Overview
(May 2, 2023, New York) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP has expanded its Investigations and White-Collar Defense Practice in Asia with the addition of new partner, Brian Burke. Brian joins Steptoe’s New York office from Shearman & Sterling, where he was previously based in Hong Kong and New York.
"Steptoe has long served clients in the Asia Pacific region, with investigations and litigation defense in US, UK, and EU proceedings, as well as trade secrets, international trade, and regulatory compliance," said Steptoe Chair Gwen Renigar. "Brian's deep experience in Asia and Mandarin Chinese language skills make him a natural fit for our firm as we continue to grow our APAC representations."
Wendy Wysong, co-chair of Steptoe's Investigations and White-Collar Defense Practice and managing partner of Steptoe's Hong Kong office commented: "Brian's work enhances the strong reputation Steptoe has built in Asia through our experience with international economic sanctions, export controls, anti-money laundering, anti-bribery and corruption compliance, data privacy, and corporate governance matters."
Brian Burke, a fluent Mandarin speaker, focuses on advising clients with operations in Asia on FCPA/anti-corruption, economic sanctions, antitrust, shareholder litigation, anti-money laundering and other compliance and investigative matters. He has conducted dozens of investigations throughout Asia Pacific, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Brian commented: "Steptoe is at the top of the market when it comes to investigations and white-collar defense, and one of very few global firms with both credibility and resources in Asia. I look forward to drawing on all the firm has to offer to deliver quality results for Steptoe clients."
Over the past two years, Steptoe’s Investigations and White-Collar Defense Practice has handled a number of significant matters, including representing Volkswagen AG in a diesel emissions case and successfully negotiating the largest corporate criminal and regulatory settlement in recent history, and representing iFinex Inc., the owner of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange, and Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, in investigations by the CFTC and the New York Attorney General’s Office. Steptoe was also recently named by Global Investigations Review to its GIR 30, an independent guide to the world's best firms for international investigations.
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, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s Chair is a woman; the majority of the firm’s elected executive committee is female; the majority of Steptoe's nine offices are managed by women; and the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders. The firm's eight-person professional business services leadership is equally diverse, with half the c-suite made up of women, including three women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
