Overview
(January 4, 2018, San Francisco and Chicago) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to welcome the arrival of a seven-lawyer commercial litigation group led by Stephanie Sheridan, who will chair the firm’s Retail Industry practice and will become the managing partner of Steptoe’s San Francisco office. Also joining the firm are Anthony Anscombe, who joins as a partner in both the Chicago and San Francisco offices, Darlene Alt, who joins as a partner in Chicago, and Carol Brophy, who joins as senior counsel in San Francisco. Rounding out the group are three associates: Mary Beth Buckley in Chicago, and David Mesa and Meegan Brooks in San Francisco.
“We are excited to kick off the new year with the arrival of this dynamic group of trial lawyers. They have built a strong consumer protection and tort litigation practice that will greatly complement the litigation practices in our Commercial Litigation Group and expand the suite of services offered to our clients,” said Steptoe Chair Phil West. “We also appreciate the good work of Bill Abrams in serving as the managing partner for our Northern California office since he started the Palo Alto office with a group of IP lawyers in January 2014, and later moved the office to San Francisco with a group of litigators led by Laurie Edelstein.”
Ms. Sheridan, who was recently named a Law360 MVP in Retail for the second consecutive year, brings extensive first-chair trial experience. For the past two decades, she has represented retail industry clients across the country in cases involving allegations of deceptive pricing schemes for full price and outlet retailers. Her clients have included some of the most recognized brands in retail, among them Macy’s, JCrew, DSW, and Stein Mart. She advises clients on defense against Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) claims, California’s Song-Beverly Credit Card Act class actions and California’s “Made in the USA” statute. In the past several years, she has led her team in the defense of deceptive pricing class actions across the country—totaling more than 25 cases. In 2017, she was named one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco Business Times, and in 2016, she was selected to the Daily Journal’s list of the “Top 100 Lawyers” in California.
Mr. Anscombe also brings considerable first-chair trial experience, particularly in class action matters across the country involving consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, warranty, mass tort and statutory claims. He has extensive experience defending food industry and other life science clients in product liability and class action matters, and advising them on advertising issues and risk management. Mr. Anscombe began his career in San Francisco, where he practiced eleven years, before relocating to Chicago. He now maintains dual residence between the Chicago and San Francisco offices. Together with Ms. Sheridan, the group has focused a large and growing portion of its work on the defense of retailers accused of a variety of deceptive pricing schemes based on “compare at” or similar language on price tags. This litigation has posed the most significant threat to the retail industry in the past decade, and this practice group has successfully defended more of these class actions than any other practice group in the country.
Along with consumer class action and tort litigation, Darlene Alt concentrates her commercial litigation practice on insurance disputes. She represents a wide range of clients in matters involving consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, mass torts, products liability, insurance coverage and sale practices, breach of contract, and extra-contractual liability. Ms. Alt also regularly counsels insurers in the US and London markets on a wide array of complex claims and coverage issues involving professional liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, employment liability, and general liability insurance policies, and works closely with insurance clients on insurance policy wordings.
Carol Brophy’s commercial litigation practice focuses on environmental law. She represents a wide range of companies in matters involving federal and California laws including Proposition 65, California Unfair Trade Practice, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the California Clean Air Act, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act, the California Environmental Quality Act, and other state and local regulations. She has also represented manufacturers and retailers of FDA-regulated products, including foods, supplements and cosmetics in meetings with the FDA, and defenses of class action lawsuits nationwide and in California.
Ms. Sheridan commented: “We are delighted to call Steptoe our new home. Not only does the firm have a reputation for being a formidable opponent in court, but it provides our group with a stronger brand and broader platform to expand our practice.”
Mr. Anscombe added: “I am looking forward to working with the firm’s impeccable trial bench, many of whom reside in the Chicago office, to defend our clients nationally. The firm’s deep regulatory experience with the agencies and industries that foment class litigation is also a huge benefit to us and our clients.”
Recognized by The Lawyer as one of the world’s top 50 law firms for litigation for five of the past six years, Steptoe’s multifaceted international Litigation Department features a team of highly experienced trial lawyers known for effectively litigating unusually complex matters and skillfully handling multiparty, multijurisdictional cases. The Commercial Litigation Group handles virtually every kind of complex dispute, including contract claims and business torts such as fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and corporate governance issues. Clients regularly seek Steptoe when cases need to be taken to trial, often asking the group to step in as “11th-hour trial lawyers.” The group’s creative strategies, efficiency and trial preparation have garnered it rankings and recommendations from Chambers USA and The Legal 500, as well as the designation of a Law360 “Litigation Powerhouse.”
Mr. Abrams commented: “We are very excited to welcome Stephanie, Anthony, and Carol to the San Francisco office. Their joining the firm caps off a great year for us in San Francisco. We very much look forward to working with Stephanie as she takes over as San Francisco managing partner and leads the office to further growth and success.”
Steptoe’s San Francisco office is located in the heart of downtown at One Market Plaza in the Steuart Tower.
About Steptoe
Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm widely recognized for vigorous advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, successful representation of clients before governmental agencies, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
