The Legal 500 US Ranks Steptoe's Technology Department

(April 12, 2007, Washington, DC)—Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that two practices and four partners in the firm’s Technology Department has been ranked by The Legal 500 US: 

1. Telecommunications: Regulatory Counseling and Compliance Advice
2. Media and Entertainment: Defamation and Libel 

Telecommunications: Regulatory Counseling and Compliance Advice
Excerpts from the The Legal 500 US ranking include:

Practice: Steptoe's international telecom practice has drawn particular attention for its work in dealing with the regulatory aspects of the satellite industry. Steptoe has carved out a place in the market through innovative work on solving interference problems, resolving spectrum issues, and advising some of its distinguished satellite clients on broadening their services.

As a prime example of this, Steptoe's telecom practice has represented Motorola for almost a decade, which has involved working on the Iridium® System, the first global mobile satellite system, as well as developing the company's broadband satellite projects.

The firm's representation of a leading provider of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television in obtaining and defending orbital locations and spectrum and acquiring the relevant licenses has been an example of work the practice has been involved in that has a significant influence on the DBS industry.

Of particular note has been an increase in regulatory work arising as a result of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act, which has affected many of its leading clients.

Clients were quick to draw attention to the firm's technical proficiency, one enthusing that its 'greatest strength is its expertise on telecom and other regulatory matters'. Another client suggested that 'on technical issues they have immense understanding and are extremely thorough'.

Individuals: Steptoe vice-chairman Philip Malet heads up the telecommunications, Internet and media practice group, drawing on 25 years' experience in private practice in the telecom industry.

Pantelis Michalopoulos is a frequent favorite of clients for his work on a broad spectrum of telecom affairs before the FCC. One client refers to him as 'one of the smartest and most articulate lawyers I know. He is knowledgeable with respect to FCC matters, very client-oriented and always prompt in fully applying the resources necessary to accomplish the task presented, even if on very tight time lines.'

Alfred Mamlet, head of the telecommunications and IP practice groups, also earns mention for his broad transactional and regulatory practice.

Media and Entertainment: Defamation and Libel
Excerpts from The Legal 500 US ranking follow:

Practice: Steptoe has a formidable name for federal-level regulatory and litigation matters generally (due partly to a strong presence on the ground in Washington, DC). But the lion's share of the firm's libel and defamation work is undertaken from the firm's offices in Phoenix, Arizona, where the firm's reputation for defamation work is cemented. Among the year's highlights, the firm recently acted successfully for Citizen Publishing in a First Amendment case in the Arizona Supreme Court concerning a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress relating to a letter to the editor about the Iraq war.

Clients: Steptoe acts for a preponderance of Arizona-based publishers and broadcasters. The firm also undertakes a variety of national and international work, albeit on a lesser scale.

Individuals: Phoenix-based partner David Bodney is recommended by clients.