SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2014—Duane Morris LLP has appointed Stephen H. Sutro managing partner of its San Francisco office. Sutro succeeds partner Joseph M. Burton, who served in that role since 2001. The firm's San Francisco office, its third largest, serves clients not only in the Bay Area, but also throughout the United States and internationally.
"In his new role heading up our San Francisco team, Steve brings in-depth legal experience and a firm grasp of the firm's core strengths," said John J. Soroko, Chairman and CEO of Duane Morris. "We are confident that, under his leadership, our San Francisco office will see continued growth in the years to come. Joe Burton has guided our San Francisco office with great success through a challenging period for the legal industry. His management talents and business acumen have been invaluable."
"I am really grateful for the opportunity to lead such a distinguished group of lawyers," said Sutro. "I'm excited to begin working with my colleagues and firm leadership to build upon the successes we've achieved in San Francisco."
Sutro focuses his practice on complex business litigation, government and internal corporate investigations, and corporate matters. He joined Duane Morris as an associate in 2000.
Sutro has handled numerous significant matters. He is defending the firm's clients in litigation and investigations, including the former CEO of a California bank against a $12 million lawsuit filed by the FDIC and a software company in litigation brought by the Office of the State Controller seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages regarding a failed software implementation. He also represents an international corporation and its affiliates in multi-district litigation regarding alleged price-fixing in the liquid crystal display (LCD) market, as well as various executives in grand jury investigations involving antitrust laws, securities laws and other matters. Earlier this year, Sutro obtained a judgment awarding $4.2 million to a California municipality in a complex property tax dispute against the California Department of Finance and a number of other California state and county agencies.
Sutro has been listed for several years as one of Northern California's Super Lawyers in the area of white-collar criminal defense. He also has been recognized for outstanding pro bono service by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Sutro is co-chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco and is a member of the Board of Governors for the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. He also serves on the Board of the Shelton Capital Funds, a family of mutual funds. Sutro has been a board member and served as legal counsel for a number of nonprofit entities and is a past President of The Guardsmen, a prominent San Francisco organization that raises money for at-risk youth.
Sutro earned his J.D., cum laude, in 1994 from the Santa Clara University School of Law, where he was the Senior Comments Editor of the Santa Clara Law Review, and graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., in 1991.
Burton will continue his practice in complex civil, criminal and appellate litigation. He is nationally recognized in the emerging field of information security law, where he advises and represents individuals and corporations regarding the security of digital information. In March 2003, California Lawyer Magazine honored Burton with its California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year Award.
About the Duane Morris San Francisco Office
Duane Morris' San Francisco office offers a wide range of services to clients throughout the country and internationally, and attorneys in San Francisco work closely with attorneys in the firm's other offices on the West Coast, including Silicon Valley, San Diego and Los Angeles. They practice in a broad array of areas, including complex litigation and alternative dispute resolution; white-collar criminal litigation; insurance and reinsurance, products liability, toxic torts and public safety; bankruptcy; energy and water law, international trade; intellectual property; employment and immigration law; real estate; information technology and telecommunications; and construction.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, a law firm with more than 700 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally, is asked by a broad array of clients to provide innovative solutions to today's legal and business challenges.