Christopher C. Tai

Partner

• ctai@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

Christopher C. Tai is a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he is a member of the Technology Department and the Corporate, Securities and Finance practice group.  Prior to joining the firm, he served as in-house counsel, including stints as general counsel, in both Fortune 30 as well as “start-up” companies, where he worked on a wide range of legal, regulatory, commercial, and strategic issues affecting telecommunications and other technology companies.

Mr. Tai’s broad practice relates primarily to complex corporate and commercial transactions, particularly those that involve transnational and/or regulatory considerations.  He has represented both buyers as well as sellers and licensees as well as licensors in a variety of transactions involving telecommunications, technical and other services, hardware and other equipment, software and intellectual property.  He has also structured, negotiated, and documented the formation of joint ventures and other strategic alliances with domestic and foreign partners, the sale of commercial satellite systems to satellite-based services providers, the licensing of major software systems to foreign telecommunications carriers, the marketing and sale of regulated and non-regulated telecommunications and value-added services to retail and wholesale customers, and the procurement of complex and sophisticated products and services from third party vendors.  He negotiated and drafted the first “interconnection” agreements between an incumbent local exchange carrier and competitive local exchange carriers following passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

Mr. Tai has also advised regularly on the multitude of legal issues attendant to the daily activities of businesses with domestic and international operations.  These include corporate governance, corporate finance, intellectual property, tax, export control and federal and state regulatory issues.

After graduating from Yale Law School, Mr. Tai served as an associate at Morrison & Foerster; as General Attorney at Bell Atlantic; as Vice President and General Counsel at Lockheed Martin Telecommunications; and as Vice President and General Counsel at SkyOnline, Inc.

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News, Seminars & Events

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Professional Affiliations

• Federal Communications Bar Association