Overview
(September 29, 2020, Washington, DC) — Steptoe associate Chris Suarez has won the 2020 American Inns of Court Warren E. Burger Prize, a writing competition that promotes scholarship in the areas of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence. Suarez was selected for his essay "Disruptive Legal Technology, COVID-19, and Resilience in the Profession," which will publish in the South Carolina Law Review.
Suarez's essay focuses on the ethical issues prompted by the legal technologies that have been transforming the legal profession in recent years. Thanks to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other advances, the legal profession may now rely on technology to review documents, draft briefs, and even render judgments. The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating this technological transformation, with lawyers now interviewing witnesses, conducting legal proceedings, and doing other work online from their homes.
At Steptoe, Suarez focuses his practice on high-tech patent and trade secret trials and appeals. His clients represent a wide range of industries and electronic technologies, including smartphones, internet-of-things technologies, voice control computers, and others. The intersection of law, privacy, and technology is another interest. Suarez has participated in privacy-related litigation and holds a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Suarez earned his J.D. from Yale, where he served as executive editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review. He received an M.A.T. from Dominican University and dual undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Suarez is active in the American Bar Association, Federal Circuit Bar Association, and the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
