Overview
(March 5, 2015, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is further expanding its Chicago office and toxic tort litigation practice with the addition of Bob Shuftan, Tony Hopp, and Jeremy Goldkind. All three join as partners and follow the arrivals of their former colleagues Michael Dockterman, Cal Burnton, John Frey, and Derek Smith, who also joined Steptoe’s Chicago office as litigation partners in February.
Leading the latest group of arrivals is Mr. Shuftan, who brings more than 30 years of experience handling matters involving chemical, toxic tort, and environmental site issues. He and his team have a national reputation for litigating high-profile class actions and mass tort matters that have posed industry-wide or business changing implications. He has also assisted pharmaceutical, product and medical device manufacturer clients. Over the course of his career, Mr. Shuftan has successfully litigated matters in more than 25 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. His practice also involves serving as a trusted advisor to top business executives, public officials, general counsel, and boards of directors on reputation management and other issues. In addition to his practice, Mr. Shuftan brings substantial leadership experience, having served as managing partner of two law firms for 16 years.
“Bob is a terrific lawyer and leader with extensive boardroom reach,” said Steptoe Chair Phil West. “He and his team have a great track record and reputation for handling complex class claims involving large numbers of parties in matters of national and international scope. Their arrival, following the arrival of four of their litigation colleagues who joined our Chicago office last month, greatly strengthens the firm’s complex commercial, environmental, mass and toxic tort capabilities and creates a deep litigation bench in the Midwest to match our East and West Coast capabilities.”
Mr. Shuftan commented: “I have worked closely with Steptoe for two decades on a host of litigation and regulatory issues. The firm is extremely well-respected, particularly in the chemical industry, and provides great depth of regulatory expertise in areas of importance to our clients. The fit couldn’t be better.”
The team includes Tony Hopp, who brings first-chair trial experience representing clients in complex commercial, environmental and mass tort matters. Mr. Hopp has handled cases in 20 states, including all phases of single plaintiff, multiple plaintiff, and class action claims. Over the course of his career, he has litigated mass tort matters, CERCLA cases, consumer class actions, insurance coverage disputes including bad faith, unfair competition and Lanham Act claims, and counseled clients on risk management and product stewardship issues, product recalls, environmental audits, internal corporate investigations, and local siting of solid waste management facilities.
Rounding out the litigation and toxic tort group is Jeremy Goldkind, who has defended national and international chemical, pharmaceutical and industrial manufacturing companies in product liability and mass tort matters. He also has significant experience in litigating complex commercial matters for clients in the advertising/marketing, technology, healthcare, and financial sectors. Mr. Goldkind has handled all aspects of litigation including jury trials, motion practice, discovery, mediation and appellate practice.
In December 2014, Steptoe was named to The Lawyer’s list of the top 50 global litigation firms for the third consecutive year. The firm derives more than three-quarters of its revenue from contentious work, and has a reputation for taking cases to trial and a history of being called in at the 11th hour to secure a favorable trial outcome. The firm’s toxic tort litigation practice, which was recognized in the 2014 edition of The Legal 500 US for providing “exceptional skill and service,” defends toxic tort claims nationwide for the oil, petrochemical, aerospace, manufacturing, and agricultural chemical industries. Six times since 2002, the group’s trial results have been selected by The Daily Journal as one of the “Top Jury Defense Verdicts” in California.
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, Century City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
