Steptoe LLP

Investigations, White-Collar and Compliance

Partner, San Francisco and Hong Kong

Cáitrín McKiernan is an innovative and trusted advisor to multinationals on matters of corporate compliance, including cross-border internal investigations, multijurisdictional reviews, compliance policy development, proactive compliance counseling, and interactive training (in English and Mandarin Chinese). She brings "extensive experience in compliance and investigations," according to Global Investigations Review, which noted that clients describe Cáitrín as "outstanding."  The publication named her to the 2025 GIR Women in Investigations.

Notably, Cáitrín brings valuable in-house experience and a tech-forward approach to her practice, including with respect to the adoption of artificial intelligence tools. In 2025, she completed a 10-month, partner-level secondment to the Legal Compliance department of OpenAI. She previously spent one year seconded to a Fortune 10 technology company, where she led all of its ethics and compliance investigations across Asia Pacific.

Although Cáitrín's work has a global reach, a significant portion focuses on Greater China. A fluent Mandarin speaker and former Fulbright Scholar to China and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Taiwan, her work draws upon deep cultural knowledge, gained from engaging with the region for nearly three decades, including substantial periods living on-the-ground in Greater China. According to Legal 500, she "excels in handling large" matters involving the Chinese subsidiaries of US-listed companies.

Beyond her professional practice, Cáitrín is dedicated to fostering dialogue within the legal community. She founded and hosts The Steptoe Coffee Club for Women in Law, a monthly gathering that facilitates discussions among legal experts in a fireside chat setting before a select audience of in-house counsel.  Recently, she had other Steptoe partners launched "Leading Lawyers in AI," a series of fireside chats featuring key lawyers in the field.

Mandarin, English

Bar and Court Admissions:

California New York Registered Foreign Lawyer, Hong Kong

J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Certificate of Specialization in International Law B.A., Stanford University, with departmental honors in Chinese History Princeton in Beijing (普北班) (intensive advanced Mandarin program)