Steve Churchwell is a member of the Government Affairs and Regulatory Law practice group in Buchalter’s Sacramento and Nashville offices. Mr. Churchwell represents corporations, trade associations, nonprofits, Indian tribes and public agencies in compliance matters, enforcement defense, internal investigations and related litigation.
He has practiced election and political law for more than 30 years. He advises clients on complex conflict of interest and government ethics issues.
Mr. Churchwell has experience representing industries that are subject to extended producer responsibility and sustainability laws.
He has many precedential appellate wins, including two 7-0 victories in the California Supreme Court in the areas of constitutional law and civil procedure.
His positions in government were:
- General Counsel, California Fair Political Practices Commission
- Chief Counsel, Cal-OSHA Appeals Board
- Legal Counsel, Office of Administrative Law
- Legislative Intern
Mr. Churchwell received the highest rating of AV® by Martindale-Hubbell. He is a Past President of the California Political Attorneys Association and helped develop methodology used by the Ethisphere Institute to annually rank the World’s Most Ethical Companies. Mr. Churchwell was named by the National Law Journal to its “2013 Pro Bono Hot List” and was a national pro bono award winner while a partner at DLA Piper LLP. Mr. Churchwell was recognized as one of Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyers for 2024 and was selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer the past 13 years (2013 – 2026).
Steve serves on the Advisory Board for UCLA School of Law’s Strategic AI for Legal Professionals program, an executive education initiative focused on helping attorneys understand and adapt to the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the legal profession.
