Profile

Stephen represents corporations, financial institutions, national political organizations, political campaigns, nonprofits, trade associations, and individuals in a wide range of domestic and international disputes involving the most sensitive and high-profile commercial, political, jurisdictional, and criminal issues. He has successfully litigated a variety of highly complex commercial and election law disputes, including cases under the False Claims Act (FCA), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He also has experience conducting internal investigations for corporate clients in response to government allegations of misconduct. Stephen is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the civil section in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Represent a lobbying firm in a high-profile, international CFAA and civil RICO case worth millions of dollars in damages.
  • Represent a mutual bank in federal court litigation to defend against a hostile takeover attempt.
  • Represent large government contractors in a multimillion-dollar Anti-Terrorism Act litigation.
  • Represent a telecommunications company in a multi-billion dollar FCA litigation.
  • Represent firearms manufacturers and trade associations in bet-the-company APA litigation.
  • Represent national political organizations in election law disputes.
  • Represent a nonprofit in a complex campaign finance dispute under FECA.
  • Successfully obtained a preliminary injunction for a Georgia gubernatorial candidate against an unconstitutional state campaign finance law.
  • Successfully defended a multi-million dollar TCPA case brought against a political candidate and his campaign.
  • Represent public interest groups and other clients seeking to vindicate important constitutional interests, including First and Second Amendment interests, before federal appellate courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Professional Experience

  • Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (2010-2013)

Affiliations

  • U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, Administrative Law & Government Litigation Advisory Committee
  • Catholic Charities Legal Network, Advisory Council

Recognitions

  • Included in Benchmark Litigation guide as a "Litigation Star" (2024)
  • Listed by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Litigation: General Commercial (2022-2023) and Political Law (2022-2023)
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 US in Appellate: Court of Appeal (2020-2023)

Credentials

Education

J.D., Vanderbilt Law School; Order of the Coif

A.B., cum laude, Princeton University

Law Journals

Managing Editor, Vanderbilt Law Review

Clerkships

  • Law Clerk for the Honorable Karen LeCraft Henderson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (2006-2007)

Bar and Court Memberships

  • District of Columbia Bar
  • Pennsylvania Bar
  • Virginia Bar
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh, Federal, and District of Columbia Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, Eastern District of Virginia, and District of North Dakota
  • U.S. Court of International Trade
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims

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