Steve Vieux
Of Counsel – Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Description of field of expertise
Steve counsels clients in diverse industries on antitrust, advertising and labeling issues. He also brings extensive experience handling complex litigation matters and government investigations. From his past government service, Steve has developed a keen insight that can be invaluable to representing clients before agencies and managing internal investigations.
Before joining Shook, Steve was a senior attorney at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) where he led antitrust investigations in the health care and pharmaceutical industries, as well as represented the agency in litigation. As a result of his work at FTC, Steve received the prestigious Janet D. Steiger award on two occasions for his contributions to government enforcement actions and litigation. Steve’s antitrust experience with the FTC includes serving on an interagency team that reviewed health care joint ventures participating in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Accountable Care Organization program for their competitive impact. He also analyzed settlement agreements entered into between pharmaceutical companies in Hatch-Waxman litigation matters for antitrust compliance. Steve’s record of public service also includes serving as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, managing a caseload of more than 100 criminal cases.
Steve earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a senior editor for the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, and the Philadelphia Sub-Regional Director for the National Black Law Students Association. He earned his undergraduate degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University. Steve currently serves as chair of the American Bar Association’s Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, and was recently appointed a Vice Chair of the American Health Law Association’s Antitrust Practice Group. He also serves as a co-chair of the firm’s Black Employee Resource Group.
What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?
I believe specialization can be a career booster in private practice. To develop a specialization in my area, antitrust and consumer protection, I would recommend a tour of duty in public service. On the federal level that would be the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the DOJ’s Antitrust Division (as a former FTCer, I’m partial to the former). Several state Attorneys General offices also have highly regarded antitrust and consumer protection sections that would be great places to serve. Besides a rewarding experience and giving you instant credibility in the practice, junior attorneys get a unique opportunity to put together investigations and even litigated cases from start to finish. That experience is invaluable to clients, whether they are the subject of an investigation, want to complain to the government about another business, or are a party to a private lawsuit.
Final thoughts…
Never stop learning. Get in the habit of reading case and policy developments in your practice area each morning. You will discover something new that may be helpful to a client or colleague, on the fly, later that day, or an idea for business development.