial services (including payments policy), healthcare, technology, commercial real estate and energy efficiency issues.
Kate added: "I'm thrilled to be returning to Steptoe. I look forward to resuming my prior advocacy and regulatory counseling work, and leveraging my most recent experience advising AWS on complex global regulatory and policy issues to serve current and future Steptoe clients. Rejoining the team of talented lawyers and legislative professionals at the firm is an exciting next step in my career."
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s chair is a woman; the majority of the firm’s elected executive committee is female; the majority of Steptoe's ten offices are managed by women; and the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders. The firm's six-person professional business services leadership is equally diverse, with two women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
