Steptoe & Johnson LLP has announced it will open a Chicago office in January.
Nine partners whose practices focus on commercial, insurance and reinsurance litigation will join Steptoe from Gardner Carton & Douglas’ Chicago office. Together with recent additions in D.C. and in a new Steptoe office in Century City, this group represents a further step toward the firm’s goal of expanding its national litigation footprint. The group joining from Gardner Carton will total 15 to 20 staff and attorneys.
“With the addition of this group we will have instant critical mass in Chicago, enhancing our national litigation practice,” said Roger Warin, chairman of Steptoe & Johnson. “The opening up of a Chicago office with such a fine group of lawyers will also enable us to serve better those clients doing business in Chicago and litigating in the Midwest.”
The Chicago group is led by partners Christopher Barber and Stephen O’Donnell, both of whom have trial experience in the financial services and insurance industries. Many of their major clients are also existing Steptoe clients.
“Steptoe affords us an unparalleled platform from which to develop and expand our already strong commercial and insurance litigation practices,” said Mr. Barber. “Its reputation as a top-tier litigation powerhouse and its interest in utilizing our expertise in financial services and insurance to build out its national litigation practice are attractive to us. We believe it’s an excellent match.”
Barber is a commercial litigator and has handled over 100 trials and arbitrations.
O’Donnell has a substantial insurance and reinsurance litigation practice, and has conducted more than 20 trials in his career, including seven in the past four years. His practice often involves proceedings in London, and thus he will collaborate with Steptoe’s team of UK-based insurance lawyers, litigators and arbitrators.
Seven other attorneys from Gardner Carton will be joining Barber and O’Donnell at Steptoe as partners.
Two of Steptoe’s D.C.-based partners, Steven Davidson and Paul Mickey, will coordinate the launch and integration of the Chicago office and will spend significant time working in Chicago. The office will opened on Jan. 1, at 161 North Clark St., Ste. 3200 in downtown Chicago.
This is the second new office for Steptoe in the past seven months. In July the firm opened an office in Century City, Calif. which now has 17 attorneys. In addition to the firm’s headquarter’s office in Washington and its new Chicago office, Steptoe has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, London and Brussels.
Source: Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Topics Lawsuits Mergers & Acquisitions
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