Office Information

The London office of Steptoe & Johnson UK LLP* offers clients the close collaboration of a boutique firm with the depth and breadth of legal talent found in a leading US-UK law firm. Steptoe & Johnson lawyers have years of experience guiding clients through global business, legal and regulatory challenges in diverse settings. The firm's experience in international law is reflected in the scope of cases handled, the diversity of the client base, and in the many languages our lawyers speak. The office also has experience in handling Russia & the CIS work.

The London office has practices in the following areas:

• Construction
• Corporate/Private Equity
• Employment
• Insurance & Reinsurance
• International Dispute Resolution
• International Trade
• Property
• Tax
• Technology & Telecoms
• White Collar Fraud and Corruption 
• Worldwide Arbitration

Our practice areas include:

Construction
The London office construction team work closely with our property, infrastructure and finance teams to ensure a seamless commercial approach when deals are being structured; and with our mainstream litigation teams to resolve any disputes which may arise through adjudication, mediation, arbitration or court. We can offer you a fully integrated service, covering the development and construction process from inception to completion and the agreement of the final account, whether you are a purchaser or supplier of services. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality, pragmatic advice on both contentious and non-contentious construction and engineering matters for UK and international clients.

Corporate/Private Equity
The lawyers working in the corporate/private equity practice handle the full gamut of legal business. This includes takeovers and mergers, acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures (UK and cross-border), shareholder agreements, venture capital finance, public flotations (including listings on the Alternative Investment Market), e-commerce, EU law and international corporate structures, agency, distribution, franchising and intellectual property.

Employment
Employment is often a company’s biggest expense, and the rules and regulations surrounding relationships between workers and corporations are complex and ever-changing. Steptoe lawyers grasp the scope of international employment law, and continually monitor changes as they occur.  Lawyers in the practice handle employee/employer relations, employment documentation, redundancy, termination packages, maternity, discrimination, TUPE and advocacy at tribunals.

Insurance & Reinsurance
Our lawyers offer strong insurance and reinsurance law skills and experience. Matters often involve an international dimension, and we work closely with our top-rated US insurance practice. We help insureds, insurers and reinsurers to resolve disputes successfully and efficiently through strategy and negotiation or, if necessary, by arbitration, litigation or mediation. We have drafted, negotiated and advised on a wide range of policies, from directors and officers to finite reinsurance. 

Our experience of dispute resolution gives us an excellent understanding of how to draft these contracts to avoid disputes. We advise on UK and EU regulation of insurance, and also advise on the specialist insurance issues which arise as part of wider transactions such as project financings or corporate mergers.

International Dispute Resolution
Steptoe & Johnson’s overall capabilities in commercial and international litigation are reflected in its London International Dispute Resolution Group. The group acts for both UK and international clients in a broad variety of commercial disputes litigated in the Commercial Court and other divisions of the English High Court. The Group has particular skill in disputes involving international sales, trade and distribution, EU regulation, international fraud, technology and telecoms, energy, insurance and reinsurance, and deals with public as well as private international law matters.

Three of the group’s partners are English High Court Advocates, who are able to provide front-line advocacy capabilities in the English Courts, beyond those normally found in London law firms, in UK domestic as well as international litigation.

International Trade
Steptoe offers clients one of the top-rated international law and trade practices in the world. The firm’s international lawyers are highly experienced in international matters, many having served with governments or other institutions involved in international trade, development, and policy. In addition, when the situation requires it, we draw on various industry and regulatory experience throughout the firm to complement the international law practice.

The firm represents manufacturers and distributors, as well as organisations in the pharmaceutical, technology, transportation, food, alcohol, gas, oil and energy sectors. The firm assists clients with regional multilateral trade issues, trade policy, trade litigation, public international law, customs matters, EU trade barriers regulation, EU competition law and World Trade Organisation (WTO) issues.

To see further information about the firm's International Trade practice please click here.

Property
Lawyers in our property practice have years of experience guiding clients through the subtleties of property law and effectively negotiating for them the best deals possible. The dynamic property team champions its insistence on close collaboration of highly seasoned property lawyers and clients on matters ranging from industrial and residential development, investment, acquisitions and disposals, leases, property finance, portfolio management, construction, planning and environmental law.

Tax
Domestic and foreign clients regularly retain the office to advise and represent them in all aspects of domestic and international tax.  We provide comprehensive, solutions driven and seamless tax advice to clients who operate in single or multiple jurisdictions. We provide pro-active advice on the full spectrum of taxes including tax advice on domestic and international corporate acquisitions and disposals (including acting for private equity houses as well as management) and on funding structures to facilitate corporate acquisitions, domestic and international group re-organisation (pre-disposal or listing on Nasdaq, AIM or the London Stock Exchange), UK real estate acquisitions and disposals including advice on SDLT, VAT (including capital goods scheme), capital gains tax and capital allowances as well as on real estate acquisition finance, domestic and international transfer pricing as well as domestic and European VAT, employment related taxes including advice on PAYE compliance and employee remuneration including employee share schemes and tax investigations and tax litigation. 

Technology/Telecommunications
Evolving technology and telecommunications markets spur acquisitions, restructuring and innovation. With broad experience in virtually all aspects of technology law, from navigating tangled regulatory regimes to winning domain name disputes, from drafting innovative software licensing agreements to engineering acquisitions of satellite businesses, Steptoe's London office is well-equipped to give technology companies the legal support they need to thrive.

The firm's team of London-based technology and telecommunications lawyers have broad experience with the various legal frameworks that govern these industries. In the online environment, the firm advises on international e-commerce regulation (with a particular focus on encryption), Internet and ISP matters, data protection issues and intellectual property rules. In telecommunications, the firm offers UK, US and pan-European corporate, regulatory and commercial advice in the fixed and wireless sectors, and has extensive experience before all of the UK telecommunications regulators. Our technology lawyers cooperate with our corporate lawyers on mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance matters involving technology companies.

Steptoe & Johnson lawyers regularly offer their experience and insight on issues involving the European Commission, World Trade Organisation (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organisation and other international organisations. The technology and telecommunications practice is complemented by Steptoe's Brussels office, and its highly regarded telecommunications and technology practice in the Washington office, which works regularly with the London office on trans-Atlantic matters. 

White Collar Fraud and Corruption
Steptoe’s UK office has substantial experience and expertise in providing guidance to companies and individuals on the interpretation and application of the UK statutory and common law dealing with fraud and corruption including the UK Bribery Act 2010, along with the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and related international treaties and conventions. The UK team, which includes UK and US-qualified lawyers, is able to offer integrated advice, under numerous legal regimes, on issues that go hand-in-hand with international fraud and corruption counseling and internal investigations, including multi-jurisdiction governmental enforcement risks and voluntary self disclosure strategies, maintaining compliance with European data protection and employment laws in the course of internal investigations. 

The Firm also has specific expertise – from UK, US, and continental European perspectives – on the unique issues involving anti-money laundering laws, including “gatekeeper” responsibilities, related reporting obligations, and identifying red flag transactions from a money-laundering perspective, as well as in freezing (and in many cases recovering) hundreds of millions of dollars in assets throughout the world.

Worldwide Arbitration
The firm has a long history of resolving international disputes and conducting arbitrations for US and international clients. The firm’s experience in international arbitration comes into play both in arbitration proceedings and in national court litigation where parties may seek or resist arbitration. Advice is also provided on a full range of dispute resolution issues that arise in contractual and investment transactions, from negotiating and drafting arbitration clauses to enforcing or challenging arbitral awards in different countries.

*Steptoe & Johnson UK LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales under number OC395074 with its registered office at 5 Aldermanbury Square, London EC2V 7HR. Steptoe & Johnson UK LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and is affiliated with Steptoe & Johnson LLP. Our United Kingdom VAT registration number is 203 2105 81.