Stephen R. Halpin III

Steve has broad litigation experience across various fields. He focuses in particular on matters involving complex allegations of fraud and financial misconduct. Steve has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® – Criminal Defense: General Practice for 2023 and 2024.

Select Engagements:

• A media company under investigation for federal securities fraud by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as successful defense of the company in a lawsuit brought by an investor alleging violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
• A former officer and director of a technology company appealing a disgorgement award of over $7 million entered in an SEC enforcement action alleging violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b) and 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
• A former founder and CEO of a Bahamian broker-dealer in litigation with the SEC involving alleged violations of anti-solicitation laws under Section 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
• Obtained vacatur by Second Circuit Court of Appeals of more than $7 million disgorgement award against CEO of public company accused by SEC of misappropriation of funds raised through private offerings
• Survivors and relatives of victims injured during the August 2020 explosion of ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut (the Beirut Blast) in U.S. litigation against the company allegedly responsible for bringing the ammonium nitrate to Beirut.
• A former international soccer official appealing federal criminal convictions for honest-services wire fraud arising from an alleged bribery scheme.
• A business professional in federal district court on criminal charges related to economic sanctions on transactions involving a prohibited foreign country.

In his pro bono practice, Steve has represented a state prisoner pursuing federal habeas relief based on newly discovered evidence, both at the trial and appellate levels, including briefing constitutional issues of first impression in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Steve has also drafted briefs on behalf of individuals seeking to suppress evidence obtained during warrantless searches of automobiles.

Prior to entering private practice, Steve clerked for the Honorable Robert B. King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Steve earned his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Steve currently serves on the W&L Law Council, the governing board of the school’s Law Alumni Association.

During law school, Steve served as Editor in Chief of the Washington and Lee Law Review, worked as a research assistant to Civil Procedure and Federal Jurisdiction expert A. Benjamin Spencer, and interned for two federal district court judges. Steve earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.

Outside of his legal practice, Steve enjoys reading literature, following his favorite sports teams, and trying different restaurants in New York City with his wife.

• Washington and Lee University School of Law, Lexington, Virginia
• J.D. – 2015
• Honors: magna cum laude
• Honors: Order of the Coif; Omicron Delta Kappa; Editor in Chief, Washington and Lee Law Review, Volume 72
• University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
• B.A. – 2010
• Major: Economics
• Minor: English Language and Literature

• American Bar Association

• Stayin’ Alive?: BG Group, PLC v. Republic of Argentina and the Vitality of Host-Country Litigation Requirements in Investment Treaty Arbitration, Note, 71 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1979 (2014)

• Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® – Criminal Defense: General Practice (2023–2024)
• Certificate of Appreciation, Pro Bono Service Honor Roll, awarded by the Virginia Access to Justice Commission (2022–2023)
• 2017–2020 Capital Pro Bono High Honor Roll, sponsored by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
• Firmwide award for Pro Bono Excellence (Hughes Hubbard), Senior Associate, August 2019