Shannen W. Coffin is a partner in Steptoe’s Washington office, where he concentrates his practice on appellate and regulatory litigation. He provides advice and litigation strategy for clients before state and federal courts of appeals in cases involving constitutional issues (such as First Amendment free speech, takings law, and preemption), commercial, insurance and tort law, administrative law, antitrust law, and tribal jurisdiction.

Mr. Coffin’s legal career has given him a rich mix of experience in both private and government sectors. He rejoined the firm in 2008, after serving as Counsel to Vice President Cheney in the Office of the Vice President. There, he provided legal advice to the Vice President and his staff on constitutional, regulatory, national security and related policy issues, coordinated OVP's response to congressional investigations and litigation, and represented OVP in the inter–agency process with respect to federal regulations and legislation.

Previously, Mr. Coffin served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the US Justice Department’s Civil Division. He was responsible for overseeing and coordinating trial litigation on behalf of the federal government for constitutional challenges to federal statutes, statutory and constitutional challenges to agency programs, and defense of national security and anti–terrorism programs. He personally argued numerous significant litigation matters for the federal government in both trial courts and courts of appeals, including constitutional challenges to Presidential action, disputes over access to government information, and an intervention by the federal government into a major labor–management dispute.