Congressional Oversight & Investigations

Businesses, trade associations, and individuals have turned to Steptoe's congressional oversight and investigations team for decades. The firm has one of the premier Washington practices in this field, drawing on our depth of experience with high-profile matters, our substantive knowledge, our political acumen, and our understanding of congressional process. We are a go-to firm for everything from responding to an initial investigatory letter to preparing and defending our clients in nationally televised hearings. In many instances, our success involves keeping our clients out of the congressional eye altogether.

Our team includes lawyers and advisors with deep roots in the House and Senate. This invaluable background means that our professionals are not only experienced in responding to congressional demands, but many also led or orchestrated such inquiries while serving on Capitol Hill. To further inform our counsel, the partnership also includes former senior officials from many government departments and agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and others.

We have served clients involved in investigations stemming from virtually every industry, including financial services and insurance, health care, telecommunications and the Internet, manufacturing, international trade, banking, energy and environment, food and drug, and other consumer products and services. We are actively engaged in a number of representations with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Steptoe calibrates its approach to congressional oversight and investigations much like litigation. We master the facts and work with our clients to ensure that their businesses and reputations are protected in whatever proceedings ensue. At the same time, our lawyers are adept at working out solutions, even as we maintain our tenacity in protecting our clients' interests. The firm's deep bench and our experience in both civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense allow the firm to orchestrate a coordinated response to any parallel proceedings, such as enforcement actions.

Our clients benefit from the fact that we also represent businesses, trade associations, and individual clients on Capitol Hill on legislative matters on a day-to-day basis. Our portfolio includes representations before all of the major committees in the House and Senate. We counsel clients regarding legislative policy and procedure, advocate before the House and Senate, draft legislation and amendments, and work in all other facets of the legislative process. Those representations mean that we are in constant and close contact with the members and staff who are most heavily involved in oversight and investigations matters even when a client is not the subject of an inquiry.