Overview
Introduction
Wilkinson Stekloff is a leading litigation boutique with offices in Washington, DC and New York City. Since its founding in 2016, the 40-lawyer firm has tried over 20 cases to verdict, stacking up win after win. Small but mighty, the firm focuses on winning high-stakes trials while actively encouraging its attorneys to take on pro bono matters. Notably, Wilkinson Stekloff eschews the traditional billable model, both in terms of client fee arrangements and attorney timekeeping at the firm, which is appreciated by all parties.
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2024)
Featured Rankings
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2024)
No. of Summer Associates (2024)
Base Salary
No. of U.S. Offices
Vault Verdict
Don’t let the size of Wilkinson Stekloff mislead you—for associates, the firm offers quality work, BigLaw compensation, and direct experience working with partners. The firm typically looks for candidates with top grades from an elite law school and clerkship experience, and personality matters; the office is pleasant and friendly with occasional social events. Partners are approachable and considerate in soliciting associate help and value associates’ input on case strategy. In addition to the mentors assigned to associates and monthly training sessions, partners give associates meaningful, high-quality tasks and real-world litigation experience. They understand that the more associates know and can do, the more the associates can contribute to the firm. Laterals, mostly from cle...
About the Firm
Wilkinson Stekloff is a leading litigation boutique with offices in Washington, DC and New York City. Since its founding in 2016, the 40-lawyer firm has tried over 20 cases to verdict, stacking up win after win. Small but mighty, the firm focuses on winning high-stakes trials while actively encouraging its attorneys to take on pro bono matters. Notably, Wilkinson Stekloff eschews the traditional billable model, both in terms of client fee arrangements and attorney timekeeping at the firm, which is appreciated by all parties.
A 21st Century Firm
Wilkinson Stekloff was founded in 2016 by a group of former BigLaw litigators to focus on winning high-stakes trials. On the basis of the firm’s success in its first four years, Benchmark Litigation named Wilkinson Stekloff the Boutique Fir...
Associate Reviews
- “The firm is a collegial and friendly place, and partners are accessible. This helps create a very pleasant day-to-day atmosphere. Outside socializing is not as big, but the firm hosts events about once per one or two months.”
- “The atmosphere at WS is friendly and collegial amongst the lawyers and the staff. People are always willing to chat, but you may have to seek people out to do that. Most of the socializing I've observed is firm-sponsored in some way, but people do have personal social relationships too.”
- “I love the people here—everyone is quite approachable and is a consummate team player. We have a good number of firm social events, but it is not overwhelming.”
- “Firm sponsors happy hours every now and again—sometimes just for fun, sometimes for an occasion (like someone joining/exiting the firm, holidays, etc.). People are also just naturally social at the firm. There is no hierarchy. Staff, associates, and partners all interact very naturally. No one feels excluded or left out.”
Why Work Here
Want To Be A Trial Lawyer?
Then you’ve come to the right place Wilkinson Stekloff is an elite trial boutique, committed to two things—litigating the most significant trials throughout the nation, and developing the next generation of trial lawyers.
What does that mean for you? It means you’ll see courtrooms and client meetings yourself, rather than just hearing about them from senior associates and partners. You’ll get active encouragement and guidance on how to build your own skill set, rather than just focusing on making others look good. You won’t just be in the rooms where it happens—you’ll be helping make wins happen.
Diversity at Wilkinson Stekloff
The Law Firm Diversity Profile contains the firm’s self-reported responses to the Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Survey, an annual survey conducted by Vault.com in partnership with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Detailed demographic breakdowns of the firm’s attorneys by level, race, gender, LGBTQ and disability status offer a valuable statistical overview, while descriptions of its diversity programs, initiatives and strategic plans provide a comprehensive portrait of the firm’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Getting Hired Here
- “To get in the door, top credentials (clerkship, top grades, etc.) are a prerequisite. Interviews are more about fit. Prospective candidates end up interviewing with roughly a quarter of the firm.”
- “While the firm has been doing a better job at diversifying attorneys working here, many successful candidates still come from top-tier schools. It is not unusual for attorneys to have clerked for a year or so before joining the firm, but the firm prefers hiring more-junior attorneys to train them to go to trial.”
Perks & Benefits