Wilkinson Stekloff is pleased to welcome Daniel Epps, a renowned legal scholar and law professor, to the firm as Of Counsel. Dan is an experienced appellate litigator and is nationally recognized for his expertise on constitutional law, federal courts, criminal law and procedure, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Dan has cultivated an illustrious career as both a legal scholar and litigator,” said Partner Rakesh Kilaru. “We are excited to welcome him to the firm and add yet another experienced brief writer and appellate strategist to our team.”
An experienced Supreme Court practitioner, Dan’s notable matters include serving as co-counsel for the defendant in Ocasio v. United States and drafting the successful petition for certiorari and merits briefing in Walden v. Fiore. He has also drafted a number of Supreme Court certiorari petitions and amicus briefs, as well as numerous briefs in the federal and state appellate courts. Dan is an established expert on the U.S. Supreme Court whose work, including a proposal to restructure the Supreme Court endorsed by then-presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, is influencing major policy debates.
“I’ve watched as Wilkinson Stekloff has established itself as one of the nation’s top trial boutiques capable of handling complex cases with unmatched dexterity,” Dan said. “I look forward to being part of the team and applying my experience to some of the most significant litigation matters shaping today’s legal landscape. My work at the firm will be a great complement to my academic pursuits.”
Outside his work for the firm, Dan is a law professor and legal scholar whose writing has been published in the nation’s leading law reviews, including the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, and the Columbia Law Review. His writing for popular audiences has appeared in high-profile venues such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic.
Dan received his A.B. summa cum laude with highest distinction in philosophy from Duke University and his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. He clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. While spending several years in practice as an appellate litigator, Dan co-taught Supreme Court Decision-Making at the University of Virginia School of Law. Upon leaving full-time practice, he served as a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School.