Stephanie S. Brown is a Partner at Merrigan Brown, P.C. and an internationally recognized attorney whose practice is devoted to representing injured workers, government contractors, maritime employees, and their families in claims arising under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) and its extensions, including the Defense Base Act (DBA), War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA), Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities Act (NAFIA), and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). With more than twenty years of experience dedicated to this highly specialized area of federal workers’ compensation law, Ms. Brown brings an uncommon depth of knowledge and perspective to every case she handles.
Few, if any, attorneys have worked with Longshore and Defense Base Act claims from as many perspectives as Ms. Brown. Throughout her career, she has represented parties in complex federal workers’ compensation litigation, practiced at a defense firm representing employers and insurance carriers, managed a national Defense Base Act and War Hazards legal practice for a major insurance carrier, and served in senior leadership within the U.S. Department of Labor’s Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation. This broad experience gives her a comprehensive understanding of how claims are investigated, administered, litigated, and resolved, allowing her to effectively advocate for injured workers seeking benefits under federal law.
Ms. Brown began her legal career at a defense firm specializing in Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act litigation and its extensions. There, she represented employers and insurance carriers in matters arising under the Longshore Act, Defense Base Act, Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities Act, and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. During her years in private practice, she managed complex litigation, advised clients on claims strategy, and developed extensive experience handling federal workers’ compensation matters from inception through resolution.
While in private practice, Ms. Brown also developed a distinguished appellate practice. She authored appellate motions and briefs involving significant issues under the Longshore Act and its extensions, including a Petition for Writ of Certiorari that was granted review by the United States Supreme Court. She also prepared an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Longshore Claims Association in connection with Supreme Court review of an important Longshore Act issue
Ms. Brown later served as Trial Attorney, Supervising Attorney, and ultimately Managing Attorney for the national Defense Base Act and War Hazards legal practice of a major insurance carrier. In those roles, she handled and supervised some of the most complex DBA and WHCA claims in the country, developed litigation strategy, advised claims professionals on emerging legal issues, and gained firsthand insight into how carriers evaluate claims, assess medical evidence, and approach disputed issues and settlement decisions. She also led a nationwide team of attorneys handling Defense Base Act and War Hazards litigation across the United States.
Prior to joining Merrigan Brown, P.C., Ms. Brown served as Deputy Director of the Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation within the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. In that role, she helped oversee the administration of benefits under the Longshore Act and its extensions, participated in policy development and regulatory initiatives, collaborated with stakeholders throughout the industry, and worked to improve the efficient delivery of benefits to injured workers nationwide. Her experience within the agency provides valuable insight into the regulatory framework governing federal workers’ compensation claims and the processes that affect injured workers seeking benefits.
Throughout her career, Ms. Brown has handled claims involving traumatic injuries, occupational diseases, toxic exposures, psychological injuries, combat-zone incidents, and death benefits claims. She has extensive experience appearing before the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, the Office of Administrative Law Judges, and the Benefits Review Board, and has successfully guided cases through litigation, mediation, settlement, and appeal.
A substantial portion of Ms. Brown’s practice has focused on Defense Base Act claims involving civilian contractors injured while supporting military operations, diplomatic missions, reconstruction projects, logistics services, and other government-related activities overseas. She understands the unique challenges faced by contractors and their families following serious injuries sustained abroad and is committed to helping them secure the benefits and medical care provided by law.
Recognized as a leader in the Longshore and Defense Base Act community, Ms. Brown is the author of Chapter 14, Attorney Fee Awards Under the Defense Base Act, in the Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act Handbook and has served as an editor of the handbook. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences and educational programs, including Department of Labor symposia, the Annual Longshore Conference, Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group Conferences, the Signal Maritime Conference, and other industry events. She was chosen by her colleagues to serve as a current Longshore Section co-chair of the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), a national non-profit organization dedicated to representing the interests of millions of workers.
Ms. Brown earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she was a member of the University of San Francisco Law Review, served as Literary Editor of the Maritime Law Journal, competed on the Brown Advanced Moot Court Team, and received the CALI Award for Excellence in Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a Business Emphasis from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Ms. Brown is admitted to practice in California and Texas and is also admitted before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and the California Supreme Court.
Today, Ms. Brown dedicates her practice to helping injured workers and their families obtain the medical treatment, compensation, and financial security available under the Longshore Act and its extensions. Drawing on experience gained in private practice, at a national insurance carrier, and within the federal agency responsible for administering these laws, she offers clients a uniquely informed perspective and a steadfast commitment to protecting their rights and maximizing the benefits to which they are entitled.
• Speaker, West Coast Department of Labor Symposium – 2012, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Speaker, Annual Longshore Conference – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026
• Speaker, WCI DBA Breakout Session – 2022, 2023, 2024
• Speaker, Signal Maritime Conference – 2022, 2023, 2024
• Speaker, URMIA National Conference – 2023
• Speaker, WILG Annual Conference – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• Speaker, East Coast Department of Labor Symposium – 2025
