Stephen M. Byers

Steve represents individuals and business entities in all phases of white-collar criminal and related civil matters, including: internal corporate investigations; federal grand jury, inspector general, civil enforcement and congressional investigations; and trials and appeals.  His practice focuses on matters involving procurement fraud, trade secrets theft, international trade enforcement, and cybercrime. Steve has extensive experience with the federal False Claims Act and qui tam litigation, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Economic Espionage Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

In addition to defense of government investigations and prosecutions, Steve has represented corporate victims of trade secrets theft, cybercrime, and other offenses. For example, he represented a Fortune 100 U.S. company in parallel civil and criminal proceedings that resulted in a $275 million criminal restitution order against a foreign competitor upon its conviction for trade secrets theft.

Steve's trial experience includes the acquittal of a major transportation company accused of filing false reports with a federal agency; and the acquittal of a senior executive of a major pharmaceutical company charged with conspiracy, obstruction, and other crimes.

Steve's experience in e-discovery includes counseling clients on electronic discovery issues in the context of internal and government investigations, including the use of technology-assisted review and computer forensics as investigative tools, and negotiating with government investigators concerning the preservation, processing, and production of electronically stored information. Steve has written and spoken widely on e-discovery issues in the context of criminal investigations, and previously served as the chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section's Task Force on Criminal E-Discovery.

Steve is a partner in the firm's White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement Group and has long served on the group's steering committee. He is also a member of the firm's Government Contracts Group and E-Discovery and Information Management Group.

Steve received his law degree in 1992 from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review.

Steve is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia, the bars of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and other federal courts, and the American Bar Association Sections on Criminal Justice and Public Contract Law.