Steven K. Davidson

Domestic & International Arbitration

• Representing an investor in respect of an investment made in a Maltese bank arising from Malta’s wrongful seizure of the bank’s assets.
• Defended Nokia Siemens Networks (now Nokia Solutions and Networks) in AAA arbitrations against customers' claims for breach of contract regarding the performance of cellular infrastructure systems.
• Represented an investor in respect of an investment dispute arising from Montenegro’s failure to extend the exploration period under an oil and gas exploration agreement, which allegedly breached a bilateral investment treaty’s provisions concerning expropriation, full protection and security, MFN, and fair and equitable treatment.
• Represented Brightstar Corp., one of the largest private telecommunications companies in the United States, in a dispute with its joint venture partner in an AAA arbitration including at an evidentiary hearing in support of a preliminary injunction.
• Represented US Airways, Inc. in its efforts to recover corporate cash funds that its brokers Lehman Brothers, Inc. (LBI) and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. invested in Auction Rate Securities (ARS), fixed-income products that failed in August 2007 and were unsuitable for US Airways' investment goals and risk profile, winning a $30 million award from a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) panel. This stands as one of the largest ARS awards for damages to date.
• Represented US Airways in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy proceedings before the US Bankruptcy Court and was able to secure from the bankruptcy estates payment on a FINRA award in favor of US Airways against former Lehman employees in the amount of $15 million.
• Represented a major telecommunications provider in a £375 million product liability dispute under a GSM frame contract involving alleged defects in one of Europe’s largest GSM/GPRS networks.
• Represented Motorola in an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitration against Turkey, which has seized Telsim, a Turkish telecom company that Motorola had obtained various judgments and arbitral awards against, which resulted in payments to Motorola of approximately $1 billion.
• Represented Motorola in a Zurich Chamber of Commerce arbitration against Telsim which resulted in an arbitration award for $2 billion in Motorola’s favor.
• Defended attorneys before arbitral and disciplinary panels regarding fee and discipline issues.

 Complex Business Litigation

• Representing ExxonMobil Corp. in an action brought against certain Cuban state-owned entities under the Helms-Burton Act in a groundbreaking case closely covered by Bloomberg and numerous media outlets; Representing King Ranch in a similar Helms-Burton Act Case.
• Representing Credit Suisse in an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court for the District of Maryland. TMST, the debtor, is seeking to clawback hundreds of millions of dollars paid to Credit Suisse and five other Wall Street banks. TMST was one of the leading public companies to securitize mortgage backed securities (MBS) and financed its purchases via repurchase agreements. When the financial crisis of 2008 occurred, the value  of the MBS depreciated resulting in margin calls and liquidation of collateral. The claims against Credit Suisse are $295 million and Credit Suisse's proof of claim is $891 million.
• Representing Credit Suisse in New York Supreme Court, in civil litigation related to second-home development financing transactions. The case involves five different 9-figure transactions, dozens of depositions and expert work on a variety of issues.
• Secured a victory for ARTEL, LLC in a breach of contract suit brought by Global Telecom & Technology (GTT) in a jury trial before the Fairfax County Circuit Court (VA) concerning the overseas installation of a multimillion-dollar secure telephone network for the US State Department.
• Represented an Israeli company in an action against the Government of Ukraine in a lawsuit pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
• Represented DynCorp in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia with respect to disputes with foreign subcontractors over the construction of military bases in Afghanistan.
• Represented and advised trustee of a major Icelandic bank in efforts to recover assets from principals.
• Represented several significant international law firms in alleged legal malpractice matters.
• Advised a consortium of foreign companies involved in a global dispute over control of a large, foreign telecommunications company, with proceedings in the Southern District of New York, the British Virgin Islands, Switzerland, Netherlands, and an ICC arbitration.
• Represented Carmel Partners, a private owner of rental properties throughout the United States in six separate suits brought to the DC Superior Court for violations of the Tenant Opportunity Purchase Act (TOPA). Upon appeal, four cases were affirmed by the DC Court of Appeals and two reached out of court settlements.
• Represented the trustee of a large, failed Bahamian bank with respect to winding up litigation.
• Advised a fully integrated investment, management and real estate development company on litigation issues regarding a substantial development project worth high eight figures.
• Represented Washington, DC real estate developer Calvin Cafritz and related companies in connection with multi-jurisdiction litigation involving dozens of interested parties, including the Tompkins family and Vornado Realty Trust, regarding the control of their closely held companies and real estate worth hundreds    of millions of dollars.
• Represented a prominent New Jersey developer in litigation in federal district court in New Jersey against the Ford Motor Company concerning claimed damages to the developer’s property as a result of the closure of a Ford automobile plant in New Jersey.
• Represented Philip Haynie in litigation against the US Department of Agriculture over alleged racial discrimination in providing access to government farm programs. The trial resulted in the largest individual settlement of a black farmer case and was featured  in  the  cover  story  of  the October  2004 Washington  Post Magazine.

Pre-Judgment Remedies and Post Judgment Enforcement

• Represented SourceHOV Holdings LLC in judgment enforcement litigation stemming from the merger that created Exela Technologies by securing a first-of-its-kind ruling from a Delaware vice chancellor who refused to dismiss a judgment creditor’s suit seeking traditional and "reverse" corporate veil piercing against Exela and its subsidiaries in order to collect on a nearly $58 million-plus-interest merger stock appraisal award. This matter was widely reported in the media, including Bloomberg Law, Law360, LevFin Insights and Reuters.
• Converted ExxonMobil’s multibillion-dollar ICSID and ICC awards as against Venezuela and PDVSA into judgments in the Southern District of New York.
• Led the Steptoe team that represented Motorola in its claims against the Uzan family, concerning fraudulent conduct in connection with a $2 billion loan. The team obtained a worldwide freezing order in the London commercial courts, which was affirmed by the English Court of Appeals; froze and liquidated assets worldwide; and obtained a fully contested fraud judgment for $2.13 billion in compensatory damages and a punitive damages judgment for $1 billion in federal court in New York City. These judgments were affirmed  by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Steptoe successfully enforced the judgment and arbitral award in various countries throughout the world, including the United States, England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Bermuda, and Guernsey.
• Advised various sovereign states in their responses to efforts to enforce judgments against them.
• Represented Societa Explosivi Industriali SpA in its successful action to enforce major Swiss arbitration award against L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Inc. in the US District Court for the District of Delaware (See SEI Societa Esplosivi Industriali SpA v. L‐3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Inc).
• Represented claimants in Siag & Vecchi v. Arab Republic of Egypt, in the successful enforcement of a $130 million ICSID award that was the largest award ever issued to an individual as against Egypt.
• Assisted various clients with pre-judgment and judgment enforcement remedies, including, but not limited to, Louis Vuitton, Glitnir Bank, multinational oil companies and others.

• "Appropriate Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods," Offshore Disputes Week, Grand Cayman, March 25, 2025
• "The D.C. Universe: The Power Players of Enforcement in Investment and ICSID Arbitration, and International Commercial Arbitration Awards," Washington Arbitration Week, Washington, DC, December 3, 2024 
• Webinar: Asset Recovery and Judgment Enforcement: A Focus on 2024 Trends in the US and UK (mondaq.com), May 14, 2024
• "Enforcement and Other Issues Arising from Awards granting Non-Monetary Remedies," 35th ITA Workshop and Annual Meeting, Austin, TX, June 14-16, 2023
• "Asset Recovery And Judgment Enforcement: A Focus On The US And New Trends With An Assist From The UK," Webinar, March 1, 2023
• "Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Awards and Judgments in the United States," New York State Bar Association, December 1, 2022
• "Why do Fraud Lawyers Dislike Arbitration," Fraud, Asset Tracing and Recovery Miami, Miami, FL, October 29, 2019
• "A First Look at Litigation under the Helms-Burton Act," American Society of International Law, Washington, DC, October 15, 2019. Watch the full panel discussion here.
• "Critical Issues: Enforcement, Arbitration, Terrorism," Georgetown University Law Center, April 25, 2016
• "Dispute Resolution for the In-House Lawyer," International Finance Law Review European In-House Counsel Summit 2016, London, UK, January 28, 2016
• "Damages Awards in Energy Disputes," 3rd Annual ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration, Houston, TX, January 15, 2016
• "International Dispute Resolution," Duke Energy, Charlotte, NC, March 3, 2015
• "Dispute Resolution Techniques," IFLR European In-House Counsel Summit 2015, London, UK, January 22, 2015
• "Practical Tips in Recognizing and Enforcing Arbitral Awards against Foreign Sovereign Entities," Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

• Best Lawyers in Washington, DC (2025)
• Chambers USA, International Arbitration: Enforcement (2024)
• Chambers USA, Notable Practitioner – Washington, DC General Commercial Litigation (2021)
• Super Lawyers, Washington, DC, International (2017-2022) 
• Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation (2021-2022)
• Legal 500 US, Dispute Resolution: General Commercial Disputes (2018-2021)
• Legal 500 US, Dispute Resolution: International Litigation (2017-2020)
• Legal 500 US, Litigation: Commercial Litigation (2015)
• Who's Who Legal, Asset Recovery (2012)
• Euromoney's Expert Guide to the World's Leading Litigation and Product Liability Lawyers: Litigation (2010, 2012, 2013)