Shannen W. Coffin

Shannen Coffin chairs Steptoe's Appeals and Advocacy practice. He frequently represents regulated businesses in trial and appellate courts in matters involving commercial disputes, constitutional and administrative law challenges to government regulatory action. His practice spans a wide range of legal subject matters, including First Amendment free speech (e.g., libel and commercial speech), the Administrative Procedure Act, federal preemption, state and foreign sovereign immunity, government contracts, commercial and insurance law, and tribal jurisdiction. 

He has represented clients in numerous regulated industries, including energy, financial services, retail, insurance, and defense. In testimonials published in The Legal 500 US for commercial disputes, people familiar with his work praise Shannen as "outstanding," "extremely smart," and "a joy to work with." One commentator observes that Shannen "just doesn't think outside the box, [he thinks] outside the building."

Shannen's practice draws on his significant experience as a former senior attorney in the federal government. He served as counsel to Vice President Cheney in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. There, he provided legal advice to the vice president and his staff on constitutional, regulatory, national security and related policy issues, coordinated OVP's response to congressional investigations and litigation, and represented OVP in the inter–agency process with respect to federal regulations and legislation.

Shannen also served as deputy assistant attorney general in the US Justice Department's Civil Division, where he was responsible for overseeing and coordinating trial litigation on behalf of the federal government for constitutional challenges to federal statutes, statutory and constitutional challenges to agency programs, and defense of national security and anti-terrorism programs. He argued numerous significant litigation matters for the federal government in both trial courts and courts of appeals.