Submitted by Steptoe & Johnson
PITTSBURGH – Samantha Phillips Beers has joined the Pittsburgh office of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC as Of Counsel. She joins the firm’s Business Department and will focus her practice on assisting clients with navigating the vast scope of federal programs that incentivize economic development and environmental projects.
“I am excited to join Steptoe & Johnson,” said Beers. “I look forward to utilizing my experience gained with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist the firm’s clients in building partnerships that benefit both economic growth and community health in the Appalachian region and beyond.”
Beers has significant experience in environmental law, policy, and economic development, dedicating over 30 years to enhancing community advancement and resilience by managing federal programs addressing air, water, land, climate, hazardous waste, Superfund sites, and lead issues. At the EPA she led economic revitalization and sustainable development initiatives across Appalachia and counseled clients on a variety of EPA enforcement issues. She also managed EPA programs including Environmental Justice (EJ), Children’s Health, Environmental Education, Opportunity Zones, Tribal Programs, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act.
“We are very pleased to have Samantha join the firm,” said Steptoe & Johnson’s CEO, Christopher L. Slaughter. “Her extensive knowledge of environmental policy and economic development programs and incentives will greatly benefit not just our clients but will extend to the entire Appalachian region as well.”
Beers earned her law degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College.
The addition of Beers marks a continuation of rapid growth of the firm’s Pittsburgh office, which is now home to nearly 30 attorneys. The office recently relocated to One PPG Place to accommodate current and future growth and strengthen its presence in the market.
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is pleased to announce that Endia Vereen, Member, has been selected as a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow for 2024. The LCLD Fellows program connects high-potential attorneys from diverse backgrounds, providing them with a year-long professional development program focused on leadership and relationship building.
During her year as a Fellow, Endia will participate in national and regional meetings, be involved in learning experiences and leadership lunches, and will be teamed up with a small group of accountability partners. Fellows will have the opportunity to interact with key legal and business leaders of large U.S. corporations and connect with Managing Partners and General Counsels of other LCLD member organizations in small group settings.
“I am honored to have been selected and excited to serve the firm in this capacity,” Vereen said. “As a first-year law student I was part of the LCLD Law School Mentoring program, so this really feels like a full-circle moment.”
Vereen said she is looking forward to connecting with like-minded practitioners who are genuinely invested in meaningful professional development and building long-lasting professional relationships.
Vereen practices in Steptoe & Johnson’s Pittsburgh office where she handles business transactions and focuses on mergers and acquisitions. Vereen’s clients range in all sizes of businesses and represent the healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and financial technology industries.
Fellows are selected by the General Counsel and Managing Partners at LCLD member law firms throughout the United States. In order to be selected as a Fellow, an attorney must have eight to fifteen years of professional legal experience, have a strong history of performance, and be identified as being on a trajectory toward leadership positions within their firm. Steptoe & Johnson attorneys Monté Williams, Joseph Leonoro, and Brooke Kamicker are past LCLD Fellows.
Founded in 2009, LCLD’s mission is to empower the next generation of diverse leaders in the legal profession with the ultimate goal of building a more equitable and diverse legal profession. Its Fellowship program launched in 2011 to support the leadership potential of underrepresented backgrounds and boasts an alumni network of more than 5,000 attorneys.
About Steptoe & Johnson:
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a law firm nationally recognized for its strengths in energy law with more than a century of know-how in the areas of business, labor and employment, and litigation. Steptoe & Johnson has over 400 lawyers and other professionals practicing in 18 offices in Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. Visit and connect with us on X and LinkedIn.
For more information, contact Ryan Daniels, Chief Marketing Officer, at (614) 456-1647 or by email: press@steptoe-johnson.com.