Stephanie Schuster

合伙人

Washington, DC 电话 +1.202.373.6595 Fax +1.202.739.3001

1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW//Washington, DC 20004-2541//United States

Stephanie Schuster is an appellate litigator who helps clients navigate complex and cutting-edge issues from the earliest stages of litigation through appeal. Stephanie has delivered oral arguments in federal and state appellate courts and litigated more than 50 appeals in the areas of retail, technology, telecommunications, bankruptcy, tax, commercial, insurance, civil rights, arbitration, and constitutional law. Stephanie also litigates and counsels on issues involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and new technologies, such as websites, mobile applications, and autonomous vehicle solutions. She is a co-leader of the firm’s LGBTQ+ Lawyer Network.

Stephanie focuses on complex, high-value civil disputes, applying appellate-level strategy, briefing, and oral advocacy throughout all stages of litigation. Her experience includes appeals in the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and DC Circuits, as well as the NY Court of Appeals, the DC Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Connecticut, and various states’ intermediate appellate courts. In many of these cases, Stephanie worked on the case from the beginning, developing and managing overall litigation strategy and briefing critical issues in the trial courts.

A significant part of Stephanie’s practice at the trial and appellate levels involves the ADA and its application to new technologies. Stephanie was a key member of the team that secured the first federal court of appeals ruling that a website of a web-only business is not a “place of public accommodation” subject to the ADA. Stephanie regularly litigates these cutting-edge issues on behalf of major technology companies in trial and appellate courts across the country.

selected representations

Secured an appellate victory for a major automobile manufacturer in a case of first impression involving the whistleblower provisions of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP 21) (Eighth Circuit).
Secured a significant appellate victory for a major ridesharing technology company in a decision imposing important limitations on Article III standing of individual plaintiffs and the scope of the private right of action for entity plaintiffs under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Seventh Circuit).
Secured an appellate victory for a statutory retiree benefit fund in a case of first impression under the Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefits Act (Coal Act) (DC Circuit).
Secured an appellate victory for a major US railroad on the issue whether stock railroads transfer to employees are subject to a federal tax on “money remuneration,” creating a 2‑1 circuit split, which the Supreme Court ultimately resolved in the railroad’s favor (Eighth Circuit).
Secured a path-marking victory for a web-only marketplace in the first federal appellate decision holding that Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which applies to “places of public accommodation,” does not apply to the websites of web-only businesses (Ninth Circuit).
Secured affirmance of a district court’s ruling on behalf of a major public utility on a claim for unjust enrichment and alleged violations of the Commerce Clause and the Atomic Energy Act (Eleventh Circuit).
Secured reversal of a district court’s decision denying an online travel company’s motion to compel arbitration on the ground that the company’s ability to modify its terms and conditions rendered the entire contract illusory (Fifth Circuit).
Secured an appellate victory for a local school district holding that individuals lack standing to pursue Establishment Clause claims when they do not claim to have been exposed to the challenged governmental conduct (Second Circuit).
Secured reversal of the Social Security Administration’s decision denying benefits to an individual with multiple disabilities (DC Circuit).