Clients hire Steptoe when they are in need of trial lawyers. We handle virtually every kind of complex business dispute in courts and arbitrations throughout the United States and abroad. Our commercial litigation practice is ranked Tier 1 nationally in US News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" rankings. In addition, many of our first-chair trial lawyers have been recognized as "MVPs" and "Trial Aces" by Law360, and our litigators have garnered accolades from Chambers USA, The Legal 500, The Lawyer, and Global Arbitration Review.
Our skilled litigators tackle a host of complex commercial disputes, and we have represented clients in almost every imaginable industry, with emphasis in energy, manufacturing, telecommunication, retail and consumer articles, financial services and natural resources. We are particularly well-suited to handle complex, cross-border disputes that require a multidisciplinary approach to dispute resolution. We collaborate with subject-matter professionals within the firm as well as a well-tested network of international lawyers to obtain results for our clients. We regularly handle matters involving breach of contract, fraud, civil RICO, fiduciary duties, and other matters integral to business operations. We also have substantial experience in asset recovery and judgment enforcement, toxic and mass tort, product liability, consumer class actions and alleged deceptive trade practices, and trade secrets. In addition, we regularly represent secured, unsecured and subordinated creditors, equity security holders, sureties and insurers of financially troubled enterprises in connection with failed or failing real estate and construction projects, mass-tort cases, and ERISA-related matters.
We understand that not every matter goes to trial. Our trial experience and capability gives clients the necessary perspective to map strategy even before litigation is filed and to obtain successful results when that litigation goes the distance and is resolved in the courtroom. Our lawyers are complex problem solvers with a track record of helping our clients reach outcomes that meet business goals. Our practice often teams with other renowned practices at Steptoe including our international arbitration, white collar criminal defense, as well as our global regulatory practice to achieve results.
Noteworthy
- Chambers Global, Disputes: International & Cross-Border US (2020)
- The Lawyer, Global Litigation 50 (2016-2017)
- Legal 500 US, Dispute Resolution: General Commercial Disputes (2015-2019)
- Legal 500 US, Dispute Resolution: International Litigation (2017-2019)
- Legal 500 UK, Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation (2010-2020)
- BTI's Litigation Honor Roll (2017)
- Law360, Top 50 Firms For Litigation (2016)
Representative Matters
- Successfully represented ExxonMobil in its efforts to collect on sums owed to it by Venezuela and PDVSA, the state-owned oil company of Venezuela, for breach of contract and indemnification obligations.
- Represented Toys "R" Us, Inc. (TRU) in a claim for breach of contract and defense of breach of warranty counterclaims against one of TRU’s vendors and a toy manufacturer.
- Represented a joint venture owner seeking contractual rights to receive $2 billion of the $55 billion in proceeds from sale of TNK-BP to Rosneft in 2013.
- Represented the former CFO of American Realty Capital Properties in parallel proceedings brought by federal prosecutors and the SEC, and in numerous class action, derivative and opt-out litigations.
- Represented Otkritie Financial Corporation in multiple matters, including efforts to recover significant funds diverted by former employees, and in a $120 million fraud case against another financial institution.
- Successfully represented Motorola in its claims against the Uzan family, which formerly owned the Turkish telecom company Telsim, concerning fraudulent conduct in connection with a $2 billion loan
- Successfully represented CACI International Inc. in a suit in which a contractor sought to hold CACI liable for allegedly leading the plaintiff to believe it had been awarded a government contract to provide meals for troops in Iraq.
- Secured summary judgment for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) three weeks before a trial on the merits in a breach of contract dispute involving claims by a construction management company that PG&E owed it significant sums for supporting and working around PG&E facilities in the course of performing contracts for the city and county of San Francisco.
News & Publications
Client Alerts
COVID-19: English Law Contracts – Force Majeure, Frustration, and Other Relief
April 3, 2020
By: Jonathan Raynes
Client Alerts
Options for Conducting Commercial Disputes in England during COVID-19
April 3, 2020
By: Neil Dooley, Angus Rodger, Jonathan Raynes, Ivan Gordienko
Client Alerts
Electronic Signatures in the Age of Social Distance
April 1, 2020
By: James M. Carolan, Scott D. Fisher, Chris Paparella, Brendan George
Media Mentions
National Law Journal Quotes Brigida Benitez on Practicing Law in New Normal
March 30, 2020
Client Alerts
Reducing Risk and Uncertainty in Shareholder Disputes with Exclusive Forum Clauses
March 27, 2020
Publications
Price Increases in a Crisis: The Regulatory and Criminal Risks
The Recorder
March 24, 2020
Press Releases
DCA Live Names Patty Palacios to Emerging Women Leaders in Private Practice List
March 3, 2020
Client Alerts
Sovereign Bonds are Back in the News
March 3, 2020
By: Steven K. Davidson, Michael J. Baratz, Jared R. Butcher, Molly Bruder Fox