Profile
Stephen has a wide range of experience litigating complex domestic and international disputes before federal and state courts and administrative agencies and in arbitration. He has represented clients in both individual and class action cases involving 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, election law disputes, commercial and government contract disputes, procurement fraud, and business torts. 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 defended multiple clients in FCA procurement fraud cases brought by relators and the U.S. Department of Justice seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
- Successfully defended multiple clients in high-profile civil RICO cases worth millions of dollars in damages.
- Successfully represented various candidates, officeholders, and political parties in a variety of election law and other disputes, including cases involving alleged FECA violations.
- Successfully represented multiple clients in complex administrative matters and APA litigations.
- Successfully represented trade associations in commercial disputes and complex litigations.
- Represent large government contractors in a multimillion-dollar Anti-Terrorism Act litigation.
- Successfully defended a government contractor in a multimillion-dollar class action arbitration involving wage claims by fire and rescue employees used during the Iraq War.
- Successfully represented the owners of small government contractors in buyout disputes and mediation.
- 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)
- Represented the United States and federal agencies in a variety of civil matters, including FCA, APA, Federal Tort Claims Act, Title VII, and Bivens matters
- Successfully defended against class action certification in a Title VII suit against the U.S. Marshals Service
- Successfully defended the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in multiple APA suits
- Obtained a favorable settlement following an investigation of an FCA procurement fraud suit involving a federal intelligence agency
Affiliations
- U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, Administrative Law & Government Litigation Advisory Committee
- Catholic Charities Legal Network, Advisory Council
- American Bar Association (ABA), Section of Public Contract Law
- Procurement Fraud Committee
Recognitions
- Listed by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Litigation: General Commercial (2022) and Political Law (2022)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US in Appellate: Court of Appeal (2020-2022)
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 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
- ArticleThe Rocket Docket: Ensuring Clarity and Predictability in Civil LitigationThe American Bar Association's Litigation JournalAttison L. Barnes, III, Stephen J. Obermeier, Krystal B. SwendsboeFebruary 6, 2023
- Media MentionArkansas-Made Brake Signal Device Held Up by RegulatorsArkansas BusinessÂOctober 31, 2022
- Press ReleaseLegal 500 US Recognizes 52 Wiley Lawyers and Seven Practice Areas NationallyJune 13, 2022
- Press ReleaseWiley Files Amicus Brief in Support of Request of Writ of Certiorari to Protect Prisoners’ Religious FreedomJune 6, 2022