2023 Chambers Associate Guide Features Enthusiastic Reviews for Sterne Kessler from Associates

Washington, D.C. (June 9, 2023) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is pleased to share the firm’s reviews featured in the 2023 Chambers Associate guide. Associates praised the firm across many areas including quality of work, culture, career development, and more.

In addition to feedback from attorneys, the Chambers Associate guide also provides law firm rankings in the form of associate satisfaction survey results. Sterne Kessler is noted as a “Strong Performer” in the categories of career development and retention and is “Endorsed” in the categories of associate satisfaction, benefits and quality of life, pro bono, and diversity. The guide editors also highlight the firm’s status as the only Band 1 patent prosecution firm in Washington, D.C. in the 2023 Chambers USA rankings.

Following are highlights from Sterne Kessler’s profile, including direct quotes from comments provided in the Chambers Associate anonymous surveys and interviews:

The Work

• Regarding work allocation, “Every associate has the option to go to directors and say that they want to work on a project, and the directors check if the associates are a good fit,” an associate said. Another added that the firm does “a good job at accounting for different people’s needs.”
• Associates remarked on the firm’s variety of clients, industries, and matters. One associate in a patent prosecution practice group explained: “You can do traditional patent prosecution, you can get more involved in litigation activities, or you can work in challenging the validity of patents” after starting with a focus on prosecution. A second year shared: “From day one, I was claim charting and researching, and I’m on client calls.”

Career Development

• According to the guide editors, “Our associate sources all echoed their praise for Sterne’s structured career development process, highlighting both the formal and informal training and support,” including assigned buddies and professional development advisors. One associate said: “I know one partner who wanted his midlevel to gain writing experience; even if you aren’t thinking about it, they’re thinking about it for you. I have partners come up to me saying I should take depositions, and I’ve only just started my third year!”

Culture

• An associate called Sterne Kessler’s directors “the most approachable people you can think of,” sharing that “When I first started, every time our group practice leader was in the office, they would always stop by, say hi and take me to lunch. The senior director also comes by my office to tell me about clients he’s excited about!”
• In addition to their approachability, associates noted that directors take the time for coaching and foster a culture of learning and growth. “Even when cases are on deadlines, I’ve felt like directors were working with me and telling me what I need to change and improve,” one associate said, while another commented that “Everyone’s constantly learning; no one’s expected to be an expert on everything.”

General Comments

• One associate commented on the firm’s technical focus, sharing that “If you’re interested in engineering, science, and tech, this is the firm for you,” with another confirming that “Whatever specialization you want, Sterne Kessler has it.”

In addition to associate reviews, Sterne Kessler’s Chambers Associate profile includes insights from Managing Director Michael B. Ray on strategy; vision for the future; and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including the firm’s recent achievement of earning Midsize Mansfield Certification. With regard to the firm’s upcoming office relocation, he said that “our new office space is being designed for how our younger lawyers are working today and how we expect them to be working in the future.”

The annual Chambers Associate guide provides an in-depth, firsthand view into the working lives of associates based on thousands of anonymous interviews. Read more about Chambers Associate here and view Sterne Kessler’s complete profile here.

About Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

Based in Washington, D.C. and renowned for more than four decades for dedication to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is one of the most highly regarded intellectual property specialty law firms in the world. Its team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of IP law tackling innovations across a broad spectrum of industries. The firm’s practitioners hold over 50 masters and over 60 doctorate degrees in science or engineering and represent Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, inventors, venture capital firms, and universities in a client service driven environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating. Visit the firm online at sternekessler.com.