Overview
(January 9, 2019, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce a promotions class consisting of 13 lawyers, including four women partners and three diverse lawyers. Elected to the firm's partnership are Jason Abel, Molly Bruder Fox, Jared Butcher, Alan Cohn, and Alexandra Melia. Elected as of counsel are Andrew Golodny and Seth Sias. In addition, the firm has elevated six partners from non-equity to equity status.
"This year's class reflects the strength of our firm, our deep and rich talent base, and our good fortune in being able to promote so many fine lawyers," said Phil West, chair of Steptoe. "This is a good time for these promotions; our lawyers are busy and our financial performance has been strong. This is also a diverse group of lawyers, in the traditional sense of the word as well as geographically and practice-wise. They will help us grow and strengthen in many ways."
New Partners
Jason Abel (Washington) leads Steptoe's political law and campaign finance practice and advises clients on a range of government affairs issues, including legislative strategy and process. Abel served as chief counsel for US Senate Committee on Rules & Administration Chairman Charles Schumer and prior to that, as counsel for Sen. Schumer in his personal office. Abel has been recognized by Chambers for political law, The Legal 500 for government relations, and by Washingtonian magazine as a Top Lawyer for campaign and election law. He's also been named to The Hill's "Top Lobbyists" list for the past three years. Abel earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Abel also received a certificate of business and public policy from the Wharton School of Business.
Molly Bruder Fox (Washington) focuses on a wide range of complex commercial cross-border disputes, judgment enforcement matters, and recognition of arbitral awards, including many involving foreign sovereigns. Fox regularly advises major international corporations and law firms in business disputes including breach of contract, bankruptcy, and professional liability. For the past three years, Super Lawyers has named her a "Rising Star" in Business Litigation. Fox earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from American University, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Carleton College where she was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Fox clerked for the Honorable Roger L. Wollman of the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Jared Butcher (Washington) has extensive experience representing clients in commercial litigation, domestic and international arbitration, and internal corporate investigations. Butcher also is a member of the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency practice, where he advises clients regarding the various legal and regulatory issues arising from the many commercial applications of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, distributed ledger technology, and smart contract systems. Butcher earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. He clerked for the Honorable Allison H. Eid of the Colorado Supreme Court.
Alan Cohn (Washington) co-chairs Steptoe's Blockchain and Cryptocurrency practice. He counsels clients on a range of blockchain-related issues, from anti-money laundering and know-your-customer best practices for cryptocurrency companies to legal issues associated with novel uses of blockchain technology. Cohn helped found and now serves as counsel to the Blockchain Alliance, a public-private forum to combat criminal activity involving cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Previously, Cohn served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Over the past year, The National Law Journal has twice named Cohn a "trailblazer" in cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, blockchain and fintech. He was also ranked in the 2019 Chambers Fintech: Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies guide. Cohn earned his A.B. from Columbia University and his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.
Alexandra Melia (London) assists companies in complying with the UK Bribery Act, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, related transnational anti-bribery regimes and anti-money laundering legislation. She regularly conducts internal investigations, compliance audits and risk assessments for clients in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and the Middle East across a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, pharmaceutical, financial services, technology, consumer product and manufacturing. Melia also defends clients in investigations and enforcement actions brought by the UK's Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Melia earned her L.P.C. from BPP Law School and her M.A. from the University of Edinburgh.
New Of Counsel
Andrew Golodny (Washington) advises traditional and new media companies, satellite and cable operators, and trade associations on complex and novel issues in the telecom and media industries. Golodny frequently assists clients in a wide variety of Federal Communications Commission proceedings, including rulemakings, mergers, licensing, and compliance matters. He also has significant experience managing large electronic discovery projects and government investigations. Golodny earned his J.D. from Georgetown University and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Brown University.
Seth Sias (San Francisco) represents clients in a wide variety of complex commercial disputes. He frequently handles matters involving breach of contract, negligence, fraud, consumer protection, securities, and antitrust. Sias is also experienced in white collar matters, including regulatory and criminal investigations and prosecutions. He has represented clients facing investigations and proceedings initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Additionally, Sias has assisted numerous pro bono clients including veterans and immigrants. Sias advocates for LGBT rights and is a founder of Steptoe's LGBT affinity group. He earned his J.D. from Stanford where he was lead article editor for the Stanford Law & Policy Review. Sias received his B.A. with high honors from Swarthmore College.
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, London, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.