About Christopher J.
Christopher J. Steskal built his legal foundation at Dartmouth College, where he read English before moving on to Harvard Law School for his J.D. The combination of liberal arts and a top-tier law education shaped a careful, text-driven approach to complex legal problems. He arrived in practice with training that emphasizes close reading of statutes, rules and evidentiary materials.
He serves as Chair of White Collar & Regulatory Defense at Fenwick & West LLP. That role places him at the intersection of corporate compliance, government enforcement and litigation. Inside the firm he coordinates defense strategies and oversees responses to investigative subpoenas and regulatory inquiries. His title reflects a practice concentrated on matters that require both courtroom judgment and knowledge of agency processes.
Steskal maintains memberships in the State Bar of California and the State Bar of New York. He is active in local bar groups as well. He chairs the Securities Litigation Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco and sits on the Executive Committee of the Northern District of California Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Those roles put him in regular contact with prosecutors, regulators and other defense counsel, and they inform his day-to-day work advising corporate and individual clients.
His practice covers the kinds of issues that often follow from regulatory scrutiny and enforcement actions. He represents clients in government investigations, defends against civil enforcement actions and handles related litigation in federal and state courts. He also works on internal investigations and advises companies on responding to subpoenas and production requests. Colleagues describe him as methodical; he tends to break complicated matters into discrete legal questions and address each one on its merits.
Outside the courtroom, Steskal applies an analytical eye to oral advocacy and written submissions alike. His background in English complements his legal training when drafting briefs or preparing witnesses. He has held leadership posts in professional organizations that focus on securities and federal court practice, which keeps him engaged with cutting-edge procedural and evidentiary issues.
He practices at Fenwick & West LLP, where his work centers on defending clients in white collar and regulatory matters and on advising on securities litigation and related enforcement issues.
