In 1937, Steptoe & Johnson founding partner Louis Johnson arrived in Washington to serve as Assistant Secretary of War under President Franklin Roosevelt. Johnson, also Secretary of Defense under President Harry Truman, returned to private practice in 1945, opening the DC branch office of a West Virginia firm. That branch would eventually amicably part ways with its parent firm. In 2000, Steptoe & Johnson's nearly 300 attorneys divide their time among 40 practice areas, and work in offices in Washington, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Telecom strength

Steptoe has made a name for itself in the telecom biz, with a practice covering regulatory matters, transactions and licensing disputes for common carriers, international, satellite, wireless, cable television, broadcasting, the Internet, and electric utility companies. Anthony C. Epstein, based in Washington DC, is a notable partner here. Epstein has represented MCI before the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission in its mergers with British Telecommunications and WorldCom, and represents MCI WorldCom in connection with the proposed SBC-Ameritech and Bell Atlantic-GTE mergers.

The Uncle Sam connection