Steptoe's Corporate Rail Transportation Practice Profiled in Chambers 2007

Below is the profile of Steptoe's Rail Transportation practice group according to Chambers 2007 under the Transportation: Rail category:

The Firm: The firm’s transportation efforts are focused primarily on the rail sector, where a sizable team, comprising some “young talent,” assists clients with large-scale commercial litigation and offers the full gamut of regulatory counseling services. With its long-standing experience, this “premier player almost always shows up on significant litigation,” sources say. A new addition to the team is former chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) Roger Nober, whose expertise in the legislative and policy-making arena complements the group’s traditional litigation strengths. The firm’s principal railroad client is BNSF; however, the team also acts for the AAR and many major railroads on discrete issues, especially appellate PI matters, where conflicts of interest do not regularly come to the fore.
The Lawyers: Betty Jo Christian has a major focus on transportation and represents clients before the courts and federal agencies, often assisting with regulatory issues. She originally forged the relationship with key client BNSF and wins praise for her long-standing experience in the field. Sam Sipe, one of “the most prominent rail practitioners,” leads the team. He is “very thorough and extremely effective in all arguments” and is “involved in many cases concerning industry issues and rulemaking.”
Clients/Work Highlights: The team currently handles two notable rulemaking cases involving rail rates, and represents BNSF in two major disputes with coal shippers. Over the past year, the team further assisted Genesee & Wyoming, one of the largest short lines in the USA.

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