Overview
(July 15, 2026, Los Angeles) – Steptoe LLP announced today that Katherine A. Petti, Christopher T. Berg, and Noah S. Helpern have joined the firm as partners in Los Angeles, advancing a strategic expansion of its West Coast platform and enhancing its capabilities in complex litigation and investigations.
Together, Katherine, Chris, and Noah bring complementary strengths in complex commercial litigation, trials, cross-border matters, and fast-evolving legal risks. Their arrival builds on the firm's continued investment in Los Angeles, including the recent addition of litigators Corey LaPlante and Ryan Lapine, as well as former federal prosecutor Jamari Buxton, as Steptoe scales its capabilities in matters involving high-stakes disputes, enforcement risk, and emerging technologies.
"Katherine, Chris, and Noah are a stellar addition to our West Coast team and will further strengthen our ability to advise clients on complex disputes and sensitive investigations," said Robyn Crowther, California offices managing partner. "Their trial experience and work on issues shaped by technology and regulation support how we serve clients pursuing legal and business goals."
Katherine Petti is an accomplished litigator with a track record of handling highly complex trial and appellate matters, particularly in corporate governance, media law, and emerging issues related to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. She has represented major organizations in some of the most closely watched corporate governance and defamation cases in recent years, including high-stakes litigation involving multi-billion-dollar claims. Katherine’s practice also includes corporate governance counseling, internal investigations, and government investigations and Congressional-facing matters. She has experience across all stages of litigation and arbitration, from dispositive motions through trial and appeal, including at federal courts of appeal and the US Supreme Court.
Christopher Berg is an experienced trial lawyer whose practice focuses on complex civil litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and cross-border disputes. He represents companies and individuals in matters involving commercial fraud, corporate governance, antitrust and unfair competition issues, and emerging technologies, with a focus on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. His work spans federal and state courts, arbitration proceedings, congressional hearings, and internal and government investigations. He has successfully defended clients in high-profile prosecutions and enforcement actions. He also has expertise in emergency injunction practice, obtaining swift victories for clients long before trial. Chris maintains an international practice, including matters involving conduct in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Noah Helpern is a seasoned litigator whose practice focuses on complex commercial and high-profile litigation, including substantial work in media and entertainment disputes, real estate industry matters, mass and class actions, and structured finance litigation. He has represented major corporations, high-net-worth individuals, board members, universities, and public entities in high-stakes litigation and arbitration proceedings. Noah has represented clients in disputes involving billions of dollars in alleged damages and in connection with major public-facing crises. His experience also includes serving as counsel in complex commercial arbitrations and advising clients on dispute resolution strategies, which often involves avoiding threatened litigation before it has begun.
"Steptoe has built a strong platform for handling sophisticated disputes and investigations, particularly in areas shaped by rapid technological and regulatory change," said Katherine, Chris, and Noah in a joint statement. "We are excited to be part of its West Coast expansion and join a team that is focused on delivering practical, yet innovative and strategic solutions for clients, including in their most pressing and highest-stake matters."
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients and innovative thinking 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, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
