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, regulatory, and election law cases in district and appellate courts throughout the country, 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
- Successfully represented a lobbying firm in a high-profile, international CFAA and civil RICO case worth millions of dollars in damages.
- Successfully represented a broadcasting company in a major antitrust suit involving the Federal Communication Commission’s ownership and control regulations.
- Represent large government contractors in a multimillion-dollar Anti-Terrorism Act litigation.
- Represent firearms manufacturers and trade associations in bet-the-company APA litigation.
- Represent national political organizations in election and campaign finance 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 multimillion-dollar TCPA case brought against a political candidate and his campaign.
- Represent a mutual bank in federal court litigation to defend against a hostile takeover attempt.
- Represent a telecommunications company in a multibillion-dollar FCA litigation.
- 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" (2024-2025)
- Listed by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Litigation: General Commercial (2022-2024) and Political Law (2022-2024)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US as a "Recommended Lawyer" in Appellate: Court of Appeal (2020-2024)
- Named one of “Washington’s Top Lawyers” by Washingtonian magazine (2024)
Practice Areas
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 Second, 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
Related News & Insights
- Press ReleaseEighteen Wiley Partners Named Top Lawyers by WashingtonianNovember 21, 2024
- Media MentionMd. Electricity 'Greenwashing' Law Is A Muzzle, Judge ToldLaw360November 13, 2024
- Media MentionWiley Intervenes in Federal Election Campaign Spending RowThe National Law JournalNovember 5, 2024
- AlertLoper Bright’s Potential Effects on “Chevron-Like” Deference DoctrinesStephen J. Obermeier, J. Ryan Frazee, Kahlil H. Epps, Joel S. NoletteOctober 21, 2024